Unwavering Confidence: How Baylor Was Able To Turn Its Season Around

After jumping out to a quick 14-3 lead on the road against No. 17 Iowa State, the Cyclones then rattled off 24 straight unanswered points in the second half and fended off the feisty Bears, 43-21, thanks partly to a bruising rushing attack in which ISU out-gained Baylor on the ground, 265-to-79.

With gut-wrenching losses to Colorado and No. 22 BYU and a disheartening defeat to Iowa State now in the books, Baylor was sitting at 2-4 at the halfway mark of the season. 

From the outside looking in, the Bears' bowl hopes appeared to be a pipedream, and the program seemed positioned to part ways with fifth-year head coach Dave Aranda at the end of the fall.

In the post-game press conference following the loss to No. 17 Iowa State, Baylor's two leaders on both sides of the ball — quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) and linebacker Keaton Thomas (RSo.) — sat next to each other and fielded questions about whether they could turn the season around.

"We just have to finish," Thomas said confidently. "I'm still a firm believer in this team. I still think we have the capability to be great. We just have to play four quarters of ball."

Robertson added, "We have to do better in the second half [of the season]. We have to come together, figure it out and make something happen. We know the goal we have for this team. It's not over; that's all I need, that's all [Thomas] needs, that's all anybody in the locker room needs is a little bit of hope. We're going to hang onto it and attack it."

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Despite the 2-4 start to the season, there was still confidence amongst the team that they could turn things around.

Despite the losses piling up, Aranda's message to his squad remained clear: we are a good team, and there's still plenty of time to turn things around.

"[Aranda] told us, 'It's not over.’ We have six more games to make a bowl game," linebacker Kyler Jordan (RSo.) said. "Let's make something of this team. If a couple of those games bounce a little differently than they did, we'd be sitting here feeling better about ourselves."

One positive for the Bears was that a bye week awaited them when they returned from Ames — a week that was spent introspectively simplifying the defense, tinkering with the offensive line and telling each other to stay the course.

"The coaches knew we had it in us, but we needed them to push us a little more so we could see that we have the dog in us to do what we're capable of," running back Bryson Washington (RFr.) said when reflecting on the bye week.

Even at what was perceived as the lowest point of the season, leaders began to emerge within the locker room, namely Robertson, Thomas and wide receiver Josh Cameron (RJr.).

Cameron, a former walk-on, has become one of Baylor's top targets and leads the team in receptions (34), receiving yards (525) and touchdown catches (8), as well as being one of the top punt returners in the nation. 

In a practice leading up to Baylor’s game against Texas Tech following the bye week, where the offense was going through the motions, Cameron spoke up and refused to allow the sluggish play to continue.

"Josh is a really good-natured person with a great heart," Aranda said. "He threw his helmet down and said all of the f-and-s words that you can imagine and said it in such a really violent and frustrated way. He got everybody's attention, and they all stood up. He flipped that practice around for the offense."

Aranda added, "That's great growth for Josh. If you're making a Disney movie about it, you'd probably use different words, but he got their attention. For him to stand up in that moment and take charge, that's the growth in him."

No matter what people on the outside thought of Aranda's squad, there was a steadfast belief inside the building that the Bears could turn things around.

"We have the potential to be a really good team," Aranda told the media following the idle week. "We have talent. We have playmakers on offense. I think there needs to be consistency, particularly in the run game, to allow our playmakers to come to life even more."

Prior to the Iowa State game, the left tackle position was a revolving door for the Bears. Against the Cyclones, South Carolina transfer Sidney Fugar (RJr.) was inserted at left tackle to bolster Robertson's blindside.

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Former walk-on WR Josh Cameron (RJr.) has emerged into one of the best players and leaders on Baylor’s team.

While there may not have been a noticeable improvement from the fan's perspective, there was confidence amongst the team that the running game, which was abysmal for much of the first month of the season, was slowly starting to turn around.

In the first game out of the bye week, everything clicked for the Bears as they decimated Texas Tech on the road, 59-35. Robertson, the Lubbock native, threw for a career-high five touchdowns in his homecoming. Baylor also ran for 255 yards in the contest, with Washington posting his first 100-yard game in conference play.

"All of what you saw today has been building throughout the season; all it took was some success," Aranda said following the bashing of the Red Raiders. "Guys have started believing. The fight for belief, despite the circumstances and outcomes, is very hard. You have to be transparent and real so the kids are connected and continue to believe. The best thing that builds belief is wins."

"Saturday's performance was a great showing of what this team is," defensive back Carl Williams IV (So.) told the media after the Texas Tech game. "We're a winning team, no matter what the record says, no matter what's happened, we feel like we're a winning team, and we want to show that on Saturdays and keep progressing."

From that point forward, the Bears rattled off back-to-back home wins over Oklahoma State and rival TCU. In both games, Baylor rushed for over 250 yards on the ground and got outstanding performances from Robertson.

Despite not being tabbed the starter until the third week of the season, Robertson has been one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He's thrown 20 touchdowns to just four interceptions and is sixth in the country in quarterback rating (84.9).

"His confidence has grown, and his ability to feel more comfortable with the skill players has grown," Aranda said of Robertson. "To see someone be their best version and grow, and then to bring other people along with you, is what we're seeing with him, and it's pretty cool."

With three straight wins under their belts, the Bears were no longer snatching defeat from the jaws of victory; they had learned how to win and were finding ways to blow teams out and come out on top in close games.

"We understood that when we were losing games, we were only a couple of plays away from [winning], and when we were winning games, we were only a couple of plays away from [losing]," Thomas said. "We can't get too high, and we can't get too low. We have to stay level-headed, humble and ready to work every day."

Following a second bye week, the Bears headed east looking for the program's first victory in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers, who also entered the contest with five wins and in search of bowl eligibility.

Baylor's offense came out scorching and never looked back, earning its sixth win of the season with a 49-35 victory over West Virginia. Washington, who's developing into a star tailback, totaled 182 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns for the second straight game, while Robertson threw for a career-high 329 yards through the air on 26-of-36 passing.

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QB Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) and RB Bryson Washington (RFr.) have developed into one of the best quarterback-running back tandems in the country.

Now, a month later, Baylor's two leaders on both sides of the ball — Robertson and Thomas — fielded questions following the win about how exactly they turned the season around.

"To be where we were at after the Iowa State game, sitting at 2-4 going into the bye week. Now, here we are. It's kind of crazy," Robertson said. "It's a testament to the guys in the locker room and the coaches for putting us in a position to succeed. I couldn't be prouder of the guys."

Thomas added, "Winning the first game in Morgantown in itself is a blessing and a birthday present for Coach Aranda. When we started to catch a little win streak, the goal was to go to 8-4. It's been that same mindset no matter where we play, who we play or what the temperature is — we're coming to dominate."

Not only did the Bears clinch a bowl berth with the win over West Virginia, but it was officially announced after the game that Aranda, who entered the year on the hot seat, would return for a sixth season next fall.

"The [adminsitation] has had my back the whole way," Aranda said in Monday's press conference. "This is a special job because you're way supported, and there's great leadership. I'm blessed."

Despite the slow start to the year, Aranda never lost the locker room, which is a testament to him and his coaching staff. The players couldn't be happier that Aranda will remain on the sidelines wearing green and gold next fall.

"I love that guy; I love playing for Dave Aranda," tight end Gavin Yates (Sr.) said. "I love everything he stands for and the man he's molded me to be. I want to see him here, and I want to come back for alum games and see him on the field with his little glasses and play sheet screaming at the defense; that fires me up."

It's not uncommon for players to express confidence in the coaching staff and each other amidst a sputtering season on the brink. What was the difference in this case? Baylor's players really meant it.

"I think a lot of people would have folded and thrown in the towel after [the Colorado loss]," Yates said. "It shows that the coaches really believe in us, and we have belief in the coaches too, knowing that they are going to put us in the best position and give us the best strategy to win the game."

There hasn't been a magic elixir that has saved the Bears' season. Instead, it was a team that trusted its coaches and knew they were talented enough to win games, and when they finally put it all together on Oct. 19 in Lubbock, they haven't looked back since.

"Texas Tech was the first time we put it on a national stage that it all clicked," Yates said. "We knew we were a good team, but we were losing all these one-score games, and we knew that once we put everything together on the field on Saturday because we were doing in it practice, that young players, as well as old players, would see that we're good."

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TE Gavin Yates (Sr.) told the media that he "loves playing for Dave Aranda."

With two weeks remaining in the regular season and a bowl game on the horizon, Aranda and the Bears are riding high with momentum following a four-game winning streak. 

"That winning momentum is something serious," Washington said. "I never really realized it until I got to the collegiate level. The team is more ready to play going into every week. Our practices are more hype. Everybody has energy. Everybody has juice. Everybody's ready to go."

Soon enough, Baylor will welcome a nationally rated top-35 recruiting class with the potential to rise even further. Aranda and the administration will also be willing to spend money this offseason to bring in high-end talent via the transfer portal to accompany a core group of returning players — Robertson, Washington, Cameron, Thomas and many more.

For arguably the first time since August 2022, there is legitimate hope and optimism surrounding the Baylor football program.