© Jerome Miron, USA TODAY
'Run to the Storm': DL Siaki Ika on Baylor's Attack-First Mindset
At a massive 358 pounds, Baylor Bears defensive lineman Siaki Ika carries the weight of coach Dave Aranda's defense like no other.
But even after a Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl win, the 2021 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year isn't trotting into the season-opener with the expectation that a win is a given.
The No. 10 Bears will likely pummel the Albany Great Danes when the FCS-level program comes to Waco for a 6 p.m. kickoff Saturday. But for Ika, the preparation remains the same as if it were the national championship, a game he won with Aranda when the two were at LSU together in 2019.
“I feel like it’s just like any other week," Ika said. "We got a task at hand Week 1 game. We prepare for this game like we would for game 14.”
A 2021 AP All-Big 12 First Team selection, Ika had a career year last season, totaling 24 tackles, one pass defense, and four sacks as the plug in the middle of the defensive line.
Despite his successes, as he heads into his senior year, he wasn't going to let up for the start of a season that has dark-horse championships implications for the Bears.
“I’d say running into the storm," Ika said of the team's approach. "That’s what Aranda preached throughout all of camp. Just attacking with whatever we’re faced with and I feel like we attacked camp pretty well especially coming in. The Second week of camp is always the hardest week especially coming off a day off. Made it an emphasis to just attack everything we have, practice, meetings, treatment.
And just like the second week of camp, the second week of the season could present one of Baylor's toughest challenges in 2022. The Bears will make the trip to BYU to face the Cougars, a team they beat 38-24 last season.
But with a well-prepared mindset that running into battle head-on is the only way forward, Ika and the Bears could be well on the path toward another go at the Big 12 title and, maybe, beyond.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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