By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
Baylor has benefited from the luxury of staying home for three consecutive weeks. It has seen new light shows, the return of old traditions and special uniforms and decals that have caught the attention of college football fans.
The Bears took advantage of playing in front of their fans, winning all three games by a combined 68 points.
Coming off its longest streak of home games since the beginning of 2023, Baylor (3-1) hits the road to face off against Arizona State (2-1) in its first conference road game, and true road game, of the 2026 season.
“I love being in McLane,“ junior offensive lineman Koltin Sieracki said. “It’s really nice to stay at home and see the fans, but I’m excited to get on the plane and go see what we can do. Arizona State’s got a great environment, really cool stadium, so we’re really excited to go see a new part of the country.”
The Bears will not have the support of their own friendly confines as they head to Tempe, Arizona. Mountain America Stadium holds 53,599 seats, over 8,000 more than McLane Stadium. The energy from Sun Devil fans has kicked up since the team made it to the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Aranda understands that his team will be playing against a raucous crowd for the first time since Week 1’s loss to Auburn.
“It’s going to be us versus all of them,” Aranda said. “That can be pretty helpful in terms of using energy and turning around whatever’s coming at you to help fuel you.”
Baylor has searched for consistency on offense through its first four games, especially in the form of long, sustained drives. The Bears have struggled to make that goal a reality behind 29 penalties in the previous three weeks, dissipating momentum they build during productive drives.
Arizona State’s defense tends to play further back and keep everything in front of it. The Sun Devils believe that they can eventually force their opponent to make a mistake, even in the midst of a lengthy drive.
While Aranda still wants his offense to extend drives, he recognizes that Arizona State’s defense can open opportunities for junior quarterback DJ Lagway and the offense to make big plays downfield.
“[It’s] so important for us that in the process of all of that, we try to find some explosives, but also we don’t go backwards with a penalty or with a self-inflicted wound,” Aranda said. “Their whole theory is that teams are going to mess themselves up in trying to go 20 plays or eight plays, and that’s very much the fight on offense.”
Baylor’s defense is prepared for the challenge Arizona State’s offense presents, especially behind quarterback Cutter Boley, who has scored 10 total touchdowns to two interceptions. The Bears have created pressure on quarterbacks throughout the season, tallying 15 sacks.
“We’ve been playing guys the whole season that are good like that,” sophomore safety Bo Onu Jr. said. “It’s nothing too shocking … He’s not an NFL quarterback or anything like that … He’s a good quarterback, but we’ve been playing good quarterbacks all season.”
Baylor takes on Arizona State at 9:30 p.m. at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
