Aranda's Call Sheet: 'Kansas is The Best Team We’ve Played'
On Monday, head coach Dave Aranda held his weekly press conference following Baylor's (7-4, 5-3) win over the Houston Cougars (4-7, 3-5). He discussed his confidence in the offense, how to manage the last week of the season and what to expect from Kansas (5-6, 4-4) this weekend.
I’m Confident In The Offense
Baylor’s hard-fought 20-10 win over Houston on Saturday unfolded quite differently than the shoot-out games the fanbase has grown accustomed to watching during this winning streak.
Against the Cougars, BU’s offense totaled just 41 yards and three first downs in the second half of the contest. Quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) easily had his worst game of the season, throwing a career-high three interceptions.
Head coach Dave Aranda, however, believes Saturday was an anomaly in the grand scheme of things and sees it as a great opportunity to learn from.
“I’m confident in the offense,” he said. “I’m confident in the coaches and the players. It can be a good thing if you struggle at times; it allows you to reflect and look at yourself and find the things that were taken for granted or maybe lose a bit of an edge on.”
Even though Robertson wasn’t at his best, running back Bryson Washington (RFr.) rushed for 113 yards on 28 carries against a stout Houston front seven. Washington broke a program record as the only freshman with five 100-plus rushing yard games.
Considering how much the offensive line struggled earlier in the year, Washington’s record-setting season seemed inconceivable at one point. Aranda attributes the improvement up front to Omar Aigbedion (Jr.), a transfer from Montana State.
The fifth-year head coach mentioned that Aigbedion’s competitive fire and linebacker Keaton Thomas (RSo.) have completely changed the outlook on both sides of the ball. Thomas led the Bears with 10 tackles on Saturday; he’s the first player since Terrel Bernard in 2021 to record over 100 tackles in a season.
“Both Omar and KT are similar,” Aranda said. “Both run hot. They both could get injured in a walk-through by themselves. They’re looking for contact, looking for fights, looking for something.”
Meanwhile, Baylor’s secondary has left much to be desired over the past month, routinely allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for over 300 yards.
Against the Cougars, the Bears limited Houston to 126 yards through the air and forced a season-high four turnovers, including interceptions from safeties Devyn Bobby (Jr.) and Devin Lemear (RJr.), as well as cornerback Lorando Johnson (RSr.).
Bobby’s first-quarter interception of Houston’s Zeon Chriss (So.) in the end zone could be the spark the secondary needed confidence-wise, according to Aranda.
“That first one to Devyn Bobby was a huge, huge play,” he noted. “All of them were, but that one in particular said, ‘This is going to be different.’”
As for injury updates, outside linebacker Steve Linton (6Sr.) missed Saturday’s game against Houston, but Aranda says he “looks good” and expects him back against Kansas.
Currently, quarterback Nate Bennett (Fr.) is Robertson’s backup, and Aranda provided an update on Dequan Finn (6Sr.), the highly coveted transfer from Toledo, who hasn’t played since Oct. 19 against Texas Tech.
“Dequan is still trying to work through his injury and get it properly diagnosed and [find] what’s next for him in his career,” he said. “It’s been one-to-two-to-three, or however many weeks we’re into it, so I feel for him, and I’m hopeful we can get some type of closure here soon.”
There’s A Maturity With This Team
With Thanksgiving on Thursday, the Bears will temporarily break their normal routine of balancing football and school. This week, it’s strictly football. Aranda told his team on Monday morning not to stay up late doing anything “ridiculous,” but he doesn’t have much concern that his players will be irresponsible.
“All of the details and the focus that we’ve had particularly this last stretch, we had today,” he said. “There’s a maturity with this team as we’ve gone, and I feel like we’re in a position to handle it the right way. They know they are playing for a lot — they’re playing for the seniors and for a successful end of the year.”
Aranda attributes the constant focus inside the building to a five-game winning streak. His players are starting to recognize how much goes into winning and don’t want to ruin the standard they’ve set.
“When you have success, it kind of feeds you, and you can feel like you can do this thing,” he said. “After a little bit more success, you feel like you are that thing. … Then you fully realize that it takes everything you’ve got to live to that standard.”
For Aranda, however, it’s the busiest time of the year with signing day approaching, the transfer portal about to open and bowl season on the horizon.
“There’s a lot of balls you have to juggle up in the air,” he said. “To have some success at the end of the year helps with all of that. Winning helps.”
Baylor currently boasts the No. 33 recruiting class in the nation for the 2025 class and is looking to maintain all commitments while potentially flipping another recruit or two.
“I feel good where we’re at,” Aranda said of the recruiting class. “We’re situated pretty strongly to close out the class, but it’s going to take full commitment by us at the same time as we prepare to play other games. … We all know what happens at the end of recruiting cycles. So to close it out in the final days, we’re looking to be as strong as we can.”
The Best Team We’ve Played
While Baylor is riding a five-game winning streak going into Saturday’s game, the Kansas Jayhawks (5-6, 4-4) are on a three-game heater of their own.
Over the weekend, Kansas became the first unranked team in college football history to beat three consecutive ranked opponents: No. 17 Iowa State, No. 6 BYU and No. 16 Colorado.
“It speaks to the conference and how tough it is to win,” Aranda said. “Everyone is talented. Everyone has really good coaches. You have to be on it.”
The Jayhawks were projected to finish toward the top of the conference in the pre-season but stumbled out of the gates. Since then, they’ve found their groove and are clicking on all cylinders. Kansas has won four of its last five games and needs a win in the regular season finale to clinch bowl eligibility.
“Right now, this is the best team we’ve played,” Aranda said. “Our guys feel that way when they watch [the film].”
KU’s offense starts with its dynamic quarterback-running back tandem of Jalon Daniels (Jr.) and Devin Neal (Sr.). Daniels is a true dual-threat quarterback, and Neal is one of the top backs in the Big 12; he totaled over 280 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in the upset win over the Buffs on Saturday.
The Bears must improve their tackling to stop the high-flying Jayhawks’ offense. Aranda believes former Baylor offensive coordinator and current Kansas OC Jeff Grimes will attack BU’s weaknesses and force the Bears to stop the run.
“It’s going to take better tackling; it’s been too long of a negative,” Aranda said. “The lack of tackling with guys leaving their feet and chasing ankles lessens us and makes us look small, weak and vulnerable. … We’re going to have to be way improved in this area.”