Kalani Sitake has been the head coach at BYU for almost a decade, so he knows that just because Baylor is coming off a heartbreaking loss doesn’t mean the Bears will roll over this weekend. Plus, there are too many people on the Cougars’ coaching staff who know what Baylor head coach Dave Aranda is capable of. “I know they’re in a tough spot right now, but knowing everything about Dave Aranda and what he does in this business, he’ll have those guys rolling and give us their best shot,” Sitake said.
“My job is to have us ready to give our best shot, too.” The No. 22 Cougars come to Waco this Saturday for the first time as Big 12 foes looking for their first win at McLane Stadium in the young series.
BYU defensive analyst Gary Andersen hired Aranda to coordinate the defense at Utah State in 2012 before bringing him along to serve as defensive coordinator when he took the job at Wisconsin in 2013. Current BYU offensive line coach TJ Woods also coached the offensive line at Utah State in 2012 while Aranda and Anderson were with the Aggies. “I’ve known Coach Aranda for a really long time, and he’s a really good football coach, one of the best I’ve ever been around,” BYU special teams coordinator/defensive line coach Kelly Poppinga said.
“He can coach ball, and he’ll have that team ready to go. That team is hungry, and they’re playing really well.” Saturday will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Bears and Cougars, and the first since BYU wo.
