Halftime thoughts from Baylor's dominant first half against UCF
In this story:
In the wake of losing two games in a row, Baylor looked like a true football team in the first 30 minutes on Saturday. Entering the game as a small favorite, the Bears looked like they were clearly the better team. Bayor's offense couldn't be stopped and the Bears' defense came to life against the UCF offense.
Following Baylor's 20-3 halftime lead, here are a few thoughts on the game.
Baylor finally started fast
One of the talking points from Dave Aranda and Sawyer Robertson this past week was the need for the offense to start quicker. In fact, Robertson told the media he thought the offense needed to get the ball first instead of deferring.
Maybe Robertson was on to something. Baylor had the ball to start and went right down the field on UCF's top passing defense. Robertson found Josh Cameron, Ashtyn Hawkins, Kole Wilson, and then connected to Michael Trigg for a TD. Then on the Bears' second drive of the game, Baylor went down the field for another score -- this time to Cameron.
It didn't stop there, Baylor went down the field on its third drive and kicker Connor Hawkins connected on a 40-yard field goal.
Sawyer Robertson is lighting it up
UCF entered the game with the No. 1 passing defense in the Big 12, allowing less than 150 yards per game through the air. But the Knights' defense was no match for Sawyer Robertson. One of the top passers in the country looked like his old self against UCF.
In the first half, Robertson threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw a late interception, off of a tipped ball. Save for that play, Robertson looks like the Heisman contender that he once was at the beginning of the season.
Baylor's defense looked..... good?
Bayor entered the game as the No. 15 defense in the Big 12 Conference -- only better than Oklahoma State. But Dave Aranda's crew was very impressive in the first half and played inspired football. With Aranda's job security in question, his players appeared to make a statement on Saturday.
The Knights tried to use some QB options and quick game, but Baylor's defense remained stout and was fooled by any of Scott Frost's trickery.
What's with the penalties?
Despite strong defensive play, Baylor had three terrible penalties. Jackie Marshall, Devyn Bobby, and LeVar Thornton all had unsportsmanlike penalties or unnecessary hits against UCF in the first half. The Bears' defense shut down the Knights, but these penalties are racking up and it allowed UCF to extend drives.
Entering the half, coach Dave Aranda will need to make sure that gets cleaned up in the second half.
Michael Trigg is unbelievable
The athletic tight end is a mismatch nightmare for the opposing defense. At one point, one of the announcers said 'I would throw it Trigg's way everytime'. While that's not realistic, throwing the ball to Trigg usually results in good things.
Matchup Nightmare 🫣
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) November 1, 2025
📺: ESPNU#SicEm | @mtrigg_ pic.twitter.com/gnQc1WaJdY
He made two unbelievable catches against the Knights in the first half. His TD catch was the first -- going over the top to come down with the catch. Then later on, he made an acrobatic catch down toward the goal line. He has three catches for 67 yards and a score in the first half.
More From Baylor On SI:
-c6d300a6cd3bbc37e5025fa0d47bc7a7.jpeg "Trent Knoop")
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.
Follow TrentKnoop