Baylor’s 41-9 rout of UCF gave the Bears something they had been chasing all season: a looser, cleaner offense and a lot less weight on everybody’s shoulders.
That was the message from interim head coach Joe Klanderman during Monday’s weekly press conference, where he pointed to the relief around offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, quarterback DJ Lagway and the offensive line after Baylor piled up 503 total yards in the road win. The Bears also ran for 184 yards in the blowout.
“I think the offense felt maybe a little bit looser,” Klanderman said. “I don't know if there were any big differences, play calling-wise . . . but I just felt like (Spavital) maybe just had a little bit less pressure on him. . . .
At times, DJ was maybe trying to do things where he didn't need to do things. Going back to the previous point, when you put pressure on yourself, you feel like you have to play outer-worldly.
And you don't.”
Now Baylor turns to Saturday’s Homecoming game against Iowa State, a 11 a.m. kickoff at McLane Stadium that will be shown on FS1. The Bears enter at 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play, while the Cyclones are 4-4 and 2-3.
Klanderman spent part of his time Tuesday? Actually Monday?
Monday’s availability highlighting the challenge waiting in front of Baylor’s defense, and he didn’t hold back on sophomore tailback Aiden Flora. He called Flora “maybe the best tailback in the league” after the Cyclones’ 51-49 win over then-No.
24 Oklahoma State, a game in which Flora ran for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Flora also shared Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors with Lagway.
“He runs it, catches it, throws it - all kinds of explosive plays that he makes,” Klanderman said. “Running the ball inside, running the ball on the perimeter, he really stretches all the gaps of your defense. . . .
It's going to be us matching their physicality and us being sound. They've got a lot of those gadget plays, and I think our guys will be ready.”
Klanderman also used the moment to make a direct pitch to Baylor fans ahead of his first home game as interim head coach. He wants McLane Stadium loud, the Bear Walk energized and the home crowd fully engaged.
“We want you there. I want you guys to see this edition of this football team.
I'm hoping that we can get that place going. I'm hoping that the Bear Walk is crazy.
I know that our administration is working tirelessly to make this a great fan experience: Doug (McNamee), Jovan (Overshown), President (Linda) Livingstone, that really matters to them. . . . I want this community to embrace this team.
I think this team is kind of rallying around the community. Right now, there is a lot of pride in that locker room about being a Baylor Bear.
And I'm hoping that pours over into how we play. It's so much easier to show that when the crowd is into it with us, and there are 12 of us playing instead of 11.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Just Made Its Big 12 Problem Even Worse
The Big 12 race tightened again after Week 9, and for Baylor, the latest shakeup only adds more urgency to a conference picture that keeps shifting around it. Utah stayed unbeaten with a decisive win over Cincinnati, Texas Tech and BYU both bounced back from earlier losses, and Iowa States high-scoring upset of Oklahoma State helped redraw the leagues middle tier in a hurry.
For a Baylor team trying to climb back into the conversation, the problem is that there are now fewer soft spots to target and fewer clear separations between the teams in the pack. With all 16 programs sorted in a fresh set of power rankings, the Bears are left measuring themselves against a conference where momentum can flip fast and one bad Saturday can send a contender sliding. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Just Got More Proof This Team Is Turning A Corner
Baylors trip to UCF brought more than a lopsided road win. It also delivered a fresh round of Big 12 recognition, with quarterback DJ Lagway earning Offensive Player of the Week and the Bears defensive line taking home Defensive Line of the Week honors after the 41-9 rout. Lagway matched his career high with four touchdown passes and finished 16 of 25 for 319 yards, while the front seven kept the pressure on all afternoon.
For a program still trying to show this start is about more than one good Saturday, the weekly awards matter because they reflect balance. Baylor has now picked up its fourth and fifth Big 12 weekly honors of the 2026 season, a sign that different parts of the roster are drawing league-wide notice at the same time. The bigger question is how long the Bears can keep stacking those kinds of performances as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Coaching Change Just Put Its 2027 Class On Edge
Dave Arandas firing has already started to ripple through Baylors recruiting board, and the first notable move came from linebacker Bryson Brown. The three-star prospect backed off his Baylor pledge and quickly flipped to Oklahoma State, a reminder that coaching changes can hit the youngest classes hardest before a new staff even has time to settle in.
Baylors 2027 class still has 12 pledges and sits at No. 73 nationally, but the real work now is keeping the rest of that group intact. Quarterback Babin, athlete Hoyt, offensive lineman Allen and safety Kirkland all look like the kinds of pieces a future staff will want to build around, both for what they have already shown and for how they could fit the roster needs ahead. [Read more 🡒]