Five Keys to Saturday's Game
9/4/2026 5:30:00 PM | Football
Bears have to stop former teammate in season opener
BAYLOR at AUBURN
2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. (ABC)
- PLAY FREE, DJ: That's been one of the biggest storylines with Florida transfer DJ Lagway, who admitted that he's never felt as free as he has been since getting to the Baylor campus in January. A two-year starter for the Gators, "he's been in some big arenas and he's been in some bright lights," Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. "I don't think anything is going to faze him that way. I think he's got really good confidence. I know that he likes the plan that (offensive coordinator Jake Spavital) has for him. To get a real energized and confident is a plus for us."
- THAT GUY LOOKS FAMILIAR: Baylor's leading rusher in each of the previous two seasons, running back Bryson Washington entered the transfer portal and ended up at Auburn. While Aranda said he wants Washington have success, "in this game, we're going to have to be able to stop him. And he's tough to stop. It was interesting to see the breakdown of him – he's a tough runner, falls forward. So, we know what he's going to bring. We know what we have to be in order to meet that."
- REVAMPED O-LINE NEEDS TO CREATE PUSH: The Bears had to do a complete do-over with the offensive line, with right tackle Kaden Sieracki being the only returning starter. Even with Yakiri Walker not getting the injunction he needed, the Bears settled in with Koltin Sieracki at center and transfers Logan Moore, Nate Kibble and Asher Hale at the other three spots. They will have tough sledding against a defense that includes a stout line and the "best linebacker we may see all year," preseason All-American Xavier Atkins.
- WIN IN THE 'CALL ROOM': Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson talked to the Bears last week about how races are won or lost in the "call room," where the racers wait to be called out. "For him, it's like, 'my eyes are focused on, I'm running my race,''' Aranda said. "He's going through the whole thing. There are very much elements of that as we go into Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning, where we're in our call room, so to speak. We have to be able to prepare ourselves. Football is is a game of random events and setbacks. Whatever comes, we need to be able to reset and meet it the way that we need to."
- HEART AND SOUL OF THE DEFENSE: The Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year two years ago at FIU, middle linebacker Travion Barnes is the "heart and soul" of the Baylor defense. "He has a knack for making plays, he makes stuff look so simple," Aranda said. "Travion plays just a Cool Hand Luke (role), just chilling, and he will go and make a big-time play. His instincts, all that stuff, is inside of him. I think everyone knows, when he's in there, that whatever anxiety or whatever goes down, TB's got this. He's a major part of what's going on with our defense."
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