Takeaways from Baylor's unbelievable comeback victory over SMU
The Baylor Bears and SMU Mustangs met in Dallas, Texas, for a huge week two showdown. Baylor needed a win after losing to Auburn in the season opener, but SMU wanted to end their 12-game losing streak to Baylor and maintain their top-25 ranking.
SMU got the game started with a massive, 75-yard touchdown, but Baylor fought back and made it a three-point game by halftime. They held SMU scoreless in the third quarter, but the Bears couldn't stop the run in the fourth quarter and the Mustangs rolled right through them, scoring two quick touchdowns. However, the Bears defense made a couple big plays and Sawyer Robertson led the Bears on two late touchdown drives to tie the game at 38 with under a minute to play.
In overtime, the Bears quickly scored a go-ahead touchdown, but once again, the defense gave up a one-play touchdown to tie the game at 45. SMU got the ball to start the second OT, and it took a Kelvin Jennings injury for them to get a stop and force a field goal, which SMU missed. Baylor proceeded to hand it off six times in a row and kicked a 27-yard field goal to escape with a 48-45 victory.
This was a WILD game between two teams who will be fighting for a CFP berth later this year. Baylor's offense proved it belongs in the conversation for the best in the nation, but the defense absolutely needs to be better.
Here were my observations from today's massive win.
About as bad a first half the defense could've had
Baylor's defense had just about as bad of a first half as they could've had. SMU's offense decimated Baylor's defense. Kevin Jennings was a perfect 10-for-10 with 236 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were 75-yard bombs on the first play of their respective drives. They were actually decent at defending the run, allowing 53 yards on 16 carries (3.3 average), but it didn't matter because the Mustangs just killed them through the air.
Even with the defense playing so terribly in the first half, the Bears hit the locker room trailing by just three points at halftime, and they were receiving the second half kick. It's hard to imagine a worse first half for their defense, but their offense came to play.
Sawyer Robertson kept them afloat in the first half
The defense was horrible in the first half, that's been established, but Sawyer Robertson was somehow able to keep the Bears afloat in the first half.
Early on, he looked a bit off. He missed a few throws he usually makes, which cost Baylor a handful of points, but he found his rhythm quickly and turned things around. In the first half, Robertson connected on 21 of his 26 attempts for 234 yards and two touchdowns. That would be a pretty good full game stat line, and he did it in 30 minutes. That's without much help from the run game, which averaged three yards per carry, and some mundane play calling.
Robertson has lived up to the hype so far, but Dave Aranda's defense has been wildly disappointing.
Baylor's going to miss Michael Trigg if he misses multiple games
Baylor's star tight end Michael Trigg had a solid first half against the Mustangs, catching four passes for 38 yards. This was off the heels of a 99-yard performance against Auburn, but he missed the entire second half with an injury.
Per Zach Smith, Trigg was playing catch on the sideline early in the second half before heading to the injury tent. He did not appear on any of the Bears' drives in the second half, and it's believed to be a shoulder injury based on interactions with the trainers.
Baylor tight end Michael Trigg didn't play on the first two drives of the first half.
— Zach Smith (@ByZachSmith) September 6, 2025
He was on the sideline with his helmet off playing catch with backup quarterback Walker White, but just headed to the injury tent.
If Trigg is out for an extended period of time, Baylor's offense is going to take a hit. They should still be efficient, but Robertson is going to miss his security blanket if he's out for an extended period of time.
Sawyer Robertson is a monster
I know we talked extensively about Sawyer Robertson earlier, but it's so easy to understate just how good he is. He was throwing the ball all over the field, and when it mattered the most, he drove Baylor down the field twice in the final five minutes to erase a 14-point deficit and send the game to overtime. In OT, Robertson threw a dot to Josh Cameron on second down, which helped set up a pass interference on the next play and led to a short rushing touchdown for Washington.
Robertson ended the game going 34-for-50 for 440 yards and four touchdowns without turning the ball over a single time. He's now up to 858 yards and seven touchdowns in just two games this season. He's the hottest quarterback in the country right now, and it's not particularly close.
Despite the win, Dave Aranda's seat needs to be heating up
Dave Aranda may have delivered a 14-point comeback victory on Saturday, but his seat needs to be heating up. Baylor's had one of the best offenses in college football the last two seasons, but his defense has been horrible both years. In 2024, they ranked 82nd in scoring (28.7 points per game allowed) and are off to an awful start to 2025, surrendering 38 and 45 points in each of their first two games respectively.
Today, the Bears' defense just couldn't get off the field. They made one big stop late in the game to help set up the game-tying drive, but when it really mattered in overtime and they had a chance to close out the game, they gave up a one-play touchdown for the THIRD time this game. They were able to force a field goal (which was missed) in the second part of overtime, but it took a Kelvin Jennings ankle injury for that to happen.
Aranda was hired because he led a great defense at LSU that aided them in winning a national title. Since arriving in Waco in 2020, he's delivered one top-60 defense (2021, 12th in PPG). 2021 was the only season one of Aranda's defenses allowed under 27 points per game.
It's great for Aranda that Baylor won this game, but it's hard to believe his seat isn't getting a little warm after the performance his defense had today.
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Luke is a writer for the Baylor Bears On SI. He's an LSU graduate and previously covered the Tigers for two years. He also covers the New Orleans Saints and Formula 1. Luke's passion for sports and storytelling led him to become a sports writer.