Baylor Bear Insider Jerry Hill gives his three takeaways from Monday's weekly press conference with head coach Dave Aranda talking about the 45-20 win over West Virginia and this week's matchup between the Bears (5-1, 2-1) and BYU (5-1), which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium and will be broadcast by ESPN.:

1. HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS: Expanding on the analogy he used Saturday, Aranda said defensive linemen have to be more like heavy-duty work trucks than shiny sports cars. That mindset shift helped the Bears hold the Mountaineers to just 90 yards rushing while recording a season-high six sacks. "I think it's just the work ethic piece – hitting blocks, taking on double teams, doing dirty work, pushing a lot of weight . . . can take a dent, can roll through ditches," he said. "For people to feel that, and then to feel this is not all we do, this is part of what we do. There's always going to be blitzes, there's always going to be, you stop the run so you can have some fun. I think that was apparent on Saturday. It's the first time this year where we got people into true passing situations, which allowed us to rush the passer."
2. HEY, I KNOW THAT GUY: While Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, offensive line coach Eric Mateos and quality control coach Matt Mitchell all came from BYU, Aranda has been on the same staffs with BYU defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki, assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Ed Lamb and linebackers coach Kevin Clune. Aranda remembers how awkward it felt facing Wisconsin in his first game as the defensive coordinator at LSU after spending the previous three seasons on the Badgers' staff. "I remember coming out of that tunnel at Lambeau Field in the new colors, and everyone is stretching for Wisconsin. They all kind of stopped to wave at me. It was just so awkward from my part and theirs," Aranda said. "There's a lot of emotion that comes with that. I try to be really honed in on what we're asking and what's important and what's not. . . . Their input just on philosophies is going to be helpful to us."
3. 'LINEBACKER PLAYING RUNNING BACK': That's how Aranda describes BYU running back Tyler Allgeier, a 5-11, 220-pound sophomore who ranks 10^th nationally with 637 yards rushing. Allgeier actually did play some linebacker as a freshman in 2019, but he finished in the top 10 in rushing a year ago with 1,130 yards rushing and 7.53 per carry. "I think it may start with him, just the driver of that attack and the physicality," Aranda said. "He has an eight-yard run, falls forward and gets off of a linebacker that he just put in the ground. I think that drives the offense. Everything is kind of energized by that." With almost identical builds, Baylor's Abram Smith (5-11, 221) played a year and a half at linebacker before switching back to running back at the end of the spring. Through six games, he's just behind Allgeiers with 597 yards rushing and is fourth nationally in yards per carry (7.65). "I think there's an understatedness about him that I appreciate," Aranda said. "There's a toughness about him that I recognize and appreciate. . . . For someone like that, that does his stuff with his actions and not his words, I'm all for that."