Predicting Final Score of Baylor Bears vs. UCF Knights in Week 9 Without Dave Aranda
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It's been a disastrous two weeks for the Baylor Bears. After dominating Arizona State and looking like the Bears could be a real threat, Baylor suffered back-to-back losses to TCU and Kansas, dropping the Bears to 4-3 on the season.
The loss to Kansas also ended the Dave Aranda era in Waco. In his seventh season, Aranda was fired and Joe Klanderman will lead the Bears for the remainder of the season as the interim head coach. Klanderman looks to reignite the Baylor Bears and have a strong finish to the season.
Baylor will look to get back into the win column on Friday night when the Bears take on UCF. Here's how the staff of Baylor on SI sees the game going.
Trent Knoop
Baylor's defense has been great this season and Klanderman has re-established the Bears' defense. But you have to wonder if there will be any setbacks from Dave Aranda not being on the sidelines any longer and Klanderman taking on the head coach role, while calling the defense.
UCF has a good offense and Keyone Jenkins has been legit. The Knights just beat BYU and a hangover is certainly possible, but it's not like Baylor has been playing great football. What worries me is the Bears' offensive line. DJ Lagway has been asked to do everything for this offense, and the offensive line can't block for the run game.
If Baylor can't run the ball again, it's going to be tough sledding. I look for the home team to make one too many plays.
Final score: UCF 27, Baylor 24
Tyler Gillum
Baylor comes off a tough loss to Kansas and has a shorter week facing off against a UCF team that just beat the number 2 ranked team in the country. Should be mostly a passing game given the defenses in this matchup. Baylor has struggled to get the run game going and UCF has had one of the best run defenses in the country right now. Expect a high air-raid offense from both sides, and multiple touchdowns. Baylor will be in their first game without head coach Aranda after getting let go Sunday. My guess is that they will pull one together and slightly outscore this team coming off a big win.
Final score: Baylor 30, UCF 23
Brad Teague
After the past two weeks saw Baylor lose to TCU and Kansas, fire Dave Aranda, name Joe Klanderman interim head coach, and have a shortened week of preparation for their Friday night contest against UCF, the Bears are up against the wall in terms of their season. They've officially hit the big red "panic" button on the season and fired Aranda in hopes of seemingly not losing the entire fan base. However, the competition still remains, and even with Aranda no longer with the team, the offense is still the same squad that has been struggling to produce since returning to play after the bye week.
Baylor's defense is going to cause havoc for UCF's QB Keyone Jenkins and probably even record another 4+ SK 7+ TFL game. Potentially even forcing Jenkins into throwing an interception or two, the outcome of this game won't be the fault of the Bears' defense. There's only so much one side of the ball can do, after all.
If the Bears O-line remains unable to successfully push back the opposing D-line, it's going to again lead to three-and-outs or otherwise quickly ended drives. Not to mention that an unsuccessful O-line will inevitably force DJ Lagway into uncomfortable throws and rushed decisions against UCF's team currently in the top 20 in the nation with a +5 turnover margin.
Penalties have been a big problem for the Bears this season, especially last week, totaling a dozen for 116 yards. Averaging 74 yards a game in penalties is rough and only hurts the Bears overall. However, I don't expect that trend to end any time soon, maybe not for over 100 yards, but Baylor is going to give up a lot of yards that they didn't have to again this week.
I would love nothing more than to watch the offense and defense come out and click on all cylinders, but this has been a not-so-normal week. Fully expecting the Bears to be competitive, I don't however expect them to be able to overcome their recent struggles offensively.
Final score: UCF 20, Baylor 17
Blake Hollingsworth
Hopefully I’m wrong, but I just don’t see Baylor coming out on top in interim head coach Joe Klanderman’s debut.
UCF is unbeaten at home and coming off a double-overtime upset of previously undefeated No. 2 BYU.
DJ Lagway should have a few chances to connect on deep passes against a UCF defense allowing nearly 240 passing yards per game.
However, the Knights lead the Big 12 with 12 forced turnovers, including seven interceptions, which could be a problem for a Baylor offense averaging only 17.3 points in its four Power Four matchups outside its blowout win over Arizona State.
Baylor’s defense will keep the game competitive per usual, but the Bears’ struggles with penalties, red-zone efficiency and offensive consistency are difficult to overlook.
With UCF carrying momentum into Friday’s matchup, I’m picking the Knights to hand Baylor its third consecutive loss.
Final score: UCF 27, Baylor 21
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Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.
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Blake Hollingsworth is a Baylor University graduate who began covering sports with the Baylor Roundup yearbook, where he wrote about Baylor athletics. He later worked as a reporter for the Waco Tribune-Herald, covering breaking news and enterprise stories. A lifelong sports fan, Blake enjoys telling in-depth stories that give fans greater insight into the teams and athletes they follow.
Brad is a writer and contributes to the Baylor Bears on SI, with aspirations to share his own unique thoughts and perspectives with fans. Whether through the facts and figures of the past or the untold potential and triumphs of the future, sports have always been a large influence on Brad's storytelling and life overall. His inspiration to write began while watching sports when he first noticed the highs and lows of each game, each quarter, each play; there's a story in each of them worth telling, and he wanted to tell them.
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Tyler is a writer for Baylor Bears On SI with a deep focus on football and basketball. Professional stat cruncher and high school athlete. Passionate NFL, college, and NBA fan. I love sports and want to put that passion into my writing.
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