Baylor football's Dave Aranda reveals ironic defensive play call on Hail Mary vs. Colorado

Baylor football head coach Dave Aranda is sharing his perception on what went wrong in his team's loss to Colorado on Saturday. Baylor gave up a Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired in the fourth quarter to allow Colorado to send the game to overtime. The Buffaloes went on to defeat Baylor in overtime, 38-31.

Aranda said his Baylor defenders weren't in the right position to defend the Hail Mary pass that ended up forcing overtime.

" We went to opposite sides ," Aranda said, per ESPN. "The guy that was up-and-under went away, and the guy that was contain went to the other side, so when you watch that play, you'll watch someone come from the right and go up and under, well, that's a shame, because he's contain."

The head coach blames himself for the loss. Baylor is now 2-2 on the season, and the team started off its conference schedule on the wrong foot.

"I've never seen that, and I take full responsibility for that. I have to find a way to coach that better," Aranda added.

Baylor football is trying to bounce back in 2024

Baylor is trying to bounce back from one of the worst seasons in program history in 2023. The Bears finished the last campaign with a disappointing 3-9 record, and won only two of its conference games. Aranda is on a bit of a hot seat in Waco, despite winning the league in 2021. He also finished as the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year that season.

Aranda is a defensive coach who plays a pivotal role in the team's defensive strategy. He's worked on the defensive side of the ball at several key college programs, including LSU and Wisconsin. It was the defense that struggled against Colorado, giving up 38 total points in a game where the Bears had a two touchdown lead in the first half.

The end result of Saturday's game was just heart breaking for the Bears. Baylor gave up 341 passing yards to Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, who completed the Hail Mary throw to force overtime in the contest.

Colorado football fans stormed the field after the game, the program's first as a member of the Big 12 conference. The Buffaloes pierced a heavy wound in the side of the Baylor program, that now finds itself in a 0-1 hole in conference play. The Bears must quickly look past the loss and regroup if it wants to finish the season with a solid record.

Baylor football next plays BYU at home on Saturday, in a must-win game for the squad.