By Tatum Mitchell | News Editor
Baylor football reached for redemption against No. 12 Utah on Saturday following its 42-31 letdown against Texas State a week ago, but the Bears fell short in the second half, falling 20-13. The team will continue to work for improvement despite a character-testing loss, according to head coach Dave Aranda.
“We always kind of talk about how you have to go down before you go up,” Aranda said. “It’s easier to talk about than to go through that, but that’s where we’re at. I just feel like the character of the coaches and our players and just the integrity of it all, for sure, is going to be tested, because it’s tough and you’re inviting a bunch of hate. But we have the makings of a good team.”
The Bears (0-2) have a lot they can improve, Aranda said, but he thinks the mentality going into Saturday’s game following the loss to Texas State is a good sign.
“I think for this week, the mindset was what it should be,” Aranda said. “I thought they were able to attack things. They were able to get out of their own way, and I think that this is just a glimpse of what the defense can be. There’s a whole lot that we can improve, especially down the stretch there.
“But I’m proud of their prep and their effort and all of it, because it was ugly last week. So to come back and fight and do all of it is a good sign. We have to be able to stay together and take that step and finish the game.”
Going head to head with a top-ranked defense from Utah (2-0), redshirt freshman linebacker Kyler Jordan said the team as a whole stepped up this weekend, but it still has a long way to go. He said at the end of the day, losing to the Utes was “brutal” and “disheartening.”
“I know from a team standpoint, I think we’re going to come even closer together because of this, just like we did this last week,” Jordan said. “But really, just the goal is to keep moving forward. There’s a lot of football left this season. So just looking ahead, ready to get the ball rolling again.”
Junior wide receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. said the message from the locker room revolved around Aranda’s focus on energy, edge and execution.
“We have to finish, and we have to execute,” Jackson said. “There is a lot of stuff that our offense and defense that we didn’t execute. We brought up the energy. We brought up the edge. We just have to execute and finish the game.”
Aranda described the game as taking a couple steps forward and one step back. He said the Bears played with a chip on their shoulder, but they had some weak spots exposed in the second half.
“I think the challenge is to stay together,” Aranda said. “Go through the loss, working on just the improvement and kind of what this can be, to learn and grow and to reach a higher level and to finish a game.”
Baylor’s next chance to get in the win column comes when it hosts Long Island for an 11 a.m. contest on Saturday at McLane Stadium.
