Defense Dominates in Home-Opening Rout on Saturday at McLane

Saturday, September 12

Waco, Texas

7 p.m.

Baylor

2-1 , 0-0

Prairie View A&M

1-3 , 1-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Prairie View	3	0	0	0	3
Baylor	17	17	7	3	44

Two Baylor Bears football players in green jerseys slap hands on the field as Prairie View A&M Panthers players in white and purple stand in the background near the sideline.

Defense Dominates in Home-Opening Rout on Saturday at McLane

9/12/2026 9:52:00 PM | Football

Box Score Game Book (PDF)Baylor Post-Game Notes (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

WACO, Texas -- The Baylor defense held Prairie View A&M to just 110 yards of total offense, including 53 yards over its final 12 possessions, posting a dominating 44-3 win in the home opener, in front of 38,642 at McLane Stadium.

Baylor (1-1) held defending Southwestern Athletic Conference Champion Prairie View A&M (1-2) to just 110 yards of total offense in the win, including 74 yards passing and 36 yards on the ground. It marked the fewest yards allowed by a Baylor defense since 2016, the fewest rushing yards allowed in the Coach Dave Aranda era, and the fewest first-downs allowed (seven) since 2014.

A week after collecting 11 tackles for a loss, five sacks and three interceptions vs. Auburn's offense in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta, the Bears finished with four sacks, with Ryan Davis, Garrick Ponder, Zavion Hardy and JJ Shelton each making QB stops behind the backfield.

The Panthers used a pair of well-timed plays to drive 57 yards on their opening possession. Following that drive, the Bears scored 44 unanswered points, held PVAMU to just 53 yards of total offense over 12 possessions, and forced 11 punts and a fumble.

Baylor started junior QB Nate Bennett in place of an injured DJ Lagway in the game, marking the first-career start for the native of Westlake Village, Calif., for the Bears, the school both his parents attended. Bennett posted career highs in completions (23), attempts (35), yards (301) and passing TDs (two), while adding a 17-yard rushing TD early in the game. He also found WR Jayden McGowan, also making his first career BU start, for a 13-yard TD in the third quarter that was officially scored a rush by virtue of a backwards pass.

McGowan finished with three catches for 67 yards, including a 33-yard TD catch in the first quarter. Baylor got another strong game from fifth-year WR Gavin Freeman, who had 10 catches for 104 yards, including 92 yards after the catch. The Bears spread the offense around to 11 different receivers.

Dawson Pendergrass led the Bears on the ground with 15 totes for 69 yards, while Caden Knighten chipped in 12 carries for 66 yards and a TD. Michael Turner carried it five times for 41 yards and Ryelan Morris added five carries for 32 yards.

The Bears rolled to 552 yards of total offense, including 320 passing and 232 yards rushing. BU converted on 8-of-14 third-down attempts and a pair of fourth-down opportunities.

Sophomore kicker Rhett Armstrong nailed a pair of 40+ yard field goals in the win, including a 46-yarder in the first quarter and a 45-yarder in the second quarter.

Ponder had 1.5 tackles for a loss, part of a three-tackle day, adding a blocked punt and a QB hurry.

Baylor returns to action on Saturday, hosting Louisiana Tech at 3 p.m. on ESPNU and the Baylor Sports Media Network.

PVAMU opened the scoring with a pair of long third-down conversions to spark a 10-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a field goal from Ethan Eddins from 25 yards out. The drive was sparked by a 30-yard screen grab from Ky'yon Harris and a 16-yard scamper from Tevin Carter.

The Bears answered on the first drive of Bennett's starting QB career. Baylor drove 35 yards on eight plays, featuring a 19-yard grab from Pendergrass, who also rushed three times for 14 yards. Rhett Armstrong made a 46-yard field goal to even the game at 3-3 with 8:20 left.

After forcing a punt, the Bears found the end zone for the first time on the night, with Knighten rushing it in from five yards for his first TD of the year, his second career rushing TD and the third TD of his career. It capped an eight-play, 53-yard drive that featured a 32-yard catch-and-run from Freeman.

After a Ponder blocked punt set the Bears up at the PVAMU 36-yard line, the Bears struck for a 33-yard TD pass from Bennett to McGowan to stretch the lead to 17-3 with 1:06 left in the first quarter.

The Bears forced a quick punt on a 3-and-out and Bennett capped the scoring drive with a 22-yard TD to Miller, who tight-roped the sideline to punch it in for the 24-3 lead with 13:51 left in the second quarter.

Bo Onu first and recovered a fumble at the PVAMU 17-yard line on the next possession and Bennett rolled into the end zone for his first career rushing TD on the first play of the drive for a 31-3 advantage.

Late in the second quarter, Armstrong banged home a 45-yard field goal, the conclusion of an 11-play, 72-yard drive to push the lead to 34-3 with 4:10 left in the first half.

The Bears rolled to 322 yards of total offense in the first half, including 231 passing and 91 on the ground. PVAMU was held to 70 yards, but just 13 following the first drive of the game. Bennett was 15-for-23 with two TDs and rushed for 13 yards in the first half. Freeman had six grabs for 78 yards.

Baylor added seven to its lead in the third quarter, marching 80 yards on 11 plays, with McGowan using a catch and run – boosted by a DeBraun Hampton block on the perimeter – to rumble for 13 yards and a TD.

Armstrong hit a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, concluding a 14-play, 63-yard drive that pushed the lead to the final margin, 44-3.

- BaylorBears.com -