Three Takeaways: September 14
9/14/2026 8:44:00 PM | Football
Aranda wants to see Bears clean up the penalties after flurry of flags
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' 44-3 home-opening win over Prairie View A&M and this week's final Big 12 tune-up between Baylor (1-1) and Louisiana Tech (1-1), which kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium and will be broadcast by ESPNU:
- CLEAN IT UP:Â After a relatively clean game against Auburn, Baylor was flagged nine times for 85 yards in penalties against Prairie View and is now tied for 91st in the country in fewest penalty yards with 62.5 yards 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."
- INJURY UPDATE: Quarterback DJ Lagway and center Koltin Sierck are both on pace to return after missing the Prairie View game with injuries. Lagway "felt great yesterday," Aranda said, "and we expect him to go on Saturday." Safety Devin Turner played only one snap against Prairie View, "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." Fifth-year defensive tackle Devonte Tezino was carted off the field less than a minute into Saturday's game with a severe leg injury and will miss the rest of the season. "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."
- 'DOES ALL THE DIRTY WORK': A transfer from national champion Indiana, defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler "does all the dirty work," Aranda said. "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."
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, September 15
Monday, September 14
Sunday, September 13
Sunday, September 13
