Know Thy Foe: Baylor Expert Shares What UCF Fans Need To Know For Space Game

While the UCF Knights may be coming off of one of the most significant wins in its program's history against No. 2 BYU on Saturday, they do not have long before they have to follow it up.

The Baylor Bears may be entering their first game of the post-Dave Aranda era after firing him on Sunday, but they still have the same record as the Knights, and their interim coach, Joe Klanderman, has been in charge of a defense that has been one of the top five in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss.

Jacob Haddaadin is both a Baylor graduate and a contributor for Baylor Bears on SI, and he took some time this week to answer some of our questions about the Bears (4-3, 2-2 Big 12):

1. How did the Bears reach a position in which they ended up firing their head coach midseason?

Haddadin: Dave Aranda’s firing wasn't strictly due to this season's results. Ever since Dave Aranda won the Big 12 championship in 2021, the program has slowly trended downward. The Bears had real momentum after beating ASU in Tempe, but that momentum stalled after a double-digit home loss to TCU and a loss to a bad Kansas team in Lawrence. Dave Aranda had a losing record in the Big 12, a 1-6 record against rival TCU, and his teams were consistently unprepared in big games.

We are forever grateful for the 12-2 season in 2021, but enough was enough, and Baylor fans were fed up with the constant expectation and disappointment cycle that was Dave Aranda. The loss to Kansas solidified that the Dave Aranda-led team was once again not going to be anything special. Cementing his exit from the program.

2. What’s the rundown on interim coach Joe Klanderman? What made him the choice to lead the program for the remainder of the season?

Haddadin: Before Manhattan, Klanderman cut his teeth at North Dakota State, where he spent five years as defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2018, contributing to four FCS national championships. He then spent seven years at Kansas State, six of them running the defense, and K-State maintained a top-30 national ranking in defensive efficiency for five straight seasons through 2025. Part of what made him the choice is continuity. He was brought to Waco as one of the big offseason moves meant to turn things around; he’s already in the building, and the defense he built has been the most reliable part of this team. He has also come in with a clear plan, laying out three priorities for his time as interim head coach: energizing the program, strengthening the roster for 2027, and establishing complementary football to help Baylor win more games. He has been honest about where the problems are, too, pointing to the offensive line and the running game as the areas that need the most work. Whether or not this turns into a permanent job, the next five games give him a real chance to make his case, starting with a Friday night road game at UCF.

3. Quarterback DJ Lagway seems to have really connected with wide receiver Gavin Freeman, the latter of which is second in the nation in receptions per game and 14th in the nation in receiving yards. What makes Freeman such an oft-target wideout? Also, is there anyone else in the Bears’ receiving corps that could step up as a main target if Freeman is well-covered?

Haddadin: Gavin Freeman’s production makes sense once you look at what he brings. At 5-9 and 189 pounds, he isn’t going to win many jump balls, but he has been reliable all season. He arrived as a redshirt senior after playing 2022-23 at Oklahoma and 2024-25 at Oklahoma State, and he was already a go-to receiver before coming to Waco, leading the Cowboys with 53 receptions for 481 yards and four scores in 2025. His fit with Lagway was clear from the first game, when he caught 12 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown in his Baylor debut against Auburn.

It also helps that during the offseason, observers expected the passing game to work the middle of the field more, since Lagway is more comfortable there than Sawyer Robertson was. That is exactly where a quick, shifty slot receiver like Freeman does his best work. He has also produced when the offense hasn’t: in the 17-6 loss to TCU, he still caught seven passes for 76 yards. He adds value in other ways too. Last year at Oklahoma State, he contributed in both the passing and running game and as a returner.

If defenses focus on Freeman, the most likely next option is Louis Brown IV. Before the season, he was described as the leader of the receiver room as one of its few upperclassmen with real experience in the offense, and he and Lagway connected well in the spring. Jadon Porter is another option to watch, and Baylor’s tight ends have been factors in the red zone.

4. Baylor is one of the most penalized teams in the Big 12. Is there one side of the ball that draws more flags? If so, why? Also, is there a particular penalty that gets called a lot?

Haddadin: Most of the flags come from the offense, and specifically the offensive line. Through the early home stretch, one count found that the offense was outpacing the defense by nearly 3 to 1 in total penalties. The penalty that keeps showing up is the false start. Baylor had 5 against Prairie View A&M, 3 against Louisiana Tech, and 3 against Colorado, for at least 11 false starts in three home games. The Prairie View game was the low point: all four of Baylor’s false-start penalties were attributed to offensive lineman Asher Hale, and Aranda admitted afterward that one player had a bunch of penalties. Holding calls have added to the problem, but false starts are harder to excuse.

A big reason is inexperience. The line was overhauled in the offseason and has been banged up in 2026, and while Baylor has capable players at each spot, most are new and started their first games together this year. Injuries haven’t helped either, including the injury to Koltin Sieracki, who was projected to be the best of the bunch but has not produced on the level the staff or fans expected.

5. The Bears have had a knack for getting behind the line of scrimmage this season, ranking in the top five in the nation in both sacks and tackles for loss. Who do they have to thank for that and what helps them get past offensive lines so often this season?

Haddadin: The turnaround is remarkable given where this defense was a year ago. Baylor finished last season tied for last in the Big 12 and at the bottom of the FBS in sacks. Much of the credit goes to Klanderman and an offseason rebuild that put NIL money into the roster from the inside out. Defensive end Garrick Ponder leads the team with 3.5 sacks, Ryan Davis has added 2.5 off the edge, and Jordan Mack has chipped in 2.0. Up the middle, Hosea Wheeler and Traevon Mitchell occupy blockers and collapse the pocket, which opens lanes for everyone else. The most telling detail may be that two of the top three sack producers are safeties: Bo Onu and Daniel Cobbs have 3.0 sacks apiece.

That says a lot about how Klanderman calls a game. He isn’t relying on one star pass rusher; six different players have at least two sacks, and he is willing to bring pressure from anywhere on the field, including the secondary.

6. What’s an aspect of this Bears team’s game that is not talked about enough?

Haddadin: The most underrated part of this team might be the guy who comes on when the offense stalls. Senior punter Palmer Williams has quietly been one of the best weapons on the roster. He came into the year with plenty of credentials, as a 2025 All-American and Ray Guy Award finalist who earned first-team Walter Camp and second-team AP preseason All-American honors before this season. He picked up right where he left off. In the opener against Auburn, he punted four times for 208 yards, a 52-yard average, and earned Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week honors for flipping field position and helping Baylor get back into a game it nearly stole at the end. A month into the season, he was averaging over 50 yards a punt and consistently pinning punts near the goal line.

He was a massive part of the win against Colorado in Week 4. As the offense struggled to move the ball, Williams flipped the field and pinned the Buffs inside their own 10-yard line on multiple occasions. If Friday’s game against UCF turns into a cagey field-position battle, Baylor won’t mind, since it has one of the best punters in the country.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

BT's Breakdown: How the UCF Knights Slayed a Giant

UCF Opponent Review: Inside the Baylor Loss That Was the Last Straw for Dave Aranda

What Riley Kugel Could Bring to the 2026-27 UCF Knights

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