Three Takeaways: September 1
9/1/2025 3:40:00 PM | Football
Aranda likes the idea of playing former SWC rival that’s ‘just down the street’
Director of Sports Journalism Jerry Hill gives his three takeaways from Monday's weekly press conference with head coach Dave Aranda talking about the Bears' 38-24 season-opening loss to Auburn and a matchup at No. 16 SMU (1-0), which kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas and will be televised on The CW:
- PLAYING CLOSE TO HOME: Being in a conference that spans three time zones and stretches from Arizona and Utah to West Virginia, Cincinnati and UCF, Aranda said it's "good to have an opponent that's just down the street, where the stadium can be packed and energized, and you can bring back some old memories." SMU's campus in Dallas is roughly 100 miles north of Baylor. Dating back to their days in the Southwest Conference, Baylor leads the all-time series, 39-37-7, and has won 13 in a row against the Mustangs. "I certainly respect the opponent. I've known (SMU coach Rhett) Lashlee for a long time. He's got a great program there. The thing with us is, we've just got to be better. There are things in our control that we have to be better at. That's really the emphasis."
- FILLING IN FOR JACKIE: After losing senior defensive end Jackie Marshall to a high-ankle sprain in the first quarter of the Auburn game, the Bears' run defense suffered the most, giving up 307 yards on the ground and 5.7 per attempt. With Marshall also missing Monday's walk-through practice, "I think there's a lot of struggles on the front of the defense, just physicality-wise and playing off blocks-wise," Aranda said, "just things that I would really like for us to be beyond at this point. We're kind of going back to square one with all that. We're going to have to be creative, I feel."
- 'NEEDS TO TOP IT OFF': Pushed by first-year cornerbacks coach Paul Gonzales, there have been times where fifth-year senior cornerback Tevin Williams III "gets uncomfortable, which is a good thing," Aranda said. "I think his best football is still ahead of him. The top level for him is at the top of the route. . . . He's a guy that all through the mechanics – the initial start, the release, the stem, the run – he's where he needs to be. He needs to be able to top it off and make the play at the top and come down with the ball."
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