WACO, Texas (KXXV/KRHD) — The Baylor Bears are coming off a disappointing 17-6 loss to rival TCU after entering the game riding a dominant offensive showing against Arizona State.
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Now, with a road trip to Kansas up next, head coach Dave Aranda says there's no running from what went wrong.
"You look at the defense, our defensive linemen probably had their best game. Our offensive linemen had their worst game. And so, that was really the game when you look at it from that lens," Aranda said.
Those struggles also made life difficult for quarterback DJ Lagway. Aranda says there were times early in the game when Lagway could have worked through multiple reads, but as the game went on, the pocket continued to collapse around him.
"I thought later in the game, past the second quarter on, there really wasn't much of a pocket to speak of. At that point, he was doing what he could. It's hard to criticize when there's someone in his face the entire time," Aranda said.
Even as the offense struggled, players say Lagway continued trying to lead it.
"Really, just telling us to get back to our brand of football. We don't want to lose, but we don't want to let that loss dictate us. We still have plenty of season left. One loss isn't going to determine our whole season, but we still have time, and we trust all the guys," Jayden McGowan said.
McGowan says the offense isn't making excuses. Instead, the Bears are questioning whether they became a little too comfortable after what they accomplished against the Sun Devils.
"We think maybe we got a little complacent over the bye week, and maybe the last week of practice wasn't as good as the week going into Arizona State. So, we're going to make sure that we can replicate these practices and have great days back to back to back, and we're going to fix this stuff so it won't happen again," McGowan said.
The Bears may need those corrections immediately, because Aranda says Kansas presents a much different challenge.
"Kansas, run-game-wise, gives you a whole bunch of different looks. The quarterback is a runner. They have the transfer from Kansas State back there that is a threat out of the backfield but can really get lost in zone-blocking schemes. They're a stretch team and can stick his foot down in the ground and go vertical and create big gains," Aranda said.
That puts some of the responsibility on a Baylor defensive front that may be coming off its best performance of the season. Despite the loss to TCU, players say the defensive line took a step forward.
"I honestly think we're getting better every week as a front. A few things that we could have done better are finishing at the top of rushes, helping the back end a little bit more. But I felt like we played really good in the run game, and I think that showed. Going into KU this week, that's going to be a big deal, so we need to continue to get better this week," Kyler Jordan said.
For the Bears, one loss doesn't erase what they have already shown this season. But after taking a step back against TCU, the Bears now have to show they can respond to adversity.
History is on their side when it comes to facing the Jayhawks. The Bears currently hold a 14-game win streak dating back to 2007 against Kansas and will look to keep that streak going when they kick off at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
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