Three Takeaways: September 15
9/15/2025 4:04:00 PM | Football
Bears trying to develop more of a potent inside rushing attack
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' 42-7 win over Samford and this week's Big 12 opener between the Bears (2-1) and Arizona State (2-1). Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium, with the game broadcast by FOX:
- LIKE 50 FIRST DATES: Particularly with some early-season injuries, the Bears have had to dip into their depth, which can be a "double-edged sword," Aranda said. Baylor used 67 players in the win over Samford, with 12 different players catching at least one pass, 24 players recording one tackle or more and reserves accounting for three of the four takeaways on defense. "You get something fixed with the group that made the mistake," Aranda said. "Then, a whole new, fresh group rolls in, and they're just happy to get on the scene. You have to bring them up to speed with all of it. And then, it hits them in the mouth, and you're kind of two, three steps behind. It's kind of like '50 First Dates,' when you're rolling people through. When you have the same group, that mistake builds a library that they can go back and see. . . . The positive thing about playing a lot of guys is you have guys that have played, have some experience. You feel comfortable with them getting in. That's where we're at right now."
- GIVE ME THAT BEAR COAT: Inspiration can come from strange places. In the case of the Baylor defense, it came from strength coach Vic Viloria's closet, a "bear coat," with the head included. Kyland Reed, LeVar Thornton, Kaleb Burns and Micah Gifford took turns putting on the bear coat and posing for photos after takeaways. "Everybody wants to be in that bear coat," Aranda said. "Once you get it going, it can be contagious. I don't think we've got it going yet, but I think there's a want-to, and I think guys recognize the importance of it. And it needs to be a part of us." Asked if he would ever put on the bear coat, Aranda gave an emphatic no. "I never would have thought people would be interested in it. That just shows how far removed I am from how they think. They're fired up for that. They want it to be on the Jumbotron. So, hey, let's get takeaways."
- TAKING IT OUTSIDE: During Baylor's six-game winning streak at the end of the 2024 regular season, "the inside zone was, by far, our best style of run," Aranda said. The Bears averaged 5.2 per carry and had a season-high 223 yards rushing against Samford, but "we've had more success with stretch plays and wide zone than we have with inside zone. We just haven't been able to get the movement up front. At the end of the game, we're running into loaded boxes, runs that have (run-pass options) attached to them. We really should be throwing it. And we weren't. (Bryson Washington), there are 20 guys in there, and he's running through 18 of them. I think there's a whole improvement there that has to take place, for sure. But I think the ability to run them wide with the stretch play and get that loose, to kind of soften up the middle with the inside zone, is how we're looking at it."
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