By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
Baylor and UCF were polar opposites last weekend. The Bears lost to Kansas for the first time since 2007 and fired head coach Dave Aranda in his seventh year. On the other hand, the Knights upset then-No. 2 BYU in overtime, leading the fans to flood the field in celebration.
Baylor (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) and UCF (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) are now set to face each other on a short week, kicking off on a Friday night. The Bears are fired up to get back on track against a team that is riding on its biggest upset in program history.
“You could see a sense of UCF wanting to win that game,” defensive line coach Jacori Greer said. “That’s contagious, but that’s also the competitor in us. When you see that as a competitor, you want to rise to that occasion.”
Interim head coach Joe Klanderman highlighted his main goal in the new position as generating a new energy for Baylor. Leading a team that is reeling from a major change, Klanderman recognizes that his squad will have to rely on its spark rather than its playbook if it wants to best the electrified Knights.
“I don’t know if it’s the X’s and O’s so much that are going to matter as much as it is the energy,” Klanderman said. “I’ve heard the other side of the coin, too, of ‘Hey, they just had a big win against BYU. I’m sure they’re going to be hung over.’“
The Acrisure Bounce House has no shortage of energy going against the Bears.
The stadium played a key role in the UCF’s first win over an AP top-5 team. What started as a nickname during the stadium’s inaugural season, the “Bounce House” is known for its metal bleachers around the venue that are designed to flex when fans start to jump. That has created a notable sway, shaking opponents in the biggest moments.
The fans left the Cougars shaken in the overtime thriller, storming the field immediately after the Knights completed the upset. Despite the daunting environment, Baylor has had some good fortune in Orlando, coming back from a 35-7 deficit to beat UCF in 2023.
“Anytime you can go into an atmosphere like that and play an opponent like that, it’s a cool opportunity,” senior tight end Matthew Klopfenstein said. “We’re excited for sure to go to UCF. The last time we were there, we had that historic win.”
The Bears will keep the game plan simple during the accelerated week. The team will lean on the basics it homed in on over the offseason as the coaching staff continues to regroup.
“On a short week, and especially given the circumstances here, it’s going to be a rules and principles kind of a game,” Klanderman said. “It’s going to be a game that I don’t know that we’re going to be able to invent a lot of things and do a lot of fancy things that you might do on a normal week.”
The early practice schedule has sparked some change in the offense. The unit has been lacking in vigor over the last two games, finding the end zone twice. But the Bears hope the newfound juice will guide them back into the win column.
“The biggest change is just with practice,” Klopfenstein said. “When we hit that field, we come out with a different type of intensity. We strive to be perfect, and we want to be playing our best game throughout the week, getting better by the time we get to Friday against UCF.”
Baylor faces off against UCF at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Florida.
