WACO, Texas (KXXV/KRHD) — Baylor (4-1, 2-0) put together its most complete performance of the season Saturday night, rolling past Arizona State (2-2, 1-1) 55-19 on the road and entering the bye week riding back-to-back conference wins.
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Head coach Dave Aranda said the win was a clear reflection of where the program is headed, pointing to growth across the entire roster as the biggest takeaway from the dominant performance.
"What you saw was development. Guys are getting better. The offensive line is getting better. Running backs are getting better. DJ is getting better… You're always working to get better. You're either getting better or you're getting worse, and nothing stays still. So we're able to develop it and get better, and that's good," Aranda said.
After opening the game with a three-and-out, Baylor exploded offensively. Freshman running back Ryland Morris provided the early spark with a long breakaway run, and the offense never looked back. Quarterback DJ Lagway delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, spreading the ball to multiple playmakers and looking far more comfortable than he did the week prior.
"I feel like offensively we played complementary football. We ran the ball well, we threw the ball well, we blocked well, we played good on situational downs. I think it was just all-around good football," Lagway said.
Lagway said the offense was able to settle in once the coaching staff adjusted to Arizona State's defensive game plan.
"They had a bye week, so they were going to come with some new wrinkles. We were kind of trying to figure out how they were going to play us… Coach Spav and the offensive staff adjusted great. The big run from Ryland, man, that sparked it all. That was a huge play from him and that got us going," Lagway said.
A major factor in the offensive breakthrough was the performance up front. After dealing with weeks of injuries and shifting defensive schemes, the offensive line played with a confidence Aranda said he had not seen consistently earlier in the season.
"I thought they played confident. They played with an edge… Prior to this game, we had seen a lot of movement. Every team we were playing was moving, twisting, stunting. That was the majority of our issues. So to play a team that was more static allowed us to get some confidence. Then they were still twisting and blitzing and stunting, and we were able to pick it up better. The confidence helped," Aranda said.
While the offense dominated the spotlight, the defense continued its strong season-long play, creating pressure and benefiting from Baylor's offense controlling a large portion of the possession. Safety Tyler Turner said both sides of the ball fed off each other.
"Playing complementary football is a big thing. We knew that they've been working just like we have. So we know what they're capable of, and we're glad that they got to go out there and show it to everybody," Turner said.
The win was also a statement for a team that has faced consistent criticism throughout the season. Aranda said playing in a hostile road environment helped bring out the best in the Bears.
"There's been so much criticism with this team and so much negative stuff. After a while it's like, man, you just can't take no more. I think what helps bring it out is to go into enemy territory where they're all against you all the way. So there's no pretense. It's straight enemy, and then you can be the villain. That's what you saw," Aranda said.
Wide receiver Gavin Freeman said the team's focus remains firmly internal, regardless of outside opinion.
"Every week we've got something to prove. Everybody's always got something to say. We just got to play for ourselves because that's all we're doing. Play for our teammates, and if we do that, we're going to be really successful," Freeman said.
Defensive end Ryan Davis said the team is not finished improving, even after its best performance of the season.
"We've got a really good defense, but I still think the bar is getting raised every single week, and this isn't the final product yet. We're still getting better," Davis said.
Baylor heads into the bye week with back-to-back conference wins and will return to action against rival TCU on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Waco at 6 p.m.
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