10/24/2026 12:14:00 AM | Football
Bears have to clear the loss to TCU and focus on stopping Jayhawks' run game
BAYLOR at KANSAS
- CLEAR IT: Coming off a disappointing 17-6 loss at home to rival TCU, the Bears have to clear it and put that one behind them. "I think it's more about looking forward, fixing the things that we didn't do right," said senior defensive end Kyler Jordan. "We've still done some good things, we've put some good stuff on tape. We have to keep moving forward, and we have to go into Saturday playing with confidence. You can't let it beat us down."
- RECORDS DON'T MATTER: Much like last week's matchup against TCU, the records really don't matter. The Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3) have lost four games by a combined 51 points, but they've been within a single score in the fourth quarter of every game. Kansas ranks in the top half of the league in pretty much every offensive category, including total offense (449.5 yards per game) and rushing yards (207.0). "Lot of respect for this team," Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. "They play hard, they've got talented players on the edge, athletic and explosive. This is a team that's hunting for respect. It's going to be a great challenge for us."
- WIN THE ONE-ON-ONES: Whether that's the offensive line being able to "dominate the guy in front of you" or the cornerbacks limiting the Jayhawks' top receivers, the Bears have to win their one-on-one battles. Because of the offensive line issues last week, Baylor averaged just 1.6 yards per attempt on the ground and quarterback DJ Lagway was sacked four times. On defense, TCU's top two receivers combined for 241 yards on 13 catches. "I look at a lot of things that maybe were issues last year that we've corrected," Aranda said. "And we're still working on this one. We have to block better."
- STOP THE RUN: With first-year coordinator Joe Klanderman's chaos defense, the Bears have already recorded more sacks (22) and tackles for losses (52) in six games than they did all last season. That's helped Baylor rank ninth nationally in run defense, allowing just 86.7 yards per game and 2.6 per attempt. But can BU contain the Jayhawks' 1-2 punch of Kansas State transfer Dylan Edwards and quarterback Isaiah Marshall, who have combined for 747 yards and 5.0 per carry. "Run game-wise, they give you a whole bunch of different looks," Aranda said. "(Edwards) is a threat out of the backfield but 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."
- GET DJ GOING: After completing just 22-of-53 passes last week, Lagway needs to get off to a better start with some safe throws and maybe quick-hitters rather than going through his reads and getting flushed out of the pocket. "Our offense, we're going to bounce back, we're going to get it right," receiver Jayden McGowan said. "We've been putting in some hard work, and we all have the same mindset that we're going to fix it and we're going to come out harder than ever."
Players Mentioned
Friday, October 23
Thursday, October 22
Thursday, October 22
Tuesday, October 20
