Three Takeaways: October 19
10/19/2026 4:11:00 PM | Football
Tale of two lines - Baylor DL "probably had their best game"
Director of Sports Journalism Jerry Hill gives his three takeaways from Monday's weekly press conference with head coach Dave Aranda talking about the Bears' 17-6 loss to TCU in the Revilvary and this Saturday's matchup between Baylor (4-2, 2-1) and Kansas (2-4, 0-3), which kicks off at 12 p.m. Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., and will be broadcast by TNT:
- 'THAT'S ON ME'Â Taking a buck-stops-here mentality, Aranda is taking responsibility "for the offensive front just not being where they need to be." The O-line struggled in pass protection and run blocking in the loss to the Horned Frogs, allowing four sacks, rushing for a season-low 54 yards (and 1.6 per carry) and getting flagged four times on Baylor's last drive. "The first thing you stare at is me," he said. "I have to get that group ready to go. When you talk about tough, smart, dependable, it all starts up front. So, that's a failure on my part. I have to get that group ready to go. If that's moving pieces around, if that's giving competition, if that's challenging guys, all of those things are being talked about and being addressed."
- JOE KNOWS KANSAS: First-year Baylor defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman is very familiar with the Kansas Jayhawks. In seven years at Kansas State, including the last six as the DC, Klanderman never lost in the Sunflower Showdown and twice held the Jayhawks to less than 300 yards total offense. "Run game-wise, Kansas gives you a whole bunch of different looks," Aranda said. "They have the transfer from Kansas State (Dylan Edwards) back there . . . that 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. Pass-wise, they very much look at what's hurt people in the past. They're a game-plan outfit that way. But they're difficult to prepare for. Joe has played them before and has a good feel for it."
- GOOD DAY FOR THE D-LINE: While the offensive line struggled against TCU, Aranda said the Baylor defensive linemen "probably had their best game." As a unit, the Bears recorded four sacks and 10 tackles for loss while holding TCU to 33 net yards rushing and 1.1 yard per carry. "Those guys had their best game so far this year," Aranda said, "whether it was Slug (Traevon Mitchell), Hosea (Wheeler), Jamaal (Whyce) . . . you just wish we would have got a win out of all those efforts. But it's really good to have the depth that we have and the rotations we've got. Guys are getting 20, 30-some reps in a game, where in the past, guys would be getting 60 reps a game, which is a huge difference."
Players Mentioned
DL
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