Three Takeaways: September 28
9/28/2026 10:57:00 PM | Football
Lagway will have a ‘fire and hunger’ going into Arizona State
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' 23-13 win over Colorado in the Big 12 opener and this week's matchup between Baylor (3-1, 1-0) and Arizona State (2-1, 10), which kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Saturday in Tempe, Ariz., and will be broadcast by ESPN:
- FIRE AND HUNGER:Â After sitting out for two weeks with a sprained right ankle, quarterback DJ Lagway struggled at times in the win over Colorado, completing less than 50% of his passes (19-of-39) and throwing a bad pick at the end of the first half. But Aranda is confident that DJ "is going to play much stronger" this week. "I know just having that game under his belt, from being off and being out to now being in it, you could see him feel more comfortable as the game went on. I know he's going to have a fire and a hunger this week, so I'm looking forward to utilizing that."
- FOLLOW THE MONEY: Aranda credits first-year coordinator Joe Klanderman and his staff for getting "their players to play for them" and making the Baylor defense one of the best in the league, allowing just 13.0 points per game and registering a league-high 15 sacks (three more than last year's season total). But as much he hates "bringing up money," that's where it starts. "You look at the offense the last two years, we spent a lot of money on that offense," Aranda said. "And we're spending a lot of money on the defense right now. I think you just follow the money, you see where things are at."
- GOT TO GET HEALTHY: While the offensive line has been inconsistent at best, the biggest issue is "having the same guys going the whole entire time" at each practice. "We've got to get healthy," Aranda said. To be able to start a week and end a week with the same guys, and then to have those guys see what they saw throughout the week on Saturday, and execute effectively, that's our goal." Right guard, in particular, has seen Asher Hale, Cole Rhett and Cooper Lovelace slide into that spot. "We just have to be healthy and be able to get the right guys the reps the whole time," Aranda said.
Players Mentioned
Monday, September 28
Saturday, September 26
Saturday, September 26
Saturday, September 26
