By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
“The game is won in the trenches.”
The cliche has been pounded into the heads of generations of football fans; Saturday, it’ll be a present reality. Players and coaches alike said winning the battle at the line of scrimmage will be key for Baylor heading into its Big 12 conference opener against Arizona State.
“I do feel like we’ve taken a step, but there’s a lot more we can do,” redshirt senior defensive lineman Jackie Marshall said. “We can do more energy-wise, or just being dominant up front.”
The Bears (2-1) are still riding the momentum from Saturday’s win over Samford, when they intercepted three Bulldog passes and forced a fumble.
“Getting those types of takeaways and stuff like that going into next week [gives] us that confidence to know that we can go out there and do the same thing against whoever,” Marshall said.
Marshall credited part of Baylor’s defensive success to the pressure created by the defensive line. He served as the unit’s anchor, recording three tackles and a tackle for loss against the Bulldogs.
Repeating that performance up front will be key to locking down an Arizona State (2-1) offense that ranks 19th in rushing offense at 232 yards per game.
“Being more dominant up front and attacking the ball, we could have even more takeaways,” Marshall said. “Honing in on the small details and getting ready for conference.”
Both sides of the line of scrimmage work against each other throughout each week. As the season has progressed, the competition has continued to intensify and help both units become sharper.
“They’re a very good front, they work well together,” Marshall said of Baylor’s offensive line. “We’ll have to be strong and bigger in our gaps.”
The competition between the lines in practice is meant to gear them up for Saturday, when they’ll face off against the Sun Devils’ best. Arizona State’s offensive line brought back three of last year’s starters, while the opposite side of the ball features the powerful defensive line duo of C.J. Fite and Jacob Rich Kongaika.
“He talks a lot about our best players playing their best when it matters,” senior offensive lineman Omar Aigbedion said. “On the line of scrimmage, we got to do that when it matters.”
Medical issues have affected the Bears’ offensive line, which also elevated some backups late in the second half of the Samford game. Redshirt junior center Coleton Price has dealt with injuries, thrusting redshirt freshman Koltin Sieracki into the middle of the action.
“It’s really good to have a lot of people that step into the roles and get a chance to play,” Aigbedion said. “At the end of the day, you get the most improvement from actual game snaps.”
The Bears will return to action against Arizona State at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
