Baylor Bears News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Aug 29, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13) looks to pass against the Auburn Tigers during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Baylor week one offensive report card

Originally posted on Baylor Bears on SI | By Luke Hubbard | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 2:20 PM ET

The Baylor Bears opened the season with a disappointing loss to the Auburn Tigers on Friday night. Many expected the Bears to open the season with a win after finishing the 2024 season red hot, but their defense couldn't stop the run, and Auburn controlled the game offensively.

It was a disappointing result, but the Bears' offense found its rhythm in the second half and looked really good, so today, we're going to grade each position group by how well they played in the opener.

Quarterback: A-

Sawyer Robertson really didn't look like himself early, but as the game progressed, he started to heat up. I was surprised when I looked at the final box score and saw he threw for 419 yards and three scores. I knew he had a good night, but seeing 400+ yards was staggering.

If he started the game as hot as he finished it, he'd likely have received an A+. That wasn't the case, though, but he made up for his slow start with the way he finished. If he can play like he did in the second half for most of the season, Baylor's offense will be just fine.

Running Back: C

Even with Dawson Pendergrass out for the year, I expected Baylor's running backs to be much more efficient than they were on Friday. Bryson Washington could only muster 54 yards on 14 carries (3.9 average), and while Caden Knight was better (six rushes for 24 yards, 4.8 average), 17 of them came on one carry.

It's hard to fully evaluate the running back room because Auburn's defensive line was having its way with Baylor's offensive line in the run game, but I still wanted to see more from the backs.

Wide Receivers: A

I loved what I saw from Baylor's wide receivers on Friday. Newcomer Kole Wilson had an absolutely massive night, catching a game-high eight passes for 134 yards. He outgained Auburn's incredibly talented wide receiver room by himself, so this A grade goes mostly to him.

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Even with Wilson's dominance, I liked what I saw from everyone else. Baylor's two returnees, Josh Cameron and Ashtyn Hawkins, combined for six catches and 124 yards and proved they're going to be impact players this year. They also got former Alabama WR Kobe Prentice involved with a touchdown.

I thought it was a great opener for the Bears' receiving core, so they get an A.

Tight End: A

I love it when a tight end gets heavily involved in the passing game, and that's exactly what Michael Trigg did on Friday. He was one of Robertson's favorite targets, catching seven passes for 99 yards and a touchdown (would have been two if he'd caught that fade route at the end of the game). We all knew Trigg was in for a big season, but I don't know if anyone would've predicted this start.

I was close to giving Trigg an A+ because he also blocked very well in this game, but I think he'll have a 100+ yard, two-score performance at some point this year, so I'll reserve it for when that comes.

Offensive Line: C-

The lowest grade of the day goes to the offensive line. Coming into this game, I expected them to get worked a bit by Auburn's defensive line, but they performed worse than I thought they would.

They were not very good in the pass game, allowing 20 pressures on 52 drop backs (38.5%), which is an extremely high rate. Robertson was able to make them look better than they were by throwing for 400 yards, but he was just 7-for-17 when pressured.

In the run game, they weren't much better. Only one lineman, Omar Aigbedion, recorded a run blocking grade of 62 or higher (72.1). Even Bryson Washington, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman, couldn't get going behind this line.

I do think Auburn will be one of the toughest defensive lines they face all year, so I'm not too worried about them moving forward, but it still was a night to forget for most of them.

This article first appeared on Baylor Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: