Inside The Bears

The UCF pass defense will challenge Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson

The leader in the FBS in passing yards will face off against the No. 6 pass defense in the country on Saturday
Anthony Thomas|
Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13) drops back to pass against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13) drops back to pass against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

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Baylor BearsUCF Knights

Fans will flock to McLane Stadium on Saturday to cheer on the Baylor Bears (4-4) as they take on the UCF Knights (4-3). It will be a brouhaha on the Brazos for sure and will feature a matchup of a talented quarterback and the equally talented pass defense tasked with stopping him.

Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson leads the FBS in passing yards with over 2,500 while throwing for 23 touchdowns. UCF’s pass defense ranks No. 6 in the nation and has allowed just 146.3 yards per game through the air. Robertson has averaged 314 yards per game at this point in the season.

In addition, UCF has allowed just five touchdown passes in seven games so far this season, including just two in the last three games. Against West Virginia, the Knights allowed a paltry 2.8 yards per attempt.

In each of the last two games, UCF has allowed less than 60 percent completion rate. But they haven’t intercepted a pass since week 4 against Kansas State.

After three straight games of over 300 yards passing, Robertson was held to just 137 yards through the air in the loss at Cincinnati. Against the Bearcats, Robertson completed 69.2 percent of his passes, threw two TDs and no INTs.

Below are the passing grades for Robertson, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF):

  • Auburn= 60.1
  • SMU= 75.3
  • Samford= 53.0
  • Oklahoma State= 79.1
  • Kansas State= 78.2
  • TCU= 65.8
  • Cincinnati= 62.0

Robertson is trending down over the last two games. Against TCU, Robertson threw three INTs and completed just 48.0 percent of his passes in a loss.

However, in three games this season, Robertson graded out at 75 or better, against SMU, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, all victories for the Bears..

In front of the home crowd on Saturday, Robertson will be motivated to pick apart that nationally-ranked pass defense from Central Florida. Baylor’s perimeter weapons of Josh Cameron, Kobe Prentice, Kole Wilson, and Michael Trigg will put pressure on the Knights' secondary as Robertson pushes the ball downfield in the vertical passing game.

The UCF game is the first of three home games out of the final four contests on the slate. It is a chance for the Bears to get back in the win column and halt a two-game losing streak. But more than that, it is an opportunity to begin the search for redemption down the final stretch of the 2025 campaign.

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Anthony Thomas
ANTHONY THOMAS

Tony comes to On SI with six years of experience writing about sports online. His work has been published on such sites as The Gridiron News, Mike Farrell Sports, YardBarker, Athlon Sports and College Football Backers. Tony is a U.S. Air Force veteran and is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

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