DALLAS -- Facing a 14-point hole with just over eight minutes left in regulation, Baylor football rallied with a pair of TDs to force overtime and after a second-overtime stop, Connor Hawkins drilled a 27-yard field goal to give the Bears a walk-off, 48-45 win at No. 17/16 SMU, on Saturday afternoon at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
The win marked the 14
th-straight win over SMU in the series, which came on the backs of a stout comeback that saw Baylor (1-1) rally from a two-TD deficit on the strength of heroic performances from a bevy of Bears.
QB
Sawyer Robertson threw for 440 yards and four TDs on 35-of-50 passing without an interception, adding six carries for 20 yards. It marked the third-straight game with 400+ yards for the senior signal caller, who has now turned the trick in consecutive games vs. LSU, Auburn and SMU. Robertson is the third college QB since 2000 to throw for at least 850 yards and at least seven TDs, without an interception, to open a season, joining Nic Shimonek (Texas Tech; 2017) and Cody Hodges (Texas Tech; 2005).
Through two games in 2025, Robertson has thrown for 859 yards and seven TDs on 61-of-98 passing, an average of 429.5 yards per game. A native of Lubbock, Texas, Robertson has thrown for 300+ yards in four straight games, dating back to last year, averaging 403.5 yards passing in the stretch, owning 13 TDs and just one interception.
Robertson was one of several heroes in the game, as senior wide receivers
Josh Cameron and
Ashtyn Hawkins each collected over 140 yards through the air. Cameron had nine catches for 151 yards and two TDs, and A. Hawkins had 10 catches for 145 yards, both career highs.
Kobe Prentice hauled in a pair of TDs on four catches for 63 yards.
Tailback
Bryson Washington toted it 31 times for 115 yards and two TDs. Preseason All-America linebacker
Keaton Thomas had 10 tackles, a game after 16 stops, to lead the BU defense, which featured sacks from
Travion Barnes and
Emar'rion Winston, who also added two TFLs.
It marked the sixth win over a top-25 foe for Coach
Dave Aranda since 2021, with the Bears sporting a 6-13 mark vs. ranked foes and a 6-11 record since starting the eventual 2021 Big 12 Championship season. By comparison, former BU coach Matt Rhule went 0-11 vs. top-25 foes and former coach Art Briles lost his first 14 ranked matchups before closing his career 11-22.
The Bears rolled to 601 yards of total offense, including 161 rushing and 440 passing. After SMU collected 282 yards in the first half, Baylor stiffened to allow only 176 yards in the second stanza and overtime, with the Mustangs finishing with 458 yards of total offense. It marked the second time in the last four games the Bears collected over 600 yards of offense, rolling to 603 yards in a rout of previously red-hot Kansas in the regular-season finale of 2024.
SMU (1-1) held a 38-24 lead with 8:38 left in regulation, forcing Baylor to rally from behind to force OT. A 72-play drive that ended in a 48-yard TD strike to Cameron cut the lead to 38-31 with 5:23 left, and after getting a key defensive stop gave the Bears back the football with 2:23 left and needing a TD.
Robertson led the Bears on a 10-play, 82-yard drive, getting key plays that featured a 23-yard catch to A. Hawkins, a 15-yard rush from Washington and a game-tying 21-yard TD strike to Prentice to even the game at 38-38 with 34 seconds.
Baylor fought off a last-minute drive from SMU to take the game to overtime, with Collin Rogers' 57-yard field goal attempt sailing right and short.
The Bears got the ball first in OT after losing the coin toss and scored in three plays, with Washington punching it in from two yards out. SMU immediately answered with a 25-yard, diving catch to Romello Brinson to take the game to a second OT.
The Bears forced a three-and-out with a pair of two-yard gains and a pass break-up of a third-down attempt by
DJ Coleman. Rogers attempted a 38-yard field goal that missed right, setting up decisive BU possession.
Five straight runs by Washington, including a first-down rush on third and 4, and a
Caden Knighten carry, put the ball at the SMU nine yard line for C. Hawkins, who after a timeout, calmly buried a 27-yard field goal to lift the Bears to the win.
The Bears will return to action on Saturday, playing host to Samford at 11 a.m. at McLane Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Baylor Sports Media Network.
SMU opened the game with a 75-yard TD throw on the first play of the game, as the interception slipped out of the hands of the Baylor defensive back, right into the hands of Romello Brinson, who rumbled untouched for the score.
After getting a fourth-down stop on Baylor's first offensive possession, SMU drove 31 yards on eight plays to connect on a 43-yard field goal from Collin Rogers to take a 10-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.
The Bears got on the board with a nine-play, 81-yard drive to cut the lead to 17-7, as Robertson connected with Prentice for a 28-yard scoring strike with 12:12 left in the second quarter.
SMU immediate responded with a 65-yard scoring drive on 11 plays, punctuated with a three-yard run from TJ Haren.
Baylor cut the lead to 17-14 with a 75-yard TD drive that saw Cameron find the endzone for the first time in 2025, a 33-yard catch and run.
SMU responded with another 75-yard TD catch on the first play of their ensuing series, as Jennings found Jalen Cooper behind the BU defense to take the lead to 24-14.
Baylor finished off the first half with a seven-yard TD rush from Washington, his first of the year, on a 79-yard drive to take a 24-21 hole into halftime.
The teams traded defensive stops out of the break, which featured a missed 51-yard field from Rogers.
A 12-play, 57-yard drive from the Bears, heighted by a 28-yard connection for Robertson and A. Hawkins, ended in a 26-yard field goal from C. Hawkins, evening the game at 24-24 with 5:04 left in the third quarter.
The next two possessions saw turnovers, for the Bears while trying to receive a punt and SMU with an endzone interception from
Jacob Redding.
The Bears couldn't capitalize on the interception and SMU responded with the lead, on a 75-yard drive that saw Harden rumble 40-yard on a third and short for a TD. The score gave the Mustangs a 31-24 lead with 14:24 left in the game.
- BaylorBears.com -
