Baylor Football

Game Thread: Baylor Battles Louisiana Tech Before Big 12 Play Begins

Game thread ahead of Baylor versus Louisiana Tech.
By SicEm365 Staff
September 18, 2026
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SICEM365 GAME THREAD

Baylor vs. Louisiana Tech

Non-Conference Finale • Family Weekend
Saturday, September 19, 2026 • 3:00 p.m. CT • ESPNU
McLane Stadium • Waco, TX • Home
Records Baylor 1-1 (0-0 Big 12) | Louisiana Tech 1-1 (0-0 Sun Belt)
Coaches Dave Aranda (Year 7) vs. Sonny Cumbie (Year 5)
Kickoff 3:00 p.m. CT / 4:00 p.m. ET
TV ESPNU
Radio John Morris, Geff Gandy, Bryson Jackson • KRZI 1660 AM / 92.3 FM
Stream ESPNU / ESPN app • BaylorBears.com radio
Series Baylor leads 5-1 • 3-1 in Waco
Last meeting Baylor 24, Louisiana Tech 16 (Shreveport, Sept. 7, 1996)
Last game Baylor 44, Prairie View A&M 3 (Sept. 12)
Line Baylor -19.5 • O/U 51.5 • as of Sept. 17

Why This Game Matters

  • Final non-conference game before Colorado opens Big 12 play next week
  • Family Weekend at McLane; Baylor Backyard Live with Members Only
  • Both starting QBs are out: DJ Lagway (ankle) and Blake Baker (hand)
  • Nate Bennett makes his second start after 314 yards and 4 TDs vs. PVAMU
  • Need to clean up 9 penalties and 3 turnovers from last Saturday

Series History

  • Baylor leads 5-1 all-time; last meeting was 1996 in Shreveport (24-16 BU)
  • Tech’s only win: 10-9 at Floyd Casey in 1992
  • Tech this year: W 80-6 vs. Northwestern State, L 45-14 at No. 8 LSU
  • Tech trailed LSU just 10-7 at half after four first-half takeaways

Keys for Baylor

  1. Protect the ball. Tech is +2 in turnover margin and picked Sam Leavitt three times.
  2. Cut the flags. Aranda: “Right now, it’s too easy to beat us, with the penalties and the turnovers.”
  3. Start fast. Tech hung around into the third quarter at LSU. Do not wait for a punch.
  4. Win the line without Tezino. Season-ending leg injury last week. Mitchell’s injunction keeps him available.
  5. Let Bennett play on schedule. Run Pendergrass, take the easy throws, avoid the two-pick repeat.

Players to Watch

Baylor: QB Nate Bennett • RB Dawson Pendergrass • WR Gavin Freeman, Louis Brown IV, Dre'lon Miller • DE Kyler Jordan • DL Hosea Wheeler, Traevon Mitchell • LB Travion Barnes

Louisiana Tech: QB Trey Kukuk (start with Baker out) • WR Jalen Mickens • DB Jordan McRae (100-yard INT return vs. LSU) • a DL/LB group Aranda called talented and takeaway-heavy

SicEm365 Louisiana Tech week reading

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Discussion from...

Game Thread: Baylor Battles Louisiana Tech Before Big 12 Play Begins

32,200 Views | 459 Replies | Last: 4 days ago by FLBear5630
Youre a clown
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In reply to bear2be2 • 6:00p, 9/19/26
bear2be2 said:
Youre a clown said:
bear2be2 said:
Big12Fan2024 said:
We better be really good at slinging it in Big 12 play because we have a very limited rushing attack. Yes, these are predictable runs here and that's part of the explanation but we have no gamebreaking risk on that list of RBs.

Hopefully Lagway will be healthy enough to contribute to the run game. Our base run game isn't going to work in the Big 12 without the threat of the QB run.

He's going to get injured very quickly if that's what we have to resort to

I'm not suggesting he carry the ball 15 times a game. But he needs to pull the ball enough to keep defenses honest.


No I get it, and I think that's basically what we were trying with the Auburn game, and he got hurt like the second drive of the game IIRC. I don't disagree that we need that element, because this is going to be a very mediocre offense without some kind of run threat. I like Pendergrass as a short yardage guy, but Knighten to me is just not that dynamic running between the tackles, and the jury is still kind of out on Turner, but I like him more Knighten
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Dia del DougO
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6:01p, 9/19/26
Very uninspiring. Running game seems pretty nonexistent. Weird play calling. Sloppy all around.

And now a fumble.
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."
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LK4BU87
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6:01p, 9/19/26
Very sloppy game. Especially the 2nd half.
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Big12Fan2024
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6:02p, 9/19/26
Well CRAP
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JXL
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6:02p, 9/19/26
First half looked good. Second half has been slop.
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PLSQL_BEAR
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6:02p, 9/19/26
Personal foul and a fumble gets you benched.
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Bear in AL
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6:02p, 9/19/26
No killer mentality even though I think I remember it's one of the team's mantras.
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PaperBear89
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6:02p, 9/19/26
This team simply cannot step on throats. Soft. Dave.
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Quinton
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6:02p, 9/19/26
David needs to be removed- guy can't put together more than 20 minutes of concentration in 5+ years.

Just a terrible performance and a comedy of errors and complete lack of energy/ urgency.
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TechDawgMc
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6:03p, 9/19/26
Kentucky finished off the Aggies.
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DTBear
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6:03p, 9/19/26
Baylor should fire hall, baker and woods because they cannot evaluate talent at the HS level. The RBs are below average, the only WRs that are good are transfers. The OL is not good and soft overall
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Johnny Bear
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6:03p, 9/19/26
Offense has looked like crap in the fourth quarter.
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Dia del DougO
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6:03p, 9/19/26
Kinda interested in watching Auburn tonight after this one. Just how good or meh are they?
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."
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BearFan33
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In reply to PaperBear89 • 6:03p, 9/19/26
PaperBear89 said:
This team simply cannot step on throats. Soft. Dave.


Even when we had our great season under Dave we still let teams hang around
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BUATX2000
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6:04p, 9/19/26
Not being unable to run the ball is going to be a problem down the road.
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Big12Fan2024
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6:04p, 9/19/26
Pass Interference. Double Crap. What are we doing.
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Danielsjackson114
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6:06p, 9/19/26
Typical Dave aranda team

Fire this bald headed loser already
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BUATX2000
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6:06p, 9/19/26
This team has the same old soft Dave mentality
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Big12Fan2024
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6:06p, 9/19/26
This has become an uncomfortable situation and shouldn't have.
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BUGWBBear
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6:06p, 9/19/26
FIRE DAVE ARANDA NOW!!!!!
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bear2be2
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In reply to Danielsjackson114 • 6:06p, 9/19/26
Danielsjackson114 said:
Typical Dave aranda team

Fire this bald headed loser already

Sad but true.

There is no excuse for this game to be as close as it is.

We're going to win by two scores, but we did everything we could to give them a chance.
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bear2be2
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In reply to Big12Fan2024 • 6:07p, 9/19/26
Big12Fan2024 said:
This has become an uncomfortable situation and shouldn't have.

You just described the Dave Aranda experience in one sentence.

We're fighting against our head coach every damn game.
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Dia del DougO
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6:07p, 9/19/26
If they had kicked the 1 both times they would only be down by 8 now.

Don't give a rat's ass about the book. If it says go both times, it is wrong.
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."
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guadalupeoso
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6:08p, 9/19/26
Guys, the team is not good. They aren't awful, but they are not good. It is as it has been. Good enough to win a few, bad enough to lose most. Uninspired football that makes us completely irrelevant. If we were really awful, you could look forward to brighter days; if we were good, it would be fun for obvious reasons. But the never ending slightly sub par is like a cancer on the program
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Guitarbiscuit
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In reply to bear2be2 • 6:08p, 9/19/26
bear2be2 said:
Danielsjackson114 said:
Typical Dave aranda team

Fire this bald headed loser already

Sad but true.

There is no excuse for this game to be as close as it is.

We're going to win by two scores, but we did everything we could to give them a chance.


I don't trust us to win by 2 scores. Why would you assume that?
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Johnny Bear
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6:08p, 9/19/26
Feeling good at halftime, but super disappointed with this second half. It shouldn't be a ball game at this point, but it is.
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Dia del DougO
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6:09p, 9/19/26
In what should have been a relatively easy game, the upcoming drive is one of the biggest of the season.
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."
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BearFan33
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6:09p, 9/19/26
Just putrid on offense this second half.

Let la tech creep back into the game. So frustrating

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El Oso
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6:10p, 9/19/26
I've got to give us a C for this game. Offense has looked good at times, but it has also been a trainwreck.
Defense has looked good at times, but they are letting La Tech make it look close late. We need to finish much stronger than we are. We need to get better fast.

2-1 is an acceptable start based on our first three games. 3-0 was obviously preferred. Big three game stretch coming up to start conference play. Colorado is a must win game.

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bear2be2
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In reply to guadalupeoso • 6:10p, 9/19/26
guadalupeoso said:
Guys, the team is not good. They aren't awful, but they are not good. It is as it has been. Good enough to win a few, bad enough to lose most. Uninspired football that makes us completely irrelevant. If we were really awful, you could look forward to brighter days; if we were good, it would be fun for obvious reasons. But the never ending slightly sub par is like a cancer on the program

This team is more talented than three of the last four -- substantially so on defense.

But we're going to be in a dogfight every game, and I don't like Aranda's odds of winning more than half of those.
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Guitarbiscuit
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In reply to guadalupeoso • 6:10p, 9/19/26
guadalupeoso said:
Guys, the team is not good. They aren't awful, but they are not good. It is as it has been. Good enough to win a few, bad enough to lose most. Uninspired football that makes us completely irrelevant. If we were really awful, you could look forward to brighter days; if we were good, it would be fun for obvious reasons. But the never ending slightly sub par is like a cancer on the program


Until the problem is removed, it will be the same thing week after week.
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Danielsjackson114
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6:10p, 9/19/26
SEVEN FKN YEARS OF THIS SHT
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Dia del DougO
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In reply to Guitarbiscuit • 6:10p, 9/19/26
Guitarbiscuit said:
bear2be2 said:
Danielsjackson114 said:
Typical Dave aranda team

Fire this bald headed loser already

Sad but true.

There is no excuse for this game to be as close as it is.

We're going to win by two scores, but we did everything we could to give them a chance.


I don't trust us to win by 2 scores. Why would you assume that?

If Arandalytics weren't contagious on this field, it would be one score.
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."
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historian
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In reply to LK4BU87 • 6:11p, 9/19/26
LK4BU87 said:
Very sloppy game. Especially the 2nd half.

Like last week
“Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”
Psalm 119:36
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boognish_bear
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6:12p, 9/19/26
Putting a little lipstick on this pig
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