As the Bears entered the Mercedes-Benz Stadium locker room following their heartbreaking 17-16 loss to Auburn, there weren't many heads hanging. There was disappointment, certainly, but also a belief that Saturday's performance showed what this team could become if it cleaned up its mistakes and played with the same physicality week in and week out.
“Obviously, we're all a little disappointed,” tight end Hawkins Polley told the media in a post-practice press conference on Tuesday. “It was a little quiet, but at the same time, no one was in their feelings about it. Everyone's encouraged by the type of fight and the type of game we played. I feel like we played a really physical, complete game from the first quarter to the fourth quarter, but it's not just a one-time thing. We all feel like we can continue to do that the rest of the season and improve on that.”
Cornerback Reggie Bush II, who was one of three Bears to bring down an interception against Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown, felt similarly.
“We feel determined,” Bush II said. “We’re working every day to get better and trying to go 1-0 each day. I feel like this is different than any team I've been on. I've never felt so connected after a game that turned out the way we didn't hope it would. But we're all determined to get better and just stack a day, stack a week and show up this next week.”
Polley approached his fellow tight end, senior Matthew Klopfenstein, after the game and offered words of encouragement, telling him not to let the loss linger into Monday. Klopfenstein was dragged down by an Auburn defender mere inches short of the goal line on what would have been the game-winning 2-point conversion.
“I just went over to him because we were all sitting in our lockers, taking in what just happened, and I just wanted to let him know, keep your head high,” Polley said. “There's no one else we'd rather have in that situation than you. You were there for a reason. We want you to have that ball. It's not the last time you're gonna have an opportunity like that this year.”
Despite the loss, Polley was encouraged by the sense of brotherhood the Bears showed on Saturday and believes it will pay off as Baylor gets deeper into its season and begins conference play.
“It's just super encouraging to know that's the type of fight we have on this team,” Polley said. “And to know, ‘Hey, if he can push through that, I can push through whatever I got going on physically, mentally.’ It's just good to see that everything we've talked about this summer isn't talk. We're putting it into practice. We're playing the next play, no matter what, for the guys beside us and not just for ourselves.”
That fight wasn't enough to overcome Baylor's self-inflicted mistakes, particularly on offense. The Bears totaled more than 430 yards against a stout Auburn defense but repeatedly failed to turn promising drives into points.
“We learned that we can play with anybody,” junior left guard Nate Kibble said. “We went out there, and I feel like as an O-line, we played a pretty good game. There are definitely a couple of mistakes that we need to clean up. But we learned that we can go out there and play with anybody, any talent level, because we are that good as well.”
More than anything, Baylor was undone by its inability to finish drives. The Bears turned the ball over twice, dropped multiple passes that could have resulted in touchdowns and came up empty on two fourth-down attempts. Eliminating those mistakes has been a major emphasis in practice this week.
“It just starts in practice,” Kibble said. “We got to strain in practice so we can learn how to strain in the game. The harder we go out there against our defensive guys, the more we improve every day. We've got to keep straining in practice, and then it'll show up on game day.”
Kibble and the rest of the team also came away inspired by what they saw from quarterback DJ Lagway. After injuring his ankle on the opening drive, Lagway fought through the pain and threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns despite struggling to plant on his right leg. Lagway also gave the Bears a chance to win in the final minutes, driving down the field and finding wide receiver Gavin Freeman for multiple big plays, including a touchdown pass.
“It just showed his heart,” Kibble said of Lagway. “He tells us before the game, 'I'm willing to go out there and die for you guys.’ It makes us want to do the same thing. To see him fight like that, I'm really proud of him and just can't say enough good things about him.”
The challenge now is carrying that same intensity into Week 2. After opening the season with an emotional, physical game against Auburn, the Bears return to Waco to face defending SWAC champion Prairie View A&M, a matchup in which Aranda has emphasized maintaining the same approach regardless of the opponent.
“I think the key is having the same mentality as Auburn,” Polley said. “It's a nameless, faceless opponent. It doesn't matter where they come from, what conference they're in, what stadium we're playing them in. We get to go play college football on Saturday, so we're just as excited about Auburn as we are about Prairie View. It's a chance to go prove to the rest of the Big 12 and the rest of the country who we are as a football team, and that doesn't matter who we're playing.”
With the home opener set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, Baylor is calling it “254 Night” as it looks to rally the Central Texas community around the Bears. The players emphasized that playing in front of a packed McLane Stadium makes a huge difference.
“It's my fifth year in Waco,” Bush II said. “I love it here. I love the community. When I go outside, there are smiles everywhere. Everyone I meet is super nice. I love being here, and it means a lot to me to compete, have the support of our community, and show out for them.”
Polley added, “I'm super excited. We get to play in front of our fellow students, the Waco community, and we take pride in playing in McLane. We want to win in McLane, win in front of our students and our families, so more of them will come to the games. It's just awesome whenever you get to play in McLane. It feels like home.”
