Offensive Explosion: Bears Beat Down Jayhawks In Regular Season Finale, Win 45-17

WACO, Texas – After starting the year 2-4, Baylor (8-4, 6-3) extended its winning streak to six games with an explosive 45-17 victory over Kansas (5-7, 4-5) in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium.

“I’m proud of the team in the locker room and of the grit they showed,” head coach Dave Aranda said post-game. “To go through the season that we did and continue to believe and not let the outside get on the inside is really hard. Nowadays, it’s really hard and multiplied times a hundred. I’m way proud of them.”

Entering Saturday, Kansas was one of the hottest teams in the country. It became the first unranked team in college football history to defeat three consecutive ranked opponents: No. 17 Iowa State, No. 6 BYU and No. 16 Colorado.

The Bears scorched the Jayhawks with a season-high 603 yards of total offense, led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.), who threw for 310 yards through the air and four scores on 23-of-31 passing.

Running back Bryson Washington (RFr.) recorded his fourth straight 100-yard performance, totaling 192 yards on the ground and two touchdowns on 27 carries. With a six-yard rush in the fourth quarter, Washington officially eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season.

With former Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes calling the plays, the Jayhawks averaged 32 points per game during conference play before Saturday. Baylor’s defense limited Kansas to 17 points and forced three turnovers in the win. 

Linebacker Matt Jones (6Sr.) recovered a fumble and collected a team-high six tackles. Safety Devyn Bobby (Jr.) picked off Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels (RJr.) twice; Bobby has hauled in three interceptions across his last two games.

“Who would have thought that we would have come back from 2-4?” defensive lineman Kyler Jordan (RSo.) said. “It’s so cool to play through that adversity for these guys. To come out with a win means a lot.”

Kansas jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead when running back Devin Neal (Sr.) found paydirt from 19 yards out. Neal, an all-conference caliber tailback, finished the contest with 133 rushing yards on 20 carries.

The Bears then got on the board when wide receiver Monaray Baldwin (Sr.) toasted his defender, and Robertson perfectly dropped the ball into Baldwin’s hands in front of the right goal-line pylon for an incredible 36-yard touchdown grab.

Baldwin ended the game with season-highs in both receiving yards (119) and receptions (7).

Late in the first quarter, Daniels sailed a throw over the middle on third down into Bobby's waiting arms.

The offense capitalized off the turnover when Robertson found Baldwin on the exact same route for another score – this time from 39 yards. Baldwin caught two touchdowns on Saturday for the first time since Oct. 1, 2022, against No. 9 Oklahoma State.

“It was awesome,” Robertson said. “I'm so happy for Monaray. He's such a good teammate and athlete, and he's fun to throw to because he runs by everyone basically. … It was the same play out of different formations and the same result.”

On the opening drive of the second quarter, the Jayhawks started the possession by converting three consecutive third downs, but a quarterback pressure by defensive lineman Treven Ma’ae (RSr.) on third and goal forced Kansas to settle for a field goal.

Robertson responded and connected with wide receiver Josh Cameron (RJr.) for a pair of big catches, including a 14-yard touchdown where Cameron hauled in a slant, shrugged off his defender and walked into the endzone untouched. 

The former walk-on finished with eight receptions for 102 yards; he leads the team with nine touchdown receptions on the season.

Robertson completed his first nine passes for 189 yards through the air and three touchdowns.

Kansas looked poised to make it a one-possession game going into halftime. Instead, cornerback Tevin Williams III (RJr.) forced a fumble that Jones recovered at the Baylor 29-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter.

A Roberton sack forced kicker Isaiah Hankins (RJr.) to try and convert a 53-yard field goal as time expired, but Hankins missed it. Baylor scored on three of its six first-half possessions and took a 21-10 lead going into the locker room.

To open the third quarter, the Bears marched down the field on the back of Washington, who had six carries for 45 yards on the drive and capped off the possession with a 10-yard score.

Baylor forced a three-and-out on defense and extended its lead to 35-10 when Robertson found running back Dawson Pendergrass (So.) out of the backfield for a 20-yard touchdown. Pendergrass finished with 12 touches and 123 all-purpose yards.

After a quick KU score to cut Baylor’s lead to 35-17, the Bears scored 10 unanswered points, highlighted by another Washington touchdown and a successful 40-yard field goal from Hankins.

“It was a blessing, honestly,” Washington said of eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards. “I’m so grateful for the offensive line, coaching staff and the guys around me. These guys push me to be the best I can be, especially Sawyer. It was God’s plan; it was already written.”

The Bears are technically still alive in the Big 12 Championship hunt but will need three teams ahead of them to lose on Saturday — No. 16 Arizona State, No. 18 Iowa State and No. 19 BYU — for any hope of making a trip to Arlington. 

If Baylor is eliminated from the conference title game, the Bears will then await an announcement on Dec. 8 to learn their bowl pairing.