Baylor heads into Week 9 with more than a road trip on its hands. The Bears travel to Orlando on Friday to face UCF, and the biggest question isn’t just how they’ll play - it’s how they’ll respond after Dave Aranda was fired.
Joe Klanderman now has the job of keeping the group locked in for the stretch run, and that won’t be a small task. This isn’t a normal week for Baylor.
The players and staff have just lost the coach who brought them to campus and has been leading them, so the emotional reset matters as much as anything on the field. Still, there are goals left on the table, and this matchup gives Baylor a chance to show it can keep competing and finish strong.
The offense could also look a little different against the Knights. Klanderman said he has long regarded offensive coordinator Jake Spavital as one of the best play callers in the country, and he made it clear he wants to help bring some juice back to that unit. He said he wants to cut Coach Spavital loose and let him be as creative as he wants to be.
That doesn’t guarantee a dramatic turnaround, and it doesn’t mean the Bears will suddenly find a brand-new identity overnight. But it does open the door for different play calls, and maybe even a few trick plays out of Spavital’s bag. After a season spent searching for answers, Baylor could use a few fresh wrinkles to get more of its playmakers involved.
UCF presents its own twist in the matchup. The Knights just handed No. 2-ranked BYU its first loss of the season and will be at home for the second straight week when Baylor comes in. That creates an interesting setup for the Bears, especially with the possibility of a “big-win hangover” hanging over UCF.
A win like that can fuel a team or leave it flat the next time out, and Baylor will be watching closely to see which version shows up. At the same time, the Bears have to prove they can handle the emotional fallout of Aranda’s firing and still bring the energy needed to compete on the road.
In Other News...
Noah Fifita Faces A New Big 12 Test As QB Race Tightens
Week 8 gave the Big 12 another reminder that quarterback depth can swing the league in a hurry, with a few lesser-known passers stepping into the spotlight and changing the feel of the race. Cincinnati got a jolt from JC French IV in its upset of Texas Tech, while UCF found stability from Keyone Jenkins in a win over BYU, the kind of performance that can reshape how a staff views its own quarterback room heading into the next stretch of conference play.
Now the Knights are heading into another tricky Big 12 test, and the QB conversation around them has only gotten louder. Injuries and benching questions are circling the league, the Week 9 slate brings more chances for movement, and Noah Fifita sits right in the middle of a pecking order that is getting harder to sort out as the season turns. [Read more 🡒]
Johnny Dawkins Just Landed A Guard UCF Fans Need To Watch
Johnny Dawkins added another significant piece to UCFs future with the commitment of Jacoby Briscoe, a 6-foot-6 combo guard out of Virginia who is regarded as one of the top prospects in his state. Briscoe, ranked No. 2 in Virginia, said the visit to campus stood out because of the family atmosphere Dawkins presented along with the vision for how he fits into the program.
For the Knights, the pledge gives the staff a talented perimeter option with size and versatility, and it also says plenty about the pull UCF can now have in a recruiting battle. Briscoes arrival gives Dawkins another high-end building block to sell to the fan base, with the kind of profile that immediately raises expectations for what comes next in Orlando. [Read more 🡒]
Keyone Jenkins Just Changed UCF's Biggest Question Heading Into Baylor
Keyone Jenkins spent the weekend doing more than just steering UCF to an upset of BYU. He also turned what had been one of the Knights bigger questions into something much quieter, at least for the moment, after drawing national attention for the way he handled a ranked Big 12 opponent. The redshirt freshman showed the kind of balance UCF has been looking for, using both his arm and his legs to keep the offense moving and give the Knights a win they badly needed.
Scott Frost had plenty to like after watching Jenkins manage the game with poise, and that matters as UCF heads toward Baylor with some clarity under center. For a program that has spent recent weeks sorting through its quarterback picture, Jenkins performance was enough to change the conversation in a hurry, and the confidence he earned was only reinforced by the national honors that followed. [Read more 🡒]