College Football2 hours ago2 minute read

Baylor Dominates UCF 41-9 in Coach Joe Klanderman Debut

DJ Lagway threw four touchdowns as Baylor rolled to a 41-9 victory over UCF in Joe Klanderman's coaching debut.

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A dominant start for Klanderman

Baylor rolled to a 41-9 victory over UCF on Friday night in Orlando, Florida. It was the first game for interim head coach Joe Klanderman, who took over this week after Dave Aranda was fired following a 25-24 loss to Kansas. Klanderman served as Baylor's first year defensive coordinator before his promotion.

The Bears improved to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12. The win also snapped a four game home winning streak for UCF. Klanderman praised his team's focus throughout the contest. "We didn't relent in the fourth quarter. We didn't relent at halftime when we had a big lead," Klanderman said. "These guys just kept showing up for each other, and that's the way we're going to keep going."

Lagway powers the Bears offense

Quarterback DJ Lagway led the offense, completing 16 of 25 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns. Lagway hit tight end Tony Livingston for touchdown passes of 4 and 21 yards. He also connected with Gavin Freeman on a 77 yard scoring play and tossed a 5 yard touchdown to tight end Matthew Klopfenstein. Running back Caden Knighten added a 2 yard touchdown run.

Lagway had been limited by an ankle injury earlier in the season but added 23 rushing yards on 11 carries. Klanderman noted that the quarterback played with a lot of confidence and cut it loose like he had never seen before.

UCF struggled to move the ball, finishing with 215 total yards and failing to earn a first down until midway through the second quarter. Starting quarterback Keyone Jenkins left in the third quarter with an apparent lower leg injury after passing for 82 yards and an interception. Alonza Barnett III replaced him and threw for 133 yards. Kicker Rhett Armstrong scored all nine points for UCF, including a school record 57 yard field goal just before halftime.

What it means for the next game

UCF Knights at Kansas Jayhawks (College Football, Sat, 07 Nov): Kansas Jayhawks win 80%, UCF Knights win 20%; projected score Kansas Jayhawks 31, UCF Knights 18. Our safest pick: Kansas to win.

Iowa State Cyclones at Baylor Bears (College Football, Sat, 07 Nov): Baylor Bears win 76%, Iowa State Cyclones win 24%; projected score Baylor Bears 26, Iowa State Cyclones 16. Our safest pick: Baylor to win.