With Baylor looking to rebound from Saturday's 17-6 loss to TCU, head coach Dave Aranda outlined the challenges Kansas presents and addressed several areas the Bears must improve ahead of their road trip.
During Monday's weekly press conference, Aranda discussed Kansas' offensive versatility, the pressure quarterback DJ Lagway faced against the Horned Frogs and the attitude he has seen from Baylor's players following their first Big 12 defeat.
The Bears (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) will travel to Lawrence for the first of two consecutive road games, facing a Kansas team that has lost two straight but possesses several offensive threats capable of testing Baylor's defense.
Aranda Highlights Kansas' Versatile Rushing Attack
Looking ahead to the Jayhawks, who are coming off a 35-24 road loss to rival Kansas State, Aranda discussed the challenges Kansas poses in the running game, particularly with quarterback Isaiah Marshall and running back Dylan Edwards.
“Kansas, run game-wise, gives you a whole bunch of different looks. The quarterback is a runner. They have the transfer from Kansas State back there that is a threat out of the backfield, but can really get lost in zone blocking schemes. They’re a stretch team and can stick his foot down in the ground and create big gains.”
Marshall led Kansas in rushing against Kansas State, gaining 117 yards on 14 carries while completing 12 of 26 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Edwards added 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts, along with 28 receiving yards.
Baylor's run defense has been among its more consistent strengths this season. Through six games, the Bears have allowed 520 rushing yards, an average of 86.7 per contest, while limiting opponents to about 2.6 yards per carry.
Aranda also described Kansas as “difficult to prepare for” through the air, noting the Jayhawks' tendency to adjust their approach based on opposing defenses.
“Pass wise, I think they very much look at what hurt people in the past, and they’re a gameplan outfit in that way. And so a lot of the film is kind of mixed in terms of concepts and variations off of things.”
Aranda Talks Lagway's Decision-Making Against TCU
While Baylor's defense held TCU to 17 points, the offense struggled to capitalize, managing just 310 total yards and failing to score a touchdown.
Lagway completed 22 of 53 passes for 256 yards and an interception, while TCU recorded four sacks and consistently disrupted the Bears' passing attack.
Aranda acknowledged that Lagway could have made better decisions on certain plays, particularly early in the game. However, he emphasized that pass protection deteriorated as the contest progressed, leaving the quarterback with limited opportunities to work through his reads.
“There’s times when he was in the pocket, especially early in the game, he could’ve gotten to a second or third read. I thought later in the game, once you got past the second quarter on, there really wasn’t much of a pocket to speak of. And so at that point, he was doing what he could. It’s hard to criticize when there’s someone in his face the entire time. And so a cleaner line of scrimmage is gonna be cleaner decisions.”
The lack of a running game compounded those difficulties. Baylor finished with just 54 rushing yards on 34 attempts, averaging 1.6 yards per carry after producing 244 yards on the ground in its previous game against Arizona State.
With little threat of a consistent rushing attack, Baylor became increasingly reliant on Lagway to move the offense through the air. The Bears also converted just six of 21 third-down opportunities, limiting their ability to sustain drives.
Aranda Confident in Baylor's Response to TCU Loss
Despite Saturday's disappointing result, Aranda expressed confidence in the team's attitude heading into its two-game road trip.
He pointed to the effort Baylor showed against TCU, when the Bears ran 87 offensive plays and recorded 23 first downs but managed just six points.
“You’d like to have a lot more points after all those plays, but the guys are battling and really working. You know, you go in the weight room right now where a lot of guys are at, and there’s just, you feel it, you feel like it’s about to explode in there, just energy and they wanna go out and play again.”
Aranda also praised the team's leadership, saying players have embraced his recurring message of being “tough, smart, dependable” and are holding one another accountable.
“They’ve got a really good edge about them. If we could play today, they’d wanna play today, and so I think everyone feels that way,” Aranda said, adding that the players are “chomping at the bit” for their next opportunity.
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