Baylor Bears College Football Preview 2021: Defense
– The defense was good, and now it can and will be better after giving up a not-that-awful 383 yards and 29 points per game.
Dave Aranda is too strong a defensive mind and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts is too good to not create a killer with – to rig the numbers a bit – ten starters expected back along with a few new guys who’ll help.
– The Bears have the tacklers. Pass rusher William Bradly-King is done, but that’s about it. The linebacking corps has the upside to be phenomenal with Terrel Bernard back after missing almost half of last year and Dillon Doyle a 242-pound hitter in the middle who finished second on the team with 56 tackles.
There’s size, quickness, and options across the board to clean up everything the line doesn’t get to.
6-4, 350-pound LSU transfer Siaki Ika is the big anchor the line needs, but the line is already full of decent-sized veteran. There aren’t any Coke machines like Ika, but 290-pound TJ Franklin and 291-pound Ryan Miller have the time logged in to be decent.
– The pass defense did a decent job. It was second in the Big 12 allowing just over 200 yards per game and picked off 12 passes.
All five starters are expected to be back led by top tackler Jalen Pitre at one hybrid safety spot along with the all-star, three-pick-each safety tandem of JT Woods and Christian Morgan.
Add in Jairon McVea, and four of the top seven tacklers were in the safety rotation. Raleigh Texada is a good-tackling corner on one side with a rotation rolling on the other.
– What You Need To Know: Offense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Baylor Schedule Analysis