‘We Could Have Done Way More’: Baylor Refocuses Ahead of Arizona State Showdown

Redshirt senior defensive lineman Jackie Marshall didn’t mince words to the media on Tuesday when asked about his top takeaway from Baylor’s sluggish and oftentimes sloppy 42-7 win over Samford to round out its non-conference slate.

“We won the game, but we could have done way more,” Marshall said. “Just being more dominant up front. Attacking the ball — we could have had even more takeaways. [We’re] honing in on the small details and getting better and ready for conference play.”

With Arizona State, the reigning Big 12 Champions, coming to town this Saturday, the Bears will need to re-focus and lock in for the challenge ahead. With aspirations of a league title, Baylor can’t afford to start its conference play like it did last year, where it lost to Colorado, following a last-second Hail Mary to send the game to overtime.

“I definitely feel a different energy,” senior right guard Omar Aigbedion said. “I felt a little more intensity and a little bit more focus at practice and hunger. We’re on the right path right now.”

Toward the end of last season, Baylor’s offensive success was attributed to the offensive line figuring things out. Despite returning four starters up front, the Bears have been nowhere near as dominant in the ground game as expected. On the other side of the ball, Baylor’s defensive line has struggled to overcome injuries to key players.

Head coach Dave Aranda has stressed to his team that for them to accomplish their goals this season and make a push for a Big 12 title, the play up front on both sides of the ball needs to improve significantly moving forward.

“Coach has talked a lot, really these past two weeks, about our O-Line and D-Line improving our play,” Aigbedion said. “We all have to lock in and play to the best of our ability. He talks a lot about our best players playing their best when it matters. On the line of scrimmage, we have to do that when it matters.”

Marshall added, “I do feel like we’ve taken a step, but there’s a lot more we can do. We can take an even bigger step. We can do more energy-wise, be more dominant up front, be more physical and tackle [better] as well.”

One of those key players dealing with injuries is Marshall, who left the season opener against Auburn in the first quarter with a high-ankle sprain. The redshirt senior has played sparingly across the last two weeks, but expects to be fully healthy by Saturday’s matchup for Arizona State.

“Just taking it day-by-day, but I’m still attacking rehab; I feel great. I’ll be ready for this week,” he said.

One of the positives from Saturday’s game against Samford was that the Bears forced a season-high four turnovers after totaling just one takeaway versus Auburn and No. 17 SMU combined.

“That’s a big part of our game,” Marshall said of forcing takeaways. “It’s a game-changing thing. You get a turnover in a game, and it helps your team out. It’s definitely big [emphasis] for us.”

Aranda routinely preaches to his defense the importance of creating turnovers and has incentivized it even more by adding a “Bear Coat” as a sideline celebration that you can put on if you force a turnover, as true freshman linebacker Kaleb Burns did after his first career interception.

“I like that,” Marshall said of the Bear Coat. “We had a meeting about it sometime last week, and we all agreed that’s what we wanted to do. I like it, though. KB got to put it on last week, so it was cool.”

Aigbedion added, “I think it’s pretty cool if you get a turnover, you put on the coat. I wouldn’t say jealous. I’m happy for them. I like to see that coat come on because it means we’re doing something good.”

Now, the Bears will open conference play against Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State, and will need to start fast and finish strong, something that has been a struggle in big home games during Aranda’s tenure, specifically since the 2021 season.

“They’re a good team, and we’re going to show up ready to play and bring a lot of juice,” Marshall said. 

The Bears will be tasked with slowing down redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has thrown for five touchdowns and three interceptions with a 58% completion percentage.

Leavitt, similar to Auburn’s Jack Arnold, is most lethal when he uses his legs, and it’s a big emphasis for Aranda’s crew heading into the game. Leavitt has rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries so far.

“Everybody doing their job, everybody doing their 1-11th and executing on a high level to get the job done,” Marshall said of stopping Arizona State’s quarterback from scrambling.

Defensively, the Sun Devils return almost their entire unit from last year’s College Football Playoff team. Aranda noted in his Monday press conference that the experienced Arizona State squad “plays a brand of ball that bullies you,” which is something the Bears will have to prepare for.

“I see a really well-coached defense,” Aigbedion noted. “They’re the returning Big 12 Champs and have a lot of guys on the front-seven that played last year. I’m super excited to have the opportunity to play against a good front-seven.”

For the Bears to leave McLane Stadium with a win on Saturday night, it’ll surely be because quarterback Sawyer Robertson put together a stellar performance, similar to the ones he had against Auburn and No. 17 SMU. Robertson struggled against Samford, throwing two interceptions, but his teammates don’t have any doubt that he’ll bounce back.

“Just like before the season, when he was getting all the hype, he always prepares the same, whether he had a good game or a bad game,” Aigbedion said. “He’s the leader of our team, and we fully believe in him, whether he has his best game or not. He’s been the same guy, the same leader, and he’s the same great ball player, and I fully expect him to show that this week.”

The Bears (2-1) will take on the Sun Devils (2-1) under the lights at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at McLane Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on FOX.