Baylor heads into Saturday’s 3 p.m. matchup with Louisiana Tech at McLane Stadium trying to tighten things up before the Big 12 schedule heats up.
The Bears are 1-1 after a 44-3 home-opening win over Prairie View A&M, but head coach Dave Aranda spent Monday’s weekly press conference focusing on the details that got away from them. Baylor was flagged nine times for 85 yards against Prairie View after being relatively clean in the Auburn game, and the Bears are now tied for 91st in the country in fewest penalty yards at 62.5 per game.
“One of the things we've talked about quite a bit is being hard to kill,” Aranda said, “and that's not making it easy for a team to beat us. Right now, it's too easy to beat us, with the penalties and the turnovers (three vs.
PV). We need to clean that up.
Our identity needs to be the opposite of that, of giving those things to the opponent. So, we're very focused on that.”
Baylor also got an injury update with several key names trending in different directions. Quarterback DJ Lagway and center Koltin Sierck are both on pace to return after sitting out against Prairie View because of injuries. Lagway “felt great yesterday,” Aranda said, “and we expect him to go on Saturday.”
Safety Devin Turner, meanwhile, played just one snap against Prairie View, and Aranda said, “and we're going to have to get that fixed. He's a big part of what we do, and we're going to want him for this game.”
The biggest setback came with fifth-year defensive tackle Devonte Tezino, who was carted off less than a minute into Saturday’s game with a severe leg injury and will miss the rest of the season. Aranda was clearly struck by the loss.
“I look at a guy like Tez, and I see all the sacrifice and I see all the growth,” Aranda said. “You're rooting for him, and you want him to have this kind of opportunity. To see it just delayed or pushed back, your heart goes out to him.”
Aranda also singled out defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler, a transfer from national champion Indiana, for the way he operates in the trenches. He said Wheeler “does all the dirty work,” adding, “The mentality is the biggest difference.
There's a toughness about him; there's a winner, there's a shine about him. He can look at guys and get guys to do more and sacrifice more with a look.
I think he has that 'it" factor in him in there. So, when he talks, all those guys listen.”
In Other News...
Dave Aranda Just Put Baylors Biggest Early Problem On Notice
Early in the season, Dave Aranda is already leaning on one of the most basic truths in football: Baylor cannot keep beating itself. After a start defined in part by frustrating offensive penalties and giveaways, the Bears coach used his latest media session to zero in on the kinds of mistakes that stall drives and shrink margins, especially when they come from the offensive line and from quarterback decisions that lead to interceptions.
Arandas message was less about panic than about urgency, and that is what makes it worth watching going forward. Baylor still has time to settle in, but the standard he laid out was clear - cleaner execution, better consistency and fewer self-inflicted errors have to show up soon if the offense is going to look like a unit moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Early Offensive Problems Are Getting Hard To Ignore
After two games, Baylor is sitting at 1-1, and the early tape has already pointed to a few areas that cant be brushed aside for long. Penalties have been part of the problem, the offensive line has had to work through injuries, and the passing game still looks like it is searching for a cleaner distribution. There have been individual bright spots on both sides of the ball, but the bigger picture is a team that needs more cohesion as the season settles in.
The next step is especially clear on offense, where better third-down production would ease some of the pressure on fourth-down decisions and give the unit more control of drives. Baylor has enough pieces to suggest improvement is coming, but the challenge now is turning scattered success into something more reliable. For a team with bigger goals ahead, these early issues are the kind that can linger if they are not cleaned up quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor's Week 2 Win Still Left Fans With One Ranking Frustration
Baylor handled Prairie View A&M in Week 2 with a strong offensive showing even while missing key starters, a performance that gave the Bears plenty to feel good about heading into the next stretch of the season. The result also brought a modest bump in some computer-based evaluations, including a slight rise in ESPNs FPI, suggesting the win did move the needle at least a little behind the scenes.
Still, the broader national picture was far less satisfying for Baylor fans hoping to see a bigger reward. The Bears remained outside the AP Top 25 and did not crack CBS Sports power rankings, while some other metrics even nudged them down a bit, leaving the sense that a convincing win was not enough to change the teams standing in the eyes of pollsters and evaluators. [Read more 🡒]