4 Immediate Takeaways From Baylor Football's Heartbreaking Loss vs. Auburn Tigers
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Last season, Baylor hosted Auburn and the Tigers ran the Bears out of Waco in the second half, but it wasn't the same type of game this season.
The Bears found themselves tied late in the fourth quarter before Auburn QB Byrum Brown ran in the touchdown to go up 17-10.
Baylor drove down the field in the final minutes. On a fourth and goal situation with 17 seconds left, DJ Lagway found Gavin Freeman for a TD. But Dave Aranda wasn't going to settle for an extra point. He went for two and TE Matthew Klopfenstein was short by a half of a yard from converting.
Baylor lost to the Tigers, 17-16. Here are four takeaways.
Lagway banged up early, but the talent is evident
Baylor spent a lot of money on both sides of the line this offseason, but the Bears dug deep in their pockets in order to land former five-star QB DJ Lagway. And the Bears' 2026 fate is going to rely on how well he plays over the course of the season.
Things didn't start well for Lagway, who suffered two turnovers on Baylor's first two possessions. He fumbled on the first drive, and then threw a silly interception on the second. On top of that, Lagway was hurt. His right ankle was heavily taped after the first drive, and he was clearly in pain.
But that didn't stop his arm talent. Lagway's arm is unreal. He has a cannon for an arm and has the ability to layer any throw. He ended the game passing for 333 yards and two TDs. His injured ankle limited what he could do on the ground, and you have to wonder what could've been if he was able to use his legs.
Lagway found a quick connection with Oklahoma State transfer Gavin Freeman, who caught a career-high 154 yards and a score on 12 receptions. Dre'lon Miller wasn't involved the way we had thought, but the Lagway-Freeman connection should be a mainstay this season.
Defense was more than impressive and played winning football
If the defense is what cost Baylor games last season, that wasn't the story on Saturday afternoon. Dave Aranda had said over and over that the defensive line was going to be a strength of the Bears' defense this season, and that proved to be true.
Baylor was physical and dominated in the trenches. The Bears had a whopping 11 TFLs in the game, and Baylor had five sacks on Byrum Brown.
Despite not having Jacob Redding, who is out for the season, Baylor's secondary was also great. Reggie Bush, Devon Jordan, and Micah Gifford came away with an interception and even when the Bears' offense shot themselves in the foot, it was the defense that was there to pick them up.
O-line got worked
While the Bears' defense won in the trenches, it was Auburn's D-line that won in the trenches. The new-look Baylor offensive line was less than desirable on Saturday.
The Bears returned just one full-time starter from last season, and they opted to move Kaden Sieracki from RT to LT this season, and he had more mistakes than anticipated, along with his brother, Kolin who had an errant snap.
The left side of the line appeared to be the weak spot, even with Kaden Sieracki playing there, and the run game suffered. Baylor ran for 103 yards in the game and struggled to get any momentum going from the ground.
Too many self-inflicted wounds
The game came down to the final drive, but it didn't have to. Baylor had more than enough chances to put this game away — behind a stellar defensive performance.
There were several self-inflicted wounds that reared their ugly head at Baylor against Auburn. Lagway fumbled and threw an interception in each of the Bears' first two drives of the game. Then on the third drive, K Rhett Armstrong missed a 40-yard FG attempt.
In the second half, Baylor turned the ball over on downs in the third and fourth quarter.
Finally, Baylor could've gone to overtime, but Dave Aranda remained aggressive and wanted to walk away with a win. But Matthew Klopfenstein fell a half yard short of converting the two-point conversion.
This doesn't look like the same Baylor team from a season ago, but there are no moral victories either. The Bears are 0-1 with potentially a higher outlook.
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Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.
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