Entering the Texas Bowl against LSU on Dec. 31, the Bears were riding a six-game winning streak — the longest in program history to close a regular season — and understood the importance of closing the year on a high note and dethroning a traditional powerhouse program.
Instead, a myriad of mistakes doomed Baylor’s aspirations of a Texas Bowl win, leaving the Baylor locker room sullen about the 44-31 defeat to LSU but optimistic for the program's future.
“[The loss] should give us a little chip, knowing that we had the opportunity and didn’t take it,” linebacker Kyler Jordan (RSo.) said post-game. “Going into the offseason, it’s going to give us something to build on.”
“Even though we lost this game, we were still in it to the very end,” wide receiver Josh Cameron (RJr.) added. “This shows what we're about as a team and as a program, our future trajectory and where we're going to be moving forward. Coming off the 3-9 season, this is definitely a step forward.”
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WR Josh Cameron (RJr.) Cameron led Baylor this season in receptions (52), receiving yards (754) and touchdowns (10) this season.
Cameron — the former walk-on who led Baylor this season in receptions (52), receiving yards (754) and touchdowns (10) — was asked about how he could build on his successful 2024 campaign and grow even more as a leader going into next year.
“I want to take that next step as a leader and really be the guy that people look to whenever they’re down and when they need someone to talk to,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of and what I can bring to this team next year, especially with the younger guys coming into the receiver room. I’m just looking to take that next step.”
Before the next question could be asked, tight end Gavin Yates chimed in, “Josh is one of our greatest leaders and the best person on the team. You put him in a locker room next year with whoever it's going to be, some familiar faces, some new faces, and he's going to make real bonds with everyone. He's going to be a great person and a great leader. Baylor football is in good hands with him.”
In general, the next “step” for the Bears is to find a way to reach the next level. Baylor had an opportunity against the Tigers and squandered it. Next fall, the Bears will have their chances right out of the gates, with non-conference matchups against Auburn and SMU on the horizon.
“We're at a level right now where we want to break through,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “I think everybody wants to break through to another level, and it's going to take more focus and work by us to do that.”
With the record back closer to where it should be, the focus for the players returning next year is continuing to instill a winning culture, something that defensive lineman Treven Ma’ae (RSr.) helped to create after transferring from Oregon.
“We changed things from last year, and there's still so much more that can be done,” Ma’ae said after his final collegiate game. “We didn't win or finish how we were supposed to, but we're still in a good spot to continue changing the culture around Baylor.”
The Bears, who are expected to return all their non-senior impact players, know that expectations will be higher next year after what they accomplished this fall.
“The opportunity, with this group coming back, is to focus their efforts and harden their skin,” Aranda said. “Whether it's praise, criticism or any of that, don't let it get in so that we can be more efficient in what we do and that when we get to these moments again, we burst through that ceiling.”
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QB Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) threw for over 3,000 passing yards and combined for 30-plus touchdowns, both through the air and on the ground, this season.
The ceiling that Aranda is referring to starts with quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.), who is coming off a season where he threw for over 3,000 passing yards and combined for 30-plus touchdowns, both through the air and on the ground.
“The best for him is yet to come,” Aranda said of his starting quarterback. “I talked to him at the end in the locker room and said, ‘Hey, dude. You had an offseason last year that isn’t going to be like this one. You’re a different guy, and this is going to be a different offseason. You’re the leader and the face of this team.’ He knows that, and you wouldn't want anyone different to lead your group than him. I’m excited about what can come from this outcome. It’s going to for sure motivate him.”
Jordan, a fellow Lubbock native who played against Robertson in high school, added, “It’s so cool to see how he’s walked since the season we had last year. Through it all, he’s been the same person. He’s reflected not only on what he does football-wise but also on his spiritual journey, which has not changed at all. Having a guy like that in the locker room makes it really easy to follow.”
With leaders like Robertson and Cameron returning, the Bears will have a long offseason to build off the successes and failures of 2024 in an attempt to reach the “next level” this upcoming fall.
