Baylor head coach Dave Aranda Weekly Press Conference
September 14, 2020
On significance of game week…
They’re really excited. That Tuesday was a down time for us. And the Wednesday and Thursday, the strength and conditioning. There was some time off just football-wise. We were able to connect with a lot of them at that point and kind of talk about what they were thinking, what they were feeling. They were just getting frustrated with, is this going to happen, when . . . are we really not playing until the 26th? And when we got the news, it was just really exciting. Just fired up for them, fired up for our coaches. So, we’re all working on getting a plan together, but I thank Jeramiah Dickey and Mack Rhoades for the work they put in, because there was a lot of work to get the game. And we’re thankful to have it.
On process of short turnaround…
So, we had practice on Saturday. Going into that practice, there was a thought that this could happen. And coming out of that practice, walking out of that practice, meeting with our staff, and then having discussions with Mack Rhoades, it was ‘Hey, if there’s an opportunity for us to do this, let’s do it.’ And that kind of came together Saturday evening. Since Saturday evening, we’ve been breaking down film, we’ve been cataloging plays and getting ready for game-planning. That was all day yesterday, and that’s continued all day today. So, we’re off and running with it.
On memories of working with Dana Holgorsen…
He’s a great person. I remember just being very innovative. When we were there at Tech, I was a grad assistant, so Dana was the guy behind the scenes that was really making everything run. There were a lot of great coaches on that offensive staff. Robert Anae, I have so much respect for, he’s over at the University of Virginia. Sonny Dykes, obviously Coach (Art) Briles was on that staff. Bill Bedenbaugh, who is over at Oklahoma now, was on that staff. But the guy that was kind of keeping everything running and was really instrumental I think in that offense there – this is the Kliff Kingsbury years – was Dana. I’d always stop by and visit with Dana, and he would be doing a million different things. At that point, we had movie clips that we would pick for each coach, and they would present it to the team to start the meeting. That was still Blockbuster Video days. And I remember specifically coming into Dana’s office, and he’s got a Blockbuster video on one side, looking through Tombstone to find a clip, and on this hand he’s trying to cut up tape. That was Dana during those years, so I’ve got a lot of respect for him – hard worker, authentic, smart. It’s going to be a challenge for us.
On difficulty of quick turnaround…
So, there’s quite a bit that’s different. There’s a lot more max-protect throw than I can ever remember. So, there’s a lot of that on tape from last year. There’s some heavily influenced run game from what looks like Oklahoma does. So, there’s a lot of counter-GT, and if you try to chase it down from the puller side, they’ll try to seal it with a tight end so you can’t chase it. And then they’ll have an RPO second-level read where they can throw it. There is the quarterback run game, which the quarterback scares you running the ball. He’s a good-looking athlete and he’s been able to make some plays. So, there are some differences in there that are apparent. There’s also trickery, there’s a fly sweep, and the guy would pull back and try to throw the ball. The screen game is one of the things that’s still there. So, the screen game is very effective. They do a great job of getting their linemen out in front and creating seams. And their skill is what jumps out at you first when you watch the tape. And they’re adding even some more skill, just some transfers and things that are going to be available. So, it’s a challenge, and we’re in the process of deciding kind of how to handle all that today. But, it’s impressive to watch them. Offensively, they stress you out.
On difficulty of game prep six days out…
I think the guys it probably hits the most are the grad assistants and some of our analysts. When this was kind of being worked out, we had a Plan A and a Plan B. So, Plan A was we just got our game postponed and our next game is not until the 26th. At that point, it becomes, we’ve been practicing since the summertime, our game is not until the 26th, we’ve got this extra time, so let’s try to hit some highs in terms of our run speed. Let’s make sure we’re tackling and let’s make sure we’re having appropriate contact, but let’s not overdo it. Let’s not wear our guys down. Let’s try to find that middle ground of the appropriate contact, the appropriate time on feet. And then also, including some coaches and players, getting together, kind of brighten the mood from the postponement that just happened. Plan B was, hey, we’re going to have an opponent and we’re going to be playing right now. A lot goes into that in terms of who that opponent is. Well, we were riding with Plan A, so Saturday was a practice. It was going to be a scrimmage, but we made it a practice later that week anticipating that we were going to find ourselves a game. And we didn’t want to have a big scrimmage and then roll out into a game week, so we made it a practice. We originally had Sunday off and then Monday was going to be off and then get back on Tuesday. When we found out this was happening on Saturday, as it was kind of developing, we talked to the (grad assistants) and analysts about, ‘This is what they call the bait and switch.’ I imagine they had some plans on Saturday night, or whatever, so that changed to a bunch of coffee and a bunch of breaking down tape. So, we’re all thankful for that, and we’re watching all that stuff right now.
On benefit of long-range scheduling in college football…
ARANDA: From a fan’s perspective, I could see the benefit in that. I spoke to some of the coaches about this earlier. When I was growing up, I was a big baseball card collector, as a little kid. So, it was really important that I have a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Even before that, like here’s a George Brett or here’s a Fernando Valenzuela. And it just felt like as we were going through this process of like, ‘Hey, I’ve got a Steve Sax, can I trade you for a Steve Marshall?’ It just felt like we were trading baseball cards a little bit. That was just very weird for me. And I’m glad that it worked out. But, I think from a coaching perspective, you’re such a planner by nature, and you’re so organized and ‘hey, this is what we’re doing nine months from now.’ So, when it gets to something like this, it shakes you a little bit. We’ll take it, because it’s what we need right now. But, I can see that from a fan perspective. From a coaching perspective, you’d like to have things kind of laid out.
On benefits of being the new coaching staff as opponents plan…
That's probably the one thing we’ve got going for us going into this, our strong positive. And we had talked about that, if we were going to play on the 26th, about a scrimmage here and how much do we open it up? And if we do open it up, and people come and they’re taking video of it, do we want that? So, when you’re looking offensively, you’re looking at North Carolina tape, you’re looking at LSU tape, you’re looking at Baylor tape. And then, obviously defensively, you’re looking at Baylor tape, Lafayette tape and LSU tape. It’d be great if we could get a few more teams in there, but I think that’s about where it tops off. So, we’ll take it. There has been a lot of work on our part, just prior to this, of kind of morphing all that stuff together so that all that’s a real thing and it fits and the players can move in and out of these different systems that are now one. It’ll be good to finally get it on a Saturday and see it live.
On discussion with team of history of Southwest Conference with Houston…
We will. We’ve talked about that already some as a staff, and just the tradition and the rivalry. And we will build on that as we go throughout the week. But, I have a lot of respect for our rivalry, or the history. I have a lot of respect for Houston right now, just as they stand, and how Dana is building that team with the talent level they’ve got, the coaches that they have. We were talking earlier just about the connections with the coaches. Defensive staff-wise, their staff had visited me at LSU. So, I’ve got good relationships with them and a lot of respect for them. The offensive staff, Brandon Jones was a player when I was at Tech. And I think in 2016, Southern Miss played us when I was at LSU, and Shannon Dawson was the (offensive coordinator) then. And then, obviously, just knowing Dana for a long time. So, there’s a lot that goes into this game. I’m really fortunate that we got it.
On how players have handled recent turbulence…
Good. I get text messages of ‘Coach, what’s next?’ or ‘Coach, it doesn’t matter. Let’s get better.’ These are all things we talk about, so they’re kind of spitting it right back at me. We’ve got a great group of guys. I’m so proud of them and I’m really looking forward to taking the field with them on Saturday. They are so happy to have this opportunity. You would like to say in a perfect world it doesn’t affect your day to day when there is not a goal right in front of you that you know that you’re inching towards. But I think the reality of it is that it is. For us to have something that we’re all on board and all unified and preparing for certainly helps us out.
On anxiety related to scheduling…
This is it right here, man. I’m all shook up. This is how it looks (smiling). No, I think we’re fortunate to have a game, and I’m fortunate to be around great people that do whatever they can to make things work. Just understanding the time that we’re in and the circumstance and the adaptability of it is just crazy. Right away, our game is postponed, and I sit down and I’m in a meeting and they’re talking about well we could play this team, well we could play that team. What about this team? Right away, I’m thinking of the baseball cards, and I’m thinking ‘Man, this is crazy.’ You just have to click right into it and go with it. We’re fortunate that we got ourselves a really good game, and we have an opportunity to go out and show what we’ve got. I know our guys are excited.
On benefits of familiar staff connects to UH staff…
It does. We’ll use every available resource that we have. I think the thing is when we’re addressing those guys is real specific things that can come up in film study. Is there something Joe [Wickline] can help with? Is there something that Juice [Johnson] can clarify on. I think those are all things that have been hit upon. There is a bunch of ties to Houston, so it’s good to utilize every advantage that we’ve got.
On team’s readiness to play…
Player-wise, I think we’re more than ready. Coaching-wise, if we weren’t going to have a game, we were going to have another kind of mock week, game week. We were going to have another kind of mock game on Saturday. We’ve had a fair amount of practicing for the practice or practicing for the game, so I feel we’re ready. The opportunity to go out and put our best foot forward is certainly there. The leadership of our group, the character of our group, I’m excited to put that on display.
On lessons learned from first two weeks of games…
We use a couple of clips to talk about it’s a physical game and how important contact is, and just the mindset of it. Just in an open space, if it’s good vs. good, and it’s O vs. D, and we’re competing in a practice as good as we can get. What we want to do on defense is thud them up. A lot of times, thud is full contact, I’m going to work to get my chest into your chest. I’m going to upper cut and bring my hips and more or less wrap you up and let you go. In space, that’s hard to do. It’s harder to thud than it is to tackle. You can tackle in space, possibly to leave your feet, roll like a wrap and roll tackle. Go in space full speed and long stride to a short stride, use your leverage, thud them up, hard to do. So we made a big point of taking those opportunities that come. The best opportunity to tackle is when we’re going in team, when we’re going full speed, and make the most of it. We used the example of BYU-Navy. On the other side of it too, offensively, to finish blocks, keep guys up, and take that mentality of we’re going to move the line of scrimmage. This is us. I think the opportunity to be physical and to be assertive and to be dominant up front, along with all the protocols of hey, stay away from this person, don’t get close to that person, that’s the trick. I think there’s a couple of games that have come up that have illustrated that it can be done. So we’re certainly going to try.
On memories of first job at Houston…
I got married just before. When I left Tech, Ron Harris was our defensive coordinator at Houston, and Art (Briles) was head coach. It was a great staff. We had Oscar Giles on that staff. Thomas McGaughey was on that staff as special teams coordinator. I remember going on the track and going, ‘Is that Carl Lewis? Is that really him?’ I remember going to the basketball games and the excitement that came with that. There were no kids, my wife and I were just married, where we ate out quite a bit. That was a time in Houston where they were really going to make a push to improve downtown. It was around that time. There was a spot in Houston where there were two Starbucks on the same street facing each other. We lived right by there. We had an apartment. So that was kind of our neighborhood. In the time that we did have, we would have Sunday brunch or something like that. I just remember eating out a lot. I don’t think anyone cooked. I don’t know the next time that will be.
I remember the team in particular. (LB) Wade Koehl was a great player. Lance Everson was a linebacker with so much talent. You just wanted to see him be healthy. Offensively, Kevin Kolb, we had some great players offensively. I remember going to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. Landing in Hawaii, I remember I was all dressed in red, and I remember going to a coffee spot, and everyone looking at me, we were playing the Warriors, and they were giving me the evil eye. I didn’t wear red after that. I think it was during that game, there was a brawl or something, memories are kind of coming back. It seemed like another life ago, to be honest.
More on baseball cards…
I’ve always been a big Dodgers fan, and still am. I’ve always held the Dodgers cards in a higher regard than most. My brother actually had a better collection than me. I guess that’s a deal when I was younger, WGN would always be on in California, so we always listened to Harry Carey and Steve Stone. Later on in the day, it would be Vin Scully and Don Drysdale. I remember having our cards when I was just a little kid. Who would have thought that would have all come up in 2020, just trying to schedule a game. It sure felt like that though.
On preference of a strong non-conference schedule…
I feel real confident in our team. I know we’re going to put our best foot forward. We’re going to give great effort. I feel really confident in our coaches. You want to see where we’re at, so we can improve where we need to improve and we can continue to progress where we’ve already made some inroads. Let’s play the best we can and let’s compete at all times.
On Gavin Holmes’ progress…
He’s played well. There’s a work ethic that comes with him, there’s an energy level that comes with him. There’s a confidence that comes with him. We compete and have two-minute drives, and we have one-on-ones. We try to make it as important as we can to highlight just how important it is to win your one-on-ones. There are plenty of opportunities where we need a play, and Gavin’s [Holmes] got a one-on-one, and Charlie’s [Brewer] going to Gavin and he’s making that play. It’s a contested throw and he’s right there making it. I think he’s done that enough in this game to where guys are expecting that he’s going to make those plays all the time. He’s walking around like he’s the guy, and he could because he’s put in the work. We’re so looking forward to him doing it on Saturday. I’ve been very impressed with him. He’s not a guy who is going to say much, but he does it with his actions. He shows up when you need him the most in my observation of him.
September 14, 2020
On significance of game week…
They’re really excited. That Tuesday was a down time for us. And the Wednesday and Thursday, the strength and conditioning. There was some time off just football-wise. We were able to connect with a lot of them at that point and kind of talk about what they were thinking, what they were feeling. They were just getting frustrated with, is this going to happen, when . . . are we really not playing until the 26th? And when we got the news, it was just really exciting. Just fired up for them, fired up for our coaches. So, we’re all working on getting a plan together, but I thank Jeramiah Dickey and Mack Rhoades for the work they put in, because there was a lot of work to get the game. And we’re thankful to have it.
On process of short turnaround…
So, we had practice on Saturday. Going into that practice, there was a thought that this could happen. And coming out of that practice, walking out of that practice, meeting with our staff, and then having discussions with Mack Rhoades, it was ‘Hey, if there’s an opportunity for us to do this, let’s do it.’ And that kind of came together Saturday evening. Since Saturday evening, we’ve been breaking down film, we’ve been cataloging plays and getting ready for game-planning. That was all day yesterday, and that’s continued all day today. So, we’re off and running with it.
On memories of working with Dana Holgorsen…
He’s a great person. I remember just being very innovative. When we were there at Tech, I was a grad assistant, so Dana was the guy behind the scenes that was really making everything run. There were a lot of great coaches on that offensive staff. Robert Anae, I have so much respect for, he’s over at the University of Virginia. Sonny Dykes, obviously Coach (Art) Briles was on that staff. Bill Bedenbaugh, who is over at Oklahoma now, was on that staff. But the guy that was kind of keeping everything running and was really instrumental I think in that offense there – this is the Kliff Kingsbury years – was Dana. I’d always stop by and visit with Dana, and he would be doing a million different things. At that point, we had movie clips that we would pick for each coach, and they would present it to the team to start the meeting. That was still Blockbuster Video days. And I remember specifically coming into Dana’s office, and he’s got a Blockbuster video on one side, looking through Tombstone to find a clip, and on this hand he’s trying to cut up tape. That was Dana during those years, so I’ve got a lot of respect for him – hard worker, authentic, smart. It’s going to be a challenge for us.
On difficulty of quick turnaround…
So, there’s quite a bit that’s different. There’s a lot more max-protect throw than I can ever remember. So, there’s a lot of that on tape from last year. There’s some heavily influenced run game from what looks like Oklahoma does. So, there’s a lot of counter-GT, and if you try to chase it down from the puller side, they’ll try to seal it with a tight end so you can’t chase it. And then they’ll have an RPO second-level read where they can throw it. There is the quarterback run game, which the quarterback scares you running the ball. He’s a good-looking athlete and he’s been able to make some plays. So, there are some differences in there that are apparent. There’s also trickery, there’s a fly sweep, and the guy would pull back and try to throw the ball. The screen game is one of the things that’s still there. So, the screen game is very effective. They do a great job of getting their linemen out in front and creating seams. And their skill is what jumps out at you first when you watch the tape. And they’re adding even some more skill, just some transfers and things that are going to be available. So, it’s a challenge, and we’re in the process of deciding kind of how to handle all that today. But, it’s impressive to watch them. Offensively, they stress you out.
On difficulty of game prep six days out…
I think the guys it probably hits the most are the grad assistants and some of our analysts. When this was kind of being worked out, we had a Plan A and a Plan B. So, Plan A was we just got our game postponed and our next game is not until the 26th. At that point, it becomes, we’ve been practicing since the summertime, our game is not until the 26th, we’ve got this extra time, so let’s try to hit some highs in terms of our run speed. Let’s make sure we’re tackling and let’s make sure we’re having appropriate contact, but let’s not overdo it. Let’s not wear our guys down. Let’s try to find that middle ground of the appropriate contact, the appropriate time on feet. And then also, including some coaches and players, getting together, kind of brighten the mood from the postponement that just happened. Plan B was, hey, we’re going to have an opponent and we’re going to be playing right now. A lot goes into that in terms of who that opponent is. Well, we were riding with Plan A, so Saturday was a practice. It was going to be a scrimmage, but we made it a practice later that week anticipating that we were going to find ourselves a game. And we didn’t want to have a big scrimmage and then roll out into a game week, so we made it a practice. We originally had Sunday off and then Monday was going to be off and then get back on Tuesday. When we found out this was happening on Saturday, as it was kind of developing, we talked to the (grad assistants) and analysts about, ‘This is what they call the bait and switch.’ I imagine they had some plans on Saturday night, or whatever, so that changed to a bunch of coffee and a bunch of breaking down tape. So, we’re all thankful for that, and we’re watching all that stuff right now.
On benefit of long-range scheduling in college football…
ARANDA: From a fan’s perspective, I could see the benefit in that. I spoke to some of the coaches about this earlier. When I was growing up, I was a big baseball card collector, as a little kid. So, it was really important that I have a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Even before that, like here’s a George Brett or here’s a Fernando Valenzuela. And it just felt like as we were going through this process of like, ‘Hey, I’ve got a Steve Sax, can I trade you for a Steve Marshall?’ It just felt like we were trading baseball cards a little bit. That was just very weird for me. And I’m glad that it worked out. But, I think from a coaching perspective, you’re such a planner by nature, and you’re so organized and ‘hey, this is what we’re doing nine months from now.’ So, when it gets to something like this, it shakes you a little bit. We’ll take it, because it’s what we need right now. But, I can see that from a fan perspective. From a coaching perspective, you’d like to have things kind of laid out.
On benefits of being the new coaching staff as opponents plan…
That's probably the one thing we’ve got going for us going into this, our strong positive. And we had talked about that, if we were going to play on the 26th, about a scrimmage here and how much do we open it up? And if we do open it up, and people come and they’re taking video of it, do we want that? So, when you’re looking offensively, you’re looking at North Carolina tape, you’re looking at LSU tape, you’re looking at Baylor tape. And then, obviously defensively, you’re looking at Baylor tape, Lafayette tape and LSU tape. It’d be great if we could get a few more teams in there, but I think that’s about where it tops off. So, we’ll take it. There has been a lot of work on our part, just prior to this, of kind of morphing all that stuff together so that all that’s a real thing and it fits and the players can move in and out of these different systems that are now one. It’ll be good to finally get it on a Saturday and see it live.
On discussion with team of history of Southwest Conference with Houston…
We will. We’ve talked about that already some as a staff, and just the tradition and the rivalry. And we will build on that as we go throughout the week. But, I have a lot of respect for our rivalry, or the history. I have a lot of respect for Houston right now, just as they stand, and how Dana is building that team with the talent level they’ve got, the coaches that they have. We were talking earlier just about the connections with the coaches. Defensive staff-wise, their staff had visited me at LSU. So, I’ve got good relationships with them and a lot of respect for them. The offensive staff, Brandon Jones was a player when I was at Tech. And I think in 2016, Southern Miss played us when I was at LSU, and Shannon Dawson was the (offensive coordinator) then. And then, obviously, just knowing Dana for a long time. So, there’s a lot that goes into this game. I’m really fortunate that we got it.
On how players have handled recent turbulence…
Good. I get text messages of ‘Coach, what’s next?’ or ‘Coach, it doesn’t matter. Let’s get better.’ These are all things we talk about, so they’re kind of spitting it right back at me. We’ve got a great group of guys. I’m so proud of them and I’m really looking forward to taking the field with them on Saturday. They are so happy to have this opportunity. You would like to say in a perfect world it doesn’t affect your day to day when there is not a goal right in front of you that you know that you’re inching towards. But I think the reality of it is that it is. For us to have something that we’re all on board and all unified and preparing for certainly helps us out.
On anxiety related to scheduling…
This is it right here, man. I’m all shook up. This is how it looks (smiling). No, I think we’re fortunate to have a game, and I’m fortunate to be around great people that do whatever they can to make things work. Just understanding the time that we’re in and the circumstance and the adaptability of it is just crazy. Right away, our game is postponed, and I sit down and I’m in a meeting and they’re talking about well we could play this team, well we could play that team. What about this team? Right away, I’m thinking of the baseball cards, and I’m thinking ‘Man, this is crazy.’ You just have to click right into it and go with it. We’re fortunate that we got ourselves a really good game, and we have an opportunity to go out and show what we’ve got. I know our guys are excited.
On benefits of familiar staff connects to UH staff…
It does. We’ll use every available resource that we have. I think the thing is when we’re addressing those guys is real specific things that can come up in film study. Is there something Joe [Wickline] can help with? Is there something that Juice [Johnson] can clarify on. I think those are all things that have been hit upon. There is a bunch of ties to Houston, so it’s good to utilize every advantage that we’ve got.
On team’s readiness to play…
Player-wise, I think we’re more than ready. Coaching-wise, if we weren’t going to have a game, we were going to have another kind of mock week, game week. We were going to have another kind of mock game on Saturday. We’ve had a fair amount of practicing for the practice or practicing for the game, so I feel we’re ready. The opportunity to go out and put our best foot forward is certainly there. The leadership of our group, the character of our group, I’m excited to put that on display.
On lessons learned from first two weeks of games…
We use a couple of clips to talk about it’s a physical game and how important contact is, and just the mindset of it. Just in an open space, if it’s good vs. good, and it’s O vs. D, and we’re competing in a practice as good as we can get. What we want to do on defense is thud them up. A lot of times, thud is full contact, I’m going to work to get my chest into your chest. I’m going to upper cut and bring my hips and more or less wrap you up and let you go. In space, that’s hard to do. It’s harder to thud than it is to tackle. You can tackle in space, possibly to leave your feet, roll like a wrap and roll tackle. Go in space full speed and long stride to a short stride, use your leverage, thud them up, hard to do. So we made a big point of taking those opportunities that come. The best opportunity to tackle is when we’re going in team, when we’re going full speed, and make the most of it. We used the example of BYU-Navy. On the other side of it too, offensively, to finish blocks, keep guys up, and take that mentality of we’re going to move the line of scrimmage. This is us. I think the opportunity to be physical and to be assertive and to be dominant up front, along with all the protocols of hey, stay away from this person, don’t get close to that person, that’s the trick. I think there’s a couple of games that have come up that have illustrated that it can be done. So we’re certainly going to try.
On memories of first job at Houston…
I got married just before. When I left Tech, Ron Harris was our defensive coordinator at Houston, and Art (Briles) was head coach. It was a great staff. We had Oscar Giles on that staff. Thomas McGaughey was on that staff as special teams coordinator. I remember going on the track and going, ‘Is that Carl Lewis? Is that really him?’ I remember going to the basketball games and the excitement that came with that. There were no kids, my wife and I were just married, where we ate out quite a bit. That was a time in Houston where they were really going to make a push to improve downtown. It was around that time. There was a spot in Houston where there were two Starbucks on the same street facing each other. We lived right by there. We had an apartment. So that was kind of our neighborhood. In the time that we did have, we would have Sunday brunch or something like that. I just remember eating out a lot. I don’t think anyone cooked. I don’t know the next time that will be.
I remember the team in particular. (LB) Wade Koehl was a great player. Lance Everson was a linebacker with so much talent. You just wanted to see him be healthy. Offensively, Kevin Kolb, we had some great players offensively. I remember going to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. Landing in Hawaii, I remember I was all dressed in red, and I remember going to a coffee spot, and everyone looking at me, we were playing the Warriors, and they were giving me the evil eye. I didn’t wear red after that. I think it was during that game, there was a brawl or something, memories are kind of coming back. It seemed like another life ago, to be honest.
More on baseball cards…
I’ve always been a big Dodgers fan, and still am. I’ve always held the Dodgers cards in a higher regard than most. My brother actually had a better collection than me. I guess that’s a deal when I was younger, WGN would always be on in California, so we always listened to Harry Carey and Steve Stone. Later on in the day, it would be Vin Scully and Don Drysdale. I remember having our cards when I was just a little kid. Who would have thought that would have all come up in 2020, just trying to schedule a game. It sure felt like that though.
On preference of a strong non-conference schedule…
I feel real confident in our team. I know we’re going to put our best foot forward. We’re going to give great effort. I feel really confident in our coaches. You want to see where we’re at, so we can improve where we need to improve and we can continue to progress where we’ve already made some inroads. Let’s play the best we can and let’s compete at all times.
On Gavin Holmes’ progress…
He’s played well. There’s a work ethic that comes with him, there’s an energy level that comes with him. There’s a confidence that comes with him. We compete and have two-minute drives, and we have one-on-ones. We try to make it as important as we can to highlight just how important it is to win your one-on-ones. There are plenty of opportunities where we need a play, and Gavin’s [Holmes] got a one-on-one, and Charlie’s [Brewer] going to Gavin and he’s making that play. It’s a contested throw and he’s right there making it. I think he’s done that enough in this game to where guys are expecting that he’s going to make those plays all the time. He’s walking around like he’s the guy, and he could because he’s put in the work. We’re so looking forward to him doing it on Saturday. I’ve been very impressed with him. He’s not a guy who is going to say much, but he does it with his actions. He shows up when you need him the most in my observation of him.
