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Baylor Football

Bears Start Hot, Open Season with 45-3 Victory over Tarleton

August 31, 2024
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WACO, Texas – Baylor football (1-0) took care of business, 45-3, in its season opener against Tarleton (1-1) on Saturday night at McLane Stadium.

In his first game in the Green and Gold, Toledo transfer quarterback Dequan Finn (6Sr.) totaled three touchdowns with 192 yards through the air but also threw two interceptions.

Defensively, the Bears dominated the Texans, limiting Tarleton’s offense to just 181 yards in the contest. Linebacker Matt Jones (6Sr.) led the defense with seven tackles, while junior college transfer linebacker Keaton Thomas (RSo.) returned a pick-six in the first half.

“The game was a testament to all of the work, the care factor and the sacrifices [we’ve made],” head coach Dave Aranda said after the game. “A lot of positives to take away but a lot to work on, especially for our next opponent. It’s a good first step.”

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Quarterback Dequan Finn (6Sr.) totaled three touchdowns with 192 yards through the air but also threw two interceptions.

Finn showed off his legs on the opening drive and was off to the races with a 39-yard quarterback-keeper rushing touchdown to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead.

“[Finn’s ability to run] opens up the offense,” running back Richard Reese (Jr.) said after the game. “The defense has to watch for both of us. Everyone on the offense has speed. [Finn’s running ability] is huge.”

Later in the quarter, Texas State transfer wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins (5Sr.) showed off his own skills, hauling in a 32-yard pass from Finn, juking a defender and diving into the pylon for a touchdown.

“To have a lot of our transfers come in, and under bright lights, go out and make plays and consistently make plays and bring a swagger to the team, that was cool to see because it’s been like that in practice,” Aranda said.

On the other side of the ball, the Bears dominated Tarleton in the first half, limiting the Texans to no points and 58 total yards on offense. Defensive linemen Garmon Randolph (6Sr.) and Treven Ma’ae (RSr.) each picked up tackles for loss.

Thomas got into the action, returning a 35-yard pick-six off Tarleton’s quarterback, Jaden Pete (Jr.), to extend Baylor’s lead to 21-0 midway through the first quarter.

“The thing I’m most proud of was, outside of the start of the third quarter, I thought the guys wanted to hunt,” Aranda said. “On the sidelines, the focus was the best that it's been in a while.”

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Wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins (5Sr.) had two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.

In the second quarter, the Bears attempted to pound the rock with a slow, methodical drive that ended with running back Dawson Pendergrass (So.) finding the endzone on fourth and goal from one yard out.

Baylor took a 28-0 lead going into the halftime locker room.

The Texans got on the board to open the second half with a field goal. The Bears responded with another scoring drive. This time, under severe pressure, Finn set his feet and made a perfect throw to tight end Michael Trigg (RJr.) in the right corner of the end zone.

“Dequan is a dog,” Aranda said. “He’s going to bring an attitude from the beginning, and I think our team feeds off that. Our team sees that because that’s stuff you can’t fake. I think with his performance tonight, there was good and bad. Moving forward, we’re going to continue to feature and develop the things that he does really well, limit things he struggled with and improve on those things to a certain degree. I’m way confident with Dequan at the helm.”

Kicker Isaiah Hankins (RJr.) drilled a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give the Bears a 38-3 lead. Late in the fourth, Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) entered for Finn at quarterback and led Baylor down the field, connecting with wide receiver Ketron Jackson (Sr.) for a 30-yard score.

Saturday’s season opener featured sloppiness on both sides, with Baylor and Tarleton combining for 13 penalties for 139 yards.

The Bears (1-0) will travel to take on the No. 12 Utah Utes (1-0) at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 7, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Passing

Name CMP ATT YDS CMP% AVG LNG TD INT RTG
Dequan Finn 14 22 192 64% 13.7 39 2 2 148.8

Rushing

Name CAR YDS AVG LNG TD
Richard Reese 18 78 4.3 24 0
Dawson Pendergrass 17 62 3.6 8 1
Dequan Finn 6 19 3.2 39 1

Receiving

Name REC YDS AVG LNG TD
Ketron Jackson 2 69 34.5 39 1
Ashtyn Hawkins 2 37 18.5 32 1
Monaray Baldwin 2 36 18 22 0
Michael Trigg 2 33 16.5 17 1

Defense

Name TKL SKS TFL INT FR
Matt Jones 7 0 1 0 0
Jackie Marshall 7 0 .5 0 0
Keaton Thomas 4 0 0 1 0
Cooper Lanz 4 0 0 0 0

Kicking/Punting

Name XPM XPA FGM FGA FG% P AVG I20 LNG
Isaiah Hankins 5 5 1 1 100% N/A N/A N/A 39
Palmer Williams N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2 43.5 1 50
Discussion from...

Bears Start Hot, Open Season with 45-3 Victory over Tarleton

5,897 Views | 11 Replies | Last: 3 mo ago by TheOldRanger
MrGolfguy
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9:55p, 8/31/24
W
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pitchspork
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10:07p, 8/31/24
Our defense looked feisty and motivated. That's enough to make me happy.

Offense has playmakers. Also makes me happy. But def some more to fix on that side of the ball.

Overall, this team clearly has more potential than last years, so I'm reasonably hopeful.
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Killing Floor
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10:19p, 8/31/24
Was nice to see the box full of line jerseys.
Nice to hear cheering.
Nice to see the effort in all 3 phases.
And of course it was nice to get the W.

I can live with mistakes as long as the team grows from them. Today was a good way to start the season.
Sic'em
Let’s Go!
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Johnny Bear
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8:57a, 9/1/24
For all the good things he did - against the weakest opponent we will face all season - Finn actually should've thrown 3 interceptions (Tarleton defender dropped one right in his hands in the back of the end zone). IMO the jury is still out until we see what he does against real opponents which will start next Saturday.
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IowaBear
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In reply to Johnny Bear • 9:14a, 9/1/24
What you saw from Finn throwing wise is exactly who he is. He's going to pile up the ints. Had 9 last year and should have had way more. He's accurate in the short passing game that's about it. His deep ball accuracy isn't there especially in tight windows. I hope everyone's expectations of him are rather low or they're going to be disappointed
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Fre3dombear
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10:28a, 9/1/24
I'm way confident
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fredcweekl
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2:00p, 9/1/24
I was impress with Robertson. Now I understand why it was a competitive situation. Incredible touch on that TD pass and on the one that drew pass interference.
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Johnny Bear
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In reply to fredcweekl • 4:09p, 9/1/24
fredcweekl said:
I was impress with Robertson. Now I understand why it was a competitive situation. Incredible touch on that TD pass and on the one that drew pass interference.

I've got a feeling we're going to see Robertson play quite a bit this season whether Finn avoids injury or not.
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TheOldRanger
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In reply to Fre3dombear • 8:04a, 9/2/24
Don't go off half-cocked. Tarleton State was just basically a scrimmage game. Utah will probably use Baylor the same way next week. I'm an old graduate (class of 64) and you don't gloat when you overpower an opponent who wasn't very strong in the first place. I've retired to the hills in central Arkansas and all we hear over here is Razorbacks, and this week they are gloating over a 70-0 win over Pine Bluff. I really dislike it when colleges and universities schedule "weak" teams and then act like they really did something when they win by a large margin.

It's poor sportsmanship to get piling on when you know you have the game in-hand, Baylor should have pulled the starters just after the second half started, and then let a lot of the other players get a chance to play as well.

In today's environment, it isn't just to win, it's to win by a huge margin, and there is no sportsmanship in beating up on someone who is already down. Yes, it's a W but don't gloat. This next game will tell us a lot more about what we really are, cause Utah will be looking to do the same to us.
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Fre3dombear
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In reply to TheOldRanger • 11:04a, 9/2/24
TheOldRanger said:
Don't go off half-cocked. Tarleton State was just basically a scrimmage game. Utah will probably use Baylor the same way next week. I'm an old graduate (class of 64) and you don't gloat when you overpower an opponent who wasn't very strong in the first place. I've retired to the hills in central Arkansas and all we hear over here is Razorbacks, and this week they are gloating over a 70-0 win over Pine Bluff. I really dislike it when colleges and universities schedule "weak" teams and then act like they really did something when they win by a large margin.

It's poor sportsmanship to get piling on when you know you have the game in-hand, Baylor should have pulled the starters just after the second half started, and then let a lot of the other players get a chance to play as well.

In today's environment, it isn't just to win, it's to win by a huge margin, and there is no sportsmanship in beating up on someone who is already down. Yes, it's a W but don't gloat. This next game will tell us a lot more about what we really are, cause Utah will be looking to do the same to us.


Yeah probably gonna pound is. I hope not. They're nothing too special but being way confident is just something Dave says
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TheOldRanger
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In reply to Fre3dombear • 8:42p, 9/2/24
Utah is a 14 point favorite, so let's see if Baylor can keep close to that. If they wind up within 14 points of Utah, then I'll feel much better about the season. However just remember this past year, and how the Bears just folded up and really stunk up the place. We lost to Utah by 7 and then lost 5 in a row to finish the season. Until I see a better attitude this year, along with better results, I may just go fishing on Saturdays and check the scoreboard when I get back.
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