By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
Baylor track and field legend Michael Johnson talked to the Bears on Aug. 21. Heading into their season opener against Auburn, Johnson gave them a glimpse at some of the make-or-break moments he faced in his illustrious career.
“He talked about prior to his race, they would go into a call room,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “It would be a room just like there, and there would be him and the other runners. And he said, in that room, that races were won or lost there.”
The battle was not only on the track or a stopwatch. It was a fight between competitors and in his own mind.
“There’d be certain guys that would cause a scene and try to get you kind of off your game,” Aranda said. “There’d be other guys that would try to look at other guys in their eye and kind of get all caught up in that. And then for him, it was like, ‘My eyes are focused on, I’m running my race.’”
Baylor now faces a pivotal moment in its preparation against the Tigers, only a few days before the two sides meet in the Aflac Kickoff Game.
“There are very much elements of that as we get into the Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning,” Aranda said. “We’re in our call room, so to speak, and we’ve got to be able to prepare ourselves.”
It is new territory for the Bears, playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time since the venue opened in 2017. While getting the game plan set is their top priority, they are preparing mentally for one of college football’s premiere arenas.
“Don’t wait until game time to see the lights and see the big stadium,” fifth-year wide receiver Louis Brown IV said. “You should have thought about that before, leading up to [the game].”
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is physically a bigger stage for Baylor, boasting a 71,000-seat capacity compared to McLane Stadium’s 45,000. The Bears expect to play in front of a packed house in one of the more anticipated matchups in week one.
“The noise is probably going to be louder than what they’re used to in the spring or in the fall,” Aranda said. “It’s going to be keeping all that out and focused on their process and what they’ve got to do.”
Baylor is set to face an improved Tigers squad that survived by its defense. The unit ranked 30th nationally in yards allowed per game and 12th in rushing yards allowed.
Guiding the defense is junior linebacker Xavier Atkins. He was named All-SEC First Team last season, leading the Tigers with 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Atkins recorded five tackles in a quarterback hit against Baylor in his Auburn debut.
“They’ve got a really good defensive line and one of the best linebackers I think we’ll see all year,” Aranda said. “Some guys returning, some guys that are new … so, a fair amount of challenges ahead.”
The Tigers’ secondary also brought back a veteran presence. Senior safety Champ Anthony looks to command downfield while senior cornerbacks Rayshawn Pleasant and Andre Jordan Jr. will man the outside.
“They play a lot of man,” Brown IV said. “[We have to] play with our eyes up, be physical, and when I’m in a one-on-one battle, when I want contested catches.”
The Bears’ defense looks to right the wrongs from last year’s opener. The group allowed former Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold to rush for 137 yards and two touchdowns. It is now senior quarterback Byrum Brown at the helm of a new-look offense, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns for South Florida the year prior.
“[It’s] having good rush lanes, having good eyes, just all the things that go into containing the QB,” junior linebacker Kyland Reed said. “It’s inevitable that he’s going to get out, but being able to limit that and keep that at bay, that’s the goal.”
Baylor will also be lined up against a familiar face for the first time. Junior running back Bryson Washington will serve as a backup to senior running back Jeremiah Cobb after transferring from the Bears in January.
“Anytime that you’re going against a former teammate, you want the best for them outside of that event that you’re both in,” Aranda said. “But in this game, we’re going to have to be able to stop him, and he’s tough to stop … He’s a tough runner, falls forward, all those things. So, we know what he’s going to bring.”
Baylor faces off against Auburn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
