BOULDER, Colo. – Baylor (2-2, 0-1) opened conference play with a brutal 38-31 overtime defeat at the hands of the Colorado Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0) on a rainy Saturday night at Folsom Field.
With a 31-24 lead late in the fourth quarter, the Bears had the chance to put the game away, but kicker Isaiah Hankins (RJr.) shanked a 45-yard field goal to give the Buffs a glimmer of hope.
With just a few seconds remaining on the clock, things went south in a hurry when Colorado quarterback Sheduer Sanders (Sr.) scrambled out of the pocket and connected with wide receiver LaJohntay Wester (Sr.) on a 43-yard hail mary to send the game to overtime tied at 31 apiece.
In overtime, the Buffs scored immediately and put the ball back in the Bears' court. After a pair of bruising rushes from quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.), running back Dominic Richardson (Sr.) attempted to find pay dirt but fumbled crossing the goalline to seal Baylor’s loss.
“It was a tough and heart-wrenching loss, very hard to take,” head coach Dave Aranda said postgame. “The team is gutted right now. We’re frustrated, and we’re going to be hurting all the way back to Waco. My message to them was that there was a lot of heart and care in this, but there were way too many mistakes.”
In the loss, Baylor’s defense combined for eight total sacks – the highest total since the 2022 Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss, where the Bears finished with 10. Linebacker Keaton Thomas (RSo.) led Baylor’s defense with nine tackles and three tackles for loss.
Offensively, Robertson got his second straight start in place of an injured Dequan Finn (6Sr.). Robertson played exceptionally on the road, totaling 148 yards through the air on 11-of-21 passing and 82 yards on the ground on nine carries.
“To have [the win] in your hands and throw it away hurts,” defensive lineman Kyler Jordan (RSo.) said after the defeat. “The pain in the locker room is terrible. You want to remember the good, but it’s hard to do that when it turns out the way that it did.”
After a quick stop from Baylor’s defense to open the game, Josh Cameron (RJr.) returned a Colorado punt 54 yards to the Buffs’ 38-yard line. Despite the great return, the Bears couldn’t find the endzone and had to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Hankins.
On the ensuing possession, a crucial third-down pass interference penalty on cornerback Lorando Johnson (RSr.) kept the Colorado drive alive, allowing Sanders to rush for a two-yard touchdown a few plays later. The Buffaloes led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bears responded with a touchdown drive of their own when Robertson connected with wide receiver Monaray Baldwin (Sr.) for a spectacular diving 30-yard score in the back corner of the end zone. The touchdown grab was Baldwin’s first of the season; he finished the game with three receptions for 36 yards.
After a Colorado field goal tied the game, Baylor regained the lead, 17-10, on a 100-yard kick-return touchdown from Jamaal Bell (5Sr.). The return was aided by a fantastic block from Michael Allen (RSo.) and was the first kick-return touchdown for the Bears this fall.
Later in the second quarter, on fourth and short, Baylor went with an empty formation. Robertson took advantage, hitting the hole, breaking a tackle and then cutting up the middle of the field for a 45-yard rushing touchdown – his second of the season.
Instead of going into the half-time locker room up two scores, the Bears led 24-17 at the conclusion of the second quarter because of Baylor’s inability to bring down Sanders in the backfield on the Buffs’ second-to-last drive.
Sanders broke multiple tackles and scampered for a 14-yard gain on second and long. Four plays later, Sanders found wide receiver Omarion Miller (So.) for an improbable 58-yard touchdown after Sanders eluded a sack and Miller somehow avoided touching the ground after safety Corey Gordon (So.) took out his knees on a tackle.
The scoring subsided until late in the third quarter when Baylor’s 14-point lead evaporated, and Colorado tied the game at 24 apiece on a Micah Welch (Fr.) two-yard rushing touchdown. On the drive, the Bears had the Buffs backed up on third and long near midfield, but Sanders connected with two-way star Travis Hunter (Jr.) for a 31-yard grab.
Baylor blew a two-score lead but broke its second-half scoreless run with 5:43 remaining in the fourth quarter when Robertson dropped a beautiful pass into the waiting arms of wide receiver Hal Presley (Sr.) for a 24-yard score to put the Bears up 31-24.
