Baylor walks into Saturday needing a reset, and Kyler Jordan made the mindset plain after last week’s 17-6 home loss to TCU.
“I think it's more about looking forward, fixing the things that we didn't do right,” said senior defensive end Kyler Jordan. “We've still done some good things, we've put some good stuff on tape.
We have to keep moving forward, and we have to go into Saturday playing with confidence. You can't let it beat us down.”
The Bears will try to turn the page against Kansas, a team Dave Aranda doesn’t see as its record suggests. The Jayhawks are 2-4 and 0-3, but they’ve dropped four games by a total of 51 points and have been within one score in the fourth quarter of every game. They also rank in the top half of the league in most offensive categories, including 449.5 total yards per game and 207.0 rushing yards.
“Lot of respect for this team,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “They play hard, they've got talented players on the edge, athletic and explosive.
This is a team that's hunting for respect. It's going to be a great challenge for us.”
That challenge starts with the one-on-one battles. Baylor’s offensive line has to be better after a rough outing that saw the Bears average only 1.6 yards per carry and quarterback DJ Lagway take four sacks. On the other side of the ball, Baylor also has to do a better job on Kansas’ top targets after TCU’s top two receivers piled up 241 yards on 13 catches.
“I look at a lot of things that maybe were issues last year that we've corrected,” Aranda said. “And we're still working on this one. We have to block better.”
The Bears’ defense has been one of the brighter spots so far, especially against the run. Under first-year coordinator Joe Klanderman’s chaos defense, Baylor has already posted more sacks, 22, and tackles for losses, 52, in six games than it did all of last season. That production has helped the Bears climb to ninth nationally in run defense, allowing 86.7 yards per game and 2.6 per carry.
Now they’ll face a Kansas ground game led by Kansas State transfer Dylan Edwards and quarterback Isaiah Marshall, who have combined for 747 yards and 5.0 per carry. Aranda said the Jayhawks can create problems with the way they present the run.
“Run game-wise, they give you a whole bunch of different looks,” Aranda said. “(Edwards) is a threat out of the backfield but can really get lost in zone blocking schemes. They're a stretch team, and he can stick his foot in the ground, get vertical and create big gains.”
In Other News...
Baylors Kansas Loss Just Raised Bigger Questions Than One Game
A 14-game winning streak over Kansas finally came to an end in the most frustrating way possible, with Baylor leaving the field after a last-second blocked field goal. For a program that has treated this matchup as one of its most dependable advantages, the loss landed as more than just a blemish on the schedule. The bigger concern was how uneven the performance looked from start to finish, with the offense laboring to reach 17 points and the defense giving up a season-high 25.
For Dave Aranda, the result only adds to the scrutiny that has followed a disappointing stretch for the Bears. There is already speculation that the game could wind up being the final chapter of his seven-season run in Waco, and this one did little to quiet that conversation. When a streak ends, it usually prompts a reset in perspective. In this case, it may end up forcing an even larger reckoning about where Baylor goes next. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Just Exposed The Baylor Problem That Still Hasn't Changed
Baylor has gotten plenty of encouraging play from its offense this season, with quarterback DJ Lagway and wide receiver Gavin Freeman putting together numbers that could end up among the best in program history. Even so, the Bears are still living with the same frustration that has followed them through stretches of this year: the production has often looked better on paper than it has in the standings, and a home loss to TCU brought that disconnect right back into focus.
The defense has taken steps forward from last season, giving Baylor more stability on that side of the ball, but the offense still has not consistently carried its weight when it matters most. The running game has been a particular issue, and with three ranked opponents still ahead, the Bears are running out of time to turn individual success into something more durable. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Gets A Timely Boost Before A Pivotal Kansas Test
Baylor heads into its meeting with Kansas carrying the same five players on the unavailable list that it had for the TCU game, including two season-ending injuries, so the injury report is still doing some heavy lifting for a team trying to stabilize its depth. Even so, there was a small but meaningful sign of progress: juniors Nate Kibble and Devon Jordan were not listed as questionable after both were limited last time out, which gives the Bears a little more room to maneuver as they prepare for a pivotal Big 12 test.
Head coach Dave Aranda also said quarterback DJ Lagway is still working his way back from a high-ankle sprain, but is moving closer to full strength. Baylor does not need a long injury update to know what is at stake against Kansas, and any added availability could matter as the Bears try to piece together the right lineup for a game that carries real weight in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]