WACO - Matt Rhule realized that more than 3½ hours of a split practice had its limits, both when it comes to dropping a few pounds and to building the mindset he wants to be second nature at Baylor.

Each is a longterm project.

The second-year Baylor coach has already dropped some pounds and is trying to shed more at the behest of wife Julie. As camp began last week, he was trying instill what it takes to win into a group that has lost 17 of its last 19 games amid a scandal, program turmoil and coaching turnover.

Rhule drew a connection between the two. A firm believer in "the process," Rhule admits that the phrase drew puzzled, quizzical looks from his players.

Instead, he tried to quantify it.

"Like for me, I'd like to get in shape, what do I have to do?" Rhule said. "I told them maybe I'll eat a little less of this, have no carbs. At the end of the day, I've got to stop eating so much and work out a little bit. Like, you've got to do the things it takes to do things.

"We want to win. We can't control the other team, we can control us. So, we have to learn to do everything right, we have to learn to compete every day, we have to learn to be as tough as we can be, and we have to do that day after day after day."

The message seems to be taking hold, although much work remains if Baylor is to reach a bowl game, an ambitious Rhule goal.

"They've come so far," Rhule said after the first workout last week. "We've probably done more today in one day than we had in probably all of last training camp on both sides of the ball. We're not having to start over with the older guys."

The key is for it to become second nature so players are reacting without having to think, defensive lineman Greg Roberts said at Big 12 media days. He dipped into warrior philosophy for an inspiration.

"There's a quote, 'I don't fear the samurai that has practiced 1,000 sword swings. I fear the samurai that has practiced one sword swing 1,000 times,'" Roberts said.

The approach is applicable not just to preparation but also to Baylor's defensive system.

Rhule notes that the scheme of defensive coordinator Phil Snow isn't something learned quickly or easily or even in the course of one season.

"It's like learning a foreign language," Roberts said. "Like when they first got here it was Chinese. Now we can have these conversations."

Rhule isn't making broad pronouncements yet, the bowl goal notwithstanding.

He acknowledges that cultivating the right mindset is only part of a turnaround, something he understands well from when he worked at Temple from 2013-16.

He talks about the increase in talent and in size and strength from a year ago. At the same time, so many things have to happen. Case in point: injuries a year ago forced Baylor to go deep into an inexperienced depth chart.

"I think the biggest thing for us is just fully committing to everything that it takes to be great," Rhule said. "A lot of us want to be great when it's convenient or when it's easy, but are we going to be a team that fully commits to doing all the hard things it takes to be great?"