NEVER-SAY-DIE
10/19/2025 8:29:00 PM | Football
Bears’ mantra nearly pays off again in 42-36 loss to TCU
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
FORT WORTH, Texas – One thing is for sure, there is no quit in this Baylor football team. Not even through three lightning delays totaling 2 hours and 16 minutes.
Trailing by 21 points late in the fourth quarter, the Bears scored two touchdowns in just over 2 ½ minutes and had a shot at another miraculous comeback against TCU only to come up short, 42-36, Saturday afternoon at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
"This team believes, despite whatever the circumstance is or how many points they're behind, that they're going to win," said Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, whose team fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in league play. "That's what gives this team a chance to be special. They have that belief, to play for each other that way. That was a very confident sideline during those moments."
Similar to comeback wins over SMU and Kansas State, and even the loss to Arizona State when they twice rallied from fourth-quarter deficits, the Bears found a way to get back in game that ESPN stats gave them next-to-zero-percent chance of winning.
The Horned Frogs (5-2, 2-2) extended their lead to 42-21 when Kevorian Barnes scored from 14 yards out on the first play following the last lightning break of the day.
"You can prep as much as you can with what has been put on tape so far in the game," said linebacker Kyler Jordan. "But at the end of the day, it's really who wants it more. And we came out and didn't do a great job on that third-and-three straight out of the break. So, definitely something we're going to need to work on."
After a pair of turnovers by the offense, the Baylor defense responded with a three-and-out and then scored one on its own when linemen Devonte Tezino forced a Josh Hoover fumble that linebacker Keaton Thomas scooped and scored from 24 yards out. Sawyer Robertson ran in the two-point conversion to make it 42-29 with 3:08 left.
Still a huge hill to climb, but the belief never wavered.
"This team is really close, we have a really tight brotherhood," said wide receiver Josh Cameron, who hauled in a team-high seven catches for 86 yards. "Even with every single delay, you can feel the energy kind of illuminating throughout the room of guys literally saying, 'We're not going to quit. We're not going to give up.'
"Whenever you've got time to really get back out there, really play for each other, that's what happens. I feel like we've just got to do that earlier and quicker. That's the main thing that's missing. Let's just be on it right away."
The unfathomable became at least remotely possible when the Bears got the ball back at their own 5-yard line with 1:49 on the clock. Right out of the block, Baylor faced a 4th-and-4 from its own 11, that Robertson converted with an 11-yard pass to tight end Michael Trigg.
Out of timeouts and almost out of time period, Robertson hooked up with wide receiver Kole Wilson for a beautiful 35-yard touchdown, a high-arching pass that settled into the Texas State transfer's hands in the end zone. Connor Hawkins' extra point cut the deficit to 42-36 with 30 ticks left on the clock.
When safety Jacob Redding then recovered Hayden Arnold's onside kick at TCU's 48, Cameron said the Bears were thinking, "We're going to go win this game."
"Do everything we can to try to do that," he said. "It doesn't go our way, but we're going to go win the game. That was our thought."
Baylor's comeback came up short when Robertson was picked off for the third time. The fifth-year senior, who came in as the nation's leading passer, threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns.
"Sawyer is the same guy," Cameron said, "regardless of whether he has a good game, a bad game, a whatever game. He knows what he needs to work on, and shoot, as an offense as a whole. We're going to be there with him every step of the way. That's my guy. That is our quarterback. We're going to ride with him through the whole season."
Next up for the Bears is a road test at No. 21 Cincinnati (6-1, 4-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Nippert Stadium in a game televised by ESPN2. The Bearcats, tied atop the Big 12 standings with No. 11/10 BYU (7-0, 4-0), have reeled off six-straight wins since a 20-17, season-opening loss to a Matt Rhule-coached Nebraska team.
"It's a big one," Aranda said. "They're a physical team; it's a really good team. I'm very impressed. We played them a couple years ago, and they're way different than they were then. So, it's going to be a challenge for us."
Baylor Bear Insider
FORT WORTH, Texas – One thing is for sure, there is no quit in this Baylor football team. Not even through three lightning delays totaling 2 hours and 16 minutes.
Trailing by 21 points late in the fourth quarter, the Bears scored two touchdowns in just over 2 ½ minutes and had a shot at another miraculous comeback against TCU only to come up short, 42-36, Saturday afternoon at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
"This team believes, despite whatever the circumstance is or how many points they're behind, that they're going to win," said Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, whose team fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in league play. "That's what gives this team a chance to be special. They have that belief, to play for each other that way. That was a very confident sideline during those moments."
Similar to comeback wins over SMU and Kansas State, and even the loss to Arizona State when they twice rallied from fourth-quarter deficits, the Bears found a way to get back in game that ESPN stats gave them next-to-zero-percent chance of winning.
The Horned Frogs (5-2, 2-2) extended their lead to 42-21 when Kevorian Barnes scored from 14 yards out on the first play following the last lightning break of the day.
"You can prep as much as you can with what has been put on tape so far in the game," said linebacker Kyler Jordan. "But at the end of the day, it's really who wants it more. And we came out and didn't do a great job on that third-and-three straight out of the break. So, definitely something we're going to need to work on."
After a pair of turnovers by the offense, the Baylor defense responded with a three-and-out and then scored one on its own when linemen Devonte Tezino forced a Josh Hoover fumble that linebacker Keaton Thomas scooped and scored from 24 yards out. Sawyer Robertson ran in the two-point conversion to make it 42-29 with 3:08 left.
Still a huge hill to climb, but the belief never wavered.
"This team is really close, we have a really tight brotherhood," said wide receiver Josh Cameron, who hauled in a team-high seven catches for 86 yards. "Even with every single delay, you can feel the energy kind of illuminating throughout the room of guys literally saying, 'We're not going to quit. We're not going to give up.'
"Whenever you've got time to really get back out there, really play for each other, that's what happens. I feel like we've just got to do that earlier and quicker. That's the main thing that's missing. Let's just be on it right away."
The unfathomable became at least remotely possible when the Bears got the ball back at their own 5-yard line with 1:49 on the clock. Right out of the block, Baylor faced a 4th-and-4 from its own 11, that Robertson converted with an 11-yard pass to tight end Michael Trigg.
Out of timeouts and almost out of time period, Robertson hooked up with wide receiver Kole Wilson for a beautiful 35-yard touchdown, a high-arching pass that settled into the Texas State transfer's hands in the end zone. Connor Hawkins' extra point cut the deficit to 42-36 with 30 ticks left on the clock.
When safety Jacob Redding then recovered Hayden Arnold's onside kick at TCU's 48, Cameron said the Bears were thinking, "We're going to go win this game."
"Do everything we can to try to do that," he said. "It doesn't go our way, but we're going to go win the game. That was our thought."
Baylor's comeback came up short when Robertson was picked off for the third time. The fifth-year senior, who came in as the nation's leading passer, threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns.
"Sawyer is the same guy," Cameron said, "regardless of whether he has a good game, a bad game, a whatever game. He knows what he needs to work on, and shoot, as an offense as a whole. We're going to be there with him every step of the way. That's my guy. That is our quarterback. We're going to ride with him through the whole season."
Next up for the Bears is a road test at No. 21 Cincinnati (6-1, 4-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Nippert Stadium in a game televised by ESPN2. The Bearcats, tied atop the Big 12 standings with No. 11/10 BYU (7-0, 4-0), have reeled off six-straight wins since a 20-17, season-opening loss to a Matt Rhule-coached Nebraska team.
"It's a big one," Aranda said. "They're a physical team; it's a really good team. I'm very impressed. We played them a couple years ago, and they're way different than they were then. So, it's going to be a challenge for us."
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