Stat Attack - Baylor

Louisiana Tech walked into LSU’s Tiger Stadium on Saturday and (for a half) made one of the best teams in the country sweat. The Bulldog offense managed all of zero yards before halftime, but it did not matter, because the defense just kept taking the ball away. Jordan McRae picked off Sam Leavitt and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. Zheric Hill and Kam Franklin grabbed two more before halftime. Tech forced four LSU turnovers on the night and trailed just 10-7 at the break before the Tigers’ depth eventually wore Tech down in a 45-14 final.

Tech’s offense could not do anything with the gifts. But the defense that created them travels to Waco this week, and it is walking into a situation very amenable to a ball-hawking defense.

The Bears have split their two games played so far this year, a narrow one-point loss to Auburn and a blowout of FCS Prairie View A&M. And both told the same story about their QB room, regardless of who lines up under center. DJ Lagway threw one against Auburn before an ankle injury he played through in the second half. Backup Nate Bennett then threw two against Prairie View. And hird-stringer Edward Griffin came on in the fourth quarter and threw one more.

That is four interceptions in two games from three different passers, tied for the third-most interceptions thrown in the entire FBS, behind only Rutgers and Utah State.

The wild card is whether DJ Lagway plays. The highest-rated recruit ever to sign with Baylor sprained his ankle on his opening drive against Auburn and sat out the Prairie View game.

The signs are pointing up, though. Aranda said this week that Lagway “felt great” and was expected back at practice, and the quarterback spent Saturday moving around the sideline without a boot on the ankle. A return against Tech looks likely.

Even so, a healthy Lagway is not a clean fix. Last season at Florida he threw more interceptions than any other quarterback in the SEC, 14 in all, second-most in the entire FBS.

And collecting those interceptions is what Tech’s defense does. The Bulldogs ranked third in the FBS with 20 interceptions in 2025 and led the nation in defensive touchdowns, and they have picked up where they left off in 2026. Tech forced four turnovers at LSU, recorded 11 tackles for loss and five sacks, and posted back-to-back games with double-digit tackles for loss for the first time since 2019.

And for all the interceptions Baylor’s quarterbacks have thrown, Baylor’s defense has not allowed a single passing touchdown all season. The Bears are a nightmare to throw on. So Tech, a team that will likely have to throw to move the ball, is walking into the one thing Baylor does best.

And Tech’s own offense is the problem it has not solved. The Bulldogs managed just 140 total yards against LSU and did not pick up a first down until the fourth quarter. Taking the ball away is worth nothing if you cannot turn it into points, and against LSU, Tech only could if the defender was the one taking the ball across the goal line.

Tech is a heavy underdog on the road (with QB injury issues of their own) against a Power Four team with a real defense and an explosive offense. Looking just at the stat sheet, the Bears should win, and win comfortably.

But the one door Baylor keeps leaving open is the exact door Tech’s defense keeps walking through.

It already cost the Bears once: against Auburn, Baylor outgained the Tigers by more than 200 yards, moved the ball at will, and still lost 17-16. The Bears were undone by a lost fumble, an interception, two turnovers on downs, a missed field goal, and a failed two-point try at the buzzer. A team can out-gain and outplay an opponent all day and still lose if it hands the game over.

But Tech’s offense will still need to do something with the short fields its defense may provide them.

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Nathan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to check out @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter.