The Baylor Bears and Oklahoma State Cowboys met on Saturday in Waco for an old Big 12 showdown. Two teams were looking at this game as one of their few remaining wins on the schedule. Baylor won its first Big 12 game of the season last week against Texas Tech, while Oklahoma State blew a late lead on the road against BYU last Friday night to drop to 0-4 in Big 12 play.
On Saturday, it was the Bears who won the track meet as the two teams combined for 998 total yards of offense, with the Bears piling up over 340 rushing yards on their way to the 38-28 win over the Cowboys.
Here are the top three takeaways on the game.
Oklahoma State Can’t Stop a Nosebleed
For all the talk about the offense being a problem, the defense has been absolutely terrible in Big 12 play, especially against the run. Oklahoma State came into this game giving up 298 rushing yards per game over four Big 12 games. That is over 100 yards worse than any other team in the Big 12 through conference play.
Well on Saturday, the Pokes managed to make that average even worse, as they gave up 343 rushing yards to the Bears, Baylor averaged nine yards per carry over 38 carries. Oh, and so we’re on the same page, Baylor wasn’t exactly lighting it up on the ground. They came into the game 11th in Big 12 play, averaging 140 rushing yards per game.
For as much heat as Kasey Dunn is facing, Bryan Nardo should not be far behind based on this team’s defensive performance this season.
Related: Oklahoma State Football: It’s Time to be Done With Dunn
Sawyer Robertson’s Best Stretch of His Career
Robertson has played the best back-to-back games of his career in wins over Texas Tech last week and now Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Baylor quarterback went 11/19 for 222 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, while rushing for 73 yards on eight carries with one touchdown.
Over the last two weeks, he’s thrown for nearly 500 yards with eight passing touchdowns and one interception, while rushing for 89 yards and one score.
It’s not a coincidence that Robertson’s great two-game stretch has coincided with the Bears going 2-0 in back-to-back weeks with double-digit wins in each game.
Dave Aranda’s Case Builds for 2025
Baylor is now 4-4 on the season and 2-3 in Big 12 play. Baylor ended an eight-game home losing streak in Big 12 games with this 38-28 win over Oklahoma State.
The victory, which came on homecoming, was the first in the Big 12 for Baylor at McLane Stadium since a 35-23 win over Kansas on Oct. 22, 2022. The Bears have won consecutive games for the first time since that 2022 home victory against Kansas was followed by road wins at Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Aranda and the Bears have their final four games vs. TCU, at West Virginia, at Houston and vs. Kansas. If Baylor can split these four games, they will be heading to a bowl game, which all but guarantees Aranda returns for the 2025 season.
And barring a collapse, Aranda still seems more likely than not to return, given the team’s progression, and a 2025 recruiting class that currently ranks second in the Big 12, according to 247Sports.
