In the first football game that Baylor has had since before the pandemic with a head coach not named Dave Aranda, speculation all week abounded after his firing shook the Bears team with its sudden nature. Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman has been promoted to interim head coach, and his first game as such ended up seeing him successful against the UCF Knights, winning 41-9.

Actual Factual

The calm before pic.twitter.com/1zsEVih6kZ

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) October 30, 2026

Total Plays: Baylor 67 - UCF 67
Total Yards: Baylor 503 - UCF 281
Total Rushing Yards: Baylor 184 - UCF 66
Total Penalties: Baylor 12/85 - UCF 6/41
Time of Possession: Baylor 29:08 - UCF 30:52
Third-Down Conversions: Baylor 7/16 - UCF 2/15
Final Score: Baylor 41 - UCF 9

What Just Happened?

ROAD DUB‼️ pic.twitter.com/FRL4tATqjk

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) October 31, 2026

Baylor might have managed to play a full game of complementary football. The defense was its usual dominant self, making UCF fight for every yard. The Bears' offense, however, was able to consistently keep drives alive and move down the field. The defense assisting the offense with presenting them favorable field position certainly helped. Other than a few big chunk plays, Baylor was able to limit UCF to very little offensive production.

Turning Point

W for Coach K! pic.twitter.com/52udVfCrPS

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) October 31, 2026

Devon Jordan intercepted Keyone Jenkins' pass on UCF's second drive of the game. Not only would it stop any potential UCF momentum after Baylor had just turned the ball over on downs, but it would also lead to the Bears scoring the first points of the game, a lead they would not surrender.

Bear of the Week

All glory to Him pic.twitter.com/rjCTuBaNS7

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) October 31, 2026

S Devon Jordan: Massive momentum shifting INT leading to Tony Livingston TD catch.

QB DJ Lagway: Impressive outing, 16-25 for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Interim Head Coach Joe Klanderman: Stepping up after Dave Aranda's firing and a short week of preparation and managing to win the game is no small feat and deserves the credit that it's due.

The Entire Bears Defense: Holding UCF to 66 rushing yards, and accumulating another 7 SKs and 12 TFLs

The "Bear" Necessities & Things You Need to Know

pic.twitter.com/k254crCT5V

— Baylor No Context (@SicEmNoContext) October 31, 2026

-Baylor's Defense is still among the most dominant in college football, adding another 7 Sks and 12 TFLs to their already impressive totals.

-Coach Joe Klanderman showed that he's capable of both being the head coach as well as calling the defensive plays.

- A healthy DJ Lagway playing free is a thing of beauty. Good decisions, crisp passes, excellent ball control, and quick feet; this is the the Lagway that the early season ankle injury had kept away from our viewing pleasure.

Next Week Brings Another Opponent

The Cyclones of Iowa State are the Bears Nov. 7th opponent.

One of the final home games the Bears will have, the ISU game also serves as Baylor's Homecoming game this season. The Cyclones are currently 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12 and will be looking to pile on to the list of Baylor's shortcomings this season. Baylor, however, is currently 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12 and will be looking to continue winning and hopefully get back into contention after the drubbing of UCF