Questions of the Week: Run Game Resurgence? Cameron All-Conference? Most Satisfying Win?
Coming off a dominant 59-35 road win against Texas Tech, Baylor's bowl hopes look much more achievable. Here are the top questions for Dave Aranda and the Bears (3-4, 1-3) as they return to Waco for a homecoming matchup against Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4).
Where Has This Run Game Been?
Arguably, one of the biggest surprises in Baylor's blowout win over Texas Tech was the resurgence of the Bears' run game, which has been dormant since the start of conference play.
Last Tuesday, offensive lineman Campbell Barrington (Sr.) said the team worked on shoring up the run game during the bye week.
"We spent some time focused on the run game after Iowa State; it's coming together and looking good," he said. "We've been focusing on a lot more detail with one-on-one blocks. We're just keeping the mindset that if you win your one-on-one block and everybody else falls along, we'll take one step closer to succeed."
In Saturday's win, Barrington's words came to fruition. The Bears outgained Texas Tech on the ground, 255-to-149. It was the fourth time this season that Baylor had more rushing yards than its opponent, and the second time the Bears eclipsed 100 rushing yards in conference play.
Bryson Washington (RFr.) delivered his second 100-yard game of the season, totaling a career-high 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 attempts.
Backups Richard Reese (Jr.) and Dawson Pendergrass (So.) also had nice performances, rushing for 20 and 36 yards on 13 combined carries, respectively. In the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Dequan Finn (6Sr.) got into the action with a 34-yard keeper of his own.
Post-game, Aranda discussed the Bears' improvement in the run game, highlighting the installation of some new plays as a key reason for their success on Saturday.
"It makes it easier when you run the ball because it makes people have to respect it," he said. "We put in the 'stretch play' or the 'wide zone play' during the bye week. … We'll see people adjust to it, but having the ability to have runs [up the middle and on the edges] helps our O-line, so we'll continue with that."
Baylor isn't suddenly going to become a dominant run team moving forward, but having a respectable run game to go along with Sawyer Robertson's (RJr.) stellar play at quarterback will give the Bears a much better chance to rack up a few more wins over the back-half of the season.
Josh Cameron All-Conference Honors?
Wide receiver Josh Cameron (RJr.) has become the team's most trusted target since Robertson took over as Baylor's starting quarterback against Air Force.
Over the last five games, Cameron has led the team in receptions (21), receiving yards (279) and touchdown grabs (6). Against Texas Tech, the former walk-on hauled in a career-high three touchdowns while totaling 75 yards and six catches on the afternoon.
"We're super tight," Cameron said of his relationship with Robertson. "His ability to trust me out there shows a lot. I want to have his back. When the ball is up in the air, it's my ball – nobody else's. That's the kind of relationship we have. I want to make him look right at all times."
Cameron is elite as a red-zone target, and his seven touchdown receptions are tied atop the Big 12. Cameron is on pace to be the first Baylor wide receiver to have double-digit touchdowns in a season since Tyquan Thornton (10) in 2021 and Denzel Mims (12) in 2019.
"The trust continues to build on itself," Robertson said of his chemistry with Cameron. "Fifty-fifty balls with him aren't fifty-fifty, and that's a really good feeling as a quarterback."
Where Cameron might make noise as an all-conference player, however, is as a punt returner. Against Texas Tech, he had a 73-yard return early in the contest but was knocked out of bounds just shy of the goal line.
Cameron leads the Big 12 by a wide margin in punt return yards (248) and average yards per return (22.5), with the next closest being Iowa State's Jaylin Noel (Sr.), who has an average of 15.9 yards per return.
Most Satisfying Win of the Season?
Entering Saturday's contest, Baylor was 3-17 in its last 20 games against FBS opponents and 2-13 in conference play since Nov. 12, 2022.
The Bears' win over Texas Tech was the largest margin of victory since the 45-17 beat-down of the Red Raiders on Oct. 29, 2022, and was the most points scored (59) against an FBS opponent by an Aranda-led team in his tenure as head coach.
"It feels great," linebacker Matt Jones (6Sr.) said after the victory. "It feels amazing. We've lost the last three, and it's been a rough start, but I don't know how many people I've told, 'Man, it feels good to win.' I've missed this feeling."
Baylor was led by Robertson, who was excellent on Saturday, throwing for 274 yards and a career-high five touchdowns on 21-of-32 passing.
"It's pretty satisfying with the spot we're in," Robertson said. "We talk about it all the time, but adversity introduces a man to himself. Obviously, with our backs against the wall and our record not where we want it to be, our mentality is that we're going 1-0 every week. We came in here and did that."
For Robertson, the Lubbock native, returning home and picking up the win in front of many friends and family was a special moment.
"It means a lot having friends and family in the stands who don't normally get to come and watch me play," he said. "Outside of that, it was just another game. If I say that this game was more important than others, then that implies that the other ones aren't as important, but I know that wasn't the case. It was cool having everybody in the stands, having that type of game and coming away with the win; all glory goes to God."