BAYLOR-OKLAHOMA STATE NOTEBOOK

Saturday, December 12

Waco, Texas

2:30 PM CT

Baylor

Oklahoma State

BAYLOR-OKLAHOMA STATE NOTEBOOK

12/11/2020 3:52:00 PM | Football

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

            Blistered for 256 yards rushing the week before in a 32-31 win over Kansas State, the Baylor defense took a big step in limiting Oklahoma's explosive rushing attack to just 76 yards and 2.3 per attempt in a 27-14 loss to the Sooners.
            "I feel like we finally cut loose and played like the defense we're capable of being," said sophomore defensive tackle Josh Landry, who had a career-high six tackles and his first sack. "Everybody just came out ready to play and tried to get a win."
            The Bears didn't get the win, but it was a coming-out party for Landry, who matched his total tackles from the previous seven games this season.
            "There's a lot of effort plays he made. I'm so proud of him," head coach Dave Aranda said. "There are things that he has really worked on to improve, and a lot of it is how he approaches things and sees things. Good things are happening for him."
            Jalen Pitre, a hybrid linebacker/safety, said the 6-1, 285-pound Landry "comes to work every day and takes it serious."
            "That's the biggest thing is owning your job and taking that responsibility as yours," Pitre said. "You saw (Landry) do that on Saturday, and I'm so happy for him."
            Playing behind last year's talented defensive line, which included a pair of NFL Draft picks in All-American James Lynch and Bravvion Roy, "definitely helped me, just watching how they move and handled things," Landry said.
            "I feel like it played a big part in me maturing and just developing as a player," said Landry, a four-star recruit out of Houston Lamar who played in seven games last season. "I feel like I'm finally starting to see the benefits of my hard work."

When opportunity knocks: In 25 years as a college coach, Aranda has never seen one position hit by injuries the way Baylor's running backs room has been decimated this season. By the end of the OU game, redshirt freshman walk-on Jacoby Clarke was lined up in the backfield. "We're attacking it though. It's next man up," Aranda said. "Even more so, take advantage of what's right in front of us. Let's not veer off course, let's do what we can and let's do it at 100%. I felt like that occurred (against OU), and I think we just have to do that again."
Don't focus on the scoreboard: That's what the defense did last week against Oklahoma. Even when the Bears fell behind 17-0 and 27-7 in the second half, they just kept playing, snapping the Sooners' streak of 60 consecutive games scoring at least 28 points and holding them to their fewest yards (269) in five years. "This was the first game where it was, 'put the ball down, let's play,''' Aranda said. "We weren't looking at the circumstances around us, we weren't looking at the scoreboard," Pitre said. "We're just happy to go out there and play another snap. When we went out there and put up those stops, it was fun to see the improvements we're making and what we can improve on going forward."
Finish strong: Not just in this game, but finish the year strong with a third win against an Oklahoma State team that was among the preseason favorites to win the league this year. "A win would mean a lot to us, because it's a win and we love to win," Pitre said. "And it would also give us a big boost going into the offseason, just improving our confidence and giving us a big stepping stone to build off going into the spring."
More diplomas coming: Baylor football went into the season with 13 graduates on the roster, including grad transfers Jake Burton (UCLA), William Bradley-King (Arkansas State) and Gunnar Royer (IUP). This month, 11 more will be added to the list with a group of December graduates that includes quarterback Charlie Brewer, running back John Lovett, receivers Jared Atkinson and Gavin Holmes and linebacker Abram Smith. Also part of the December 2020 graduating class are Gerry Bohanon, Christoph Henle, Cole Maxwell, Jairon McVea, Garret McGuire and Rob Saulin. Additionally, safety Zeke Brown is adding a master's degree. The list of previous graduates includes Terrel Bernard, Tyler Henderson, Bryson Jackson, Michael McNair, Jalen Pitre, Thor Rodoni, R.J. Sneed, Raleigh Texada and Skyler Wetzel. This is the definition of Preparing Champions for Life. Congratulations, graduates!