By SicEmSportsStaff
Baylor Head Coach Dave Aranda met with the media following the completion of the Green and Gold game at McLane Stadium that was watched by about 3,000 fans. The following are his comments.
Baylor HC Dave Aranda
Opening Statement
Proud of our team. To go through spring the way we did, and to work through a new offense and I really feel improve every week and really find that identity and focus on our strengths and recognize the problems and talk honestly and openly about what they are, and here’s what we’ve got to do to fix it, I feel like that’s happened and is still happening. And I think defensively, to take that next step as a defense is one thing, we return a bunch of guys. It’s another to have a higher level and a higher standard and to have players hold other players accountable, I feel like all that happened. I thought there was great effort today. Depth-wise going into it, whether it be the normal wear and tear of the spring or just short-changed on position numbers to begin with, we were short on a few positions. So, to play two teams was probably a bit much. And I told the team as such. I really appreciate their effort and fighting through it. A couple folks had 16 plays in a row, whether it was this team or that team. And you could see guys changing jerseys on the side. I appreciate that, I appreciate their effort to give us a spring game. Looking forward to what’s next.
(Defense ahead of the offense) I think the defense is ahead right now. I feel like their communication and just their level of comfort in terms of what’s being asked and here’s the how you: communicate, line up, make adjustments, play off blocks, you name it. I think those things are probably a little more ingrained. I think offensively, we’ve made a fair amount of progress. And I can see it. From the perspectives of Saturdays, you probably don’t see it. Speaking for yall, I think the Saturdays, it’s probably rough to see. There’s been a lot of good work on the Tuesday-Thursdays, to get some of those Tuesday-Thursday work and to get it to Saturday and everything Saturday represents – McLane, crowds, stage, lights, all that – is kind of where it’s at. And I think it’s a good phase to be at. Everybody understands it and everybody knows it, and we’ve got the summer to hone in on it even more. I think you’re correct, but I feel good about where we’re all headed as a team.
(Offense know its identity) Yeah, I think just in the play selection you could see it, just one wide-zone run after another. The play-action passes that were called after another. The max-protection, two-man routes that you could see, I think that’s going to be us. I think the more effective we can run the ball, the more secondary players are going to be tied to the run, the more we get the one-on-one. You saw it at times, and we were off on a throw here or off on a protection there. So, there’s been times throughout the spring where we’ve hit on those. To be the consistent, reliable offense we want comes with running the football and really setting the stage for the play-action pass. I think we can see that, I think the details we can hone in on better.
(Continuity building in the OL) I say yes and no. I wouldn’t think I would come in here and have an answer to you like that. I say yes in terms of what the room is like right now with Coach Mateos and then with Coach Grimes above it, I feel like there’s great buy-in. I feel like the kids love Eric and they love Grimey, and they like the direction of where everything’s at. And they feel like they’re being developed and someone cares about them and someone’s got their back. So, from that part of it, yes. I think depth-wise, whether this is getting guys healthy, whether it’s possibly transfer portal, whether it’s freshmen coming in, it’s been difficult to get that as full yes, because whoah, we’ve got these guys over here that are down; these guys over there that are down. Hey, get over here, and forget about the water. Or get a water while you’re doing your jersey change. There’s all that. Until that kind of dissipates, we can get to that full yes, which is important for where we’re headed.
(On the receivers adapting to the different QBs on the fly) That has come up multiple times, whether it was going into Saturdays or even Thursdays, we work a fair amount on football situations specifically, maybe it’s a two-minute, maybe it’s a backed-up, maybe it’s an end-of-the-game scenario, and I think all of those things kind of tie in to who the quarterback is, his style, and then the receivers kind of buying into, Hey, this play is going to be elongated, or hey, so-and-so is in there, that ball’s going to be out before your break, or hey, the scramble and throw is going to be the right.’ So, there’s a fair amount of that. I think sometimes that can cloud maybe an overall progress, but I think in the big picture it heightens an awareness of everyone’s job and how everyone’s one-eleventh kind of completes the thing.
(Assess the QB play today, ready to name a starter) No, not yet. It was good to see things kind of settle and really progress as the scrimmage went on. I think similar to what we’ve talked about in terms of the Tuesday-Thursday and taking that to Saturday, I think that’s what you saw early on. At least that’s what I felt. Coming off on the sidelines, kind of settling down and not trying to have to be anything other than what you already are. Just take away whatever’s kind of going through our head, or whatever we’re making more than what it is. I think once we got to that, we were able to be more consistent. I appreciate their ability to work through that, because I know we’ve got a good group and I’m excited about what’s still to come.
(Ending it on the TD pass to RJ Sneed) It was good. I think it was probably needed, but I also felt like they were competing, so they earned it. One of the things that I love about football is nothing’s given. Countless times I’m standing in the back, whether it was 7-on-7 or team period – this was predominantly early in camp. The quarterback would be out there taking the snap, and I’d be standing with the other three guys. Our receiver over here would be open, and this is supposed to be in progression, and we didn’t see it. And over here, I’m hearing to my side, ‘Look at this guy . . .’ And I kind of go, ‘Man, it’s way easier over here than it is over there.’ So, I think that progression is kind of where you start. And then I think as it goes, just comfortable. You want to know who your receivers are, who that corner is, what that matchup is, what the show is, what’s the tilt, what’s the coverage is going to be. All of those things go into that throw. So, it’s pretty cool to see.
(Abram Smith at RB) He’s been at running back really for the last week, exclusively. He’s challenging that room. You guys saw today just how physical he runs and the track he takes. It’s one foot in the ground, cut, vertical. So, I think he brings us a physicality and an edge that we’re looking for. I think when you’re a wide-zone team and you’re pushing this way, you can either reach an edge and turn that corner, or you can push an edge, stick in your foot in the ground and get vertical. He gives you that ability. I think that vertical piece is one right now that we’re working to get ingrained with some of our other guys. He’s a good illustration of what we’re looking for, but I also think he bring some toughness and some intangibles. I think overall, Baylor wins on that and we get better.
(Younger defensive players stepping and running faster) I think that. One of the things that we’ve talked about is whether it was Terrel Bernard or Jalen Pitre or Christian Morgan, so proud of Christian and his development as a leader. That’s probably not something he would raise his hand and volunteer for, but I think just life experience and his maturity and everything has gotten to a point where people are watching him and seeing how he handles this and that. He’s emerged. And I think just those guys. When things are defined, and then you’ve got people that are managing – these are things that are good, let’s celebrate. These are things that are bad, let’s convert it. But then you’ve got players that are modeling what we’re saying, and are continually leading and holding others accountable, you can bring guys up. And I think that’s occurred. On the defensive side, there’s a vast array of characters. You guys just had one up here (Apu). So, I think it’s a really good mix, it’s a good group. I think we’ve got a chance to be really good. We’re going to get some guys back in the summer time, some really good ones back. So, we’re just getting started over there.
(Apu Ika) I think Apu is still working through things in terms of getting everything lined up and in terms of where he wants to go as a person. I love Apu and his energy, I love his smile, I love his heart. His want-to and his connection to his team and his coaches and just his empathy for others is just so much higher than what I remember. From that side of it, we’re winning pretty strong. I think there’s things on the field that obviously show up, but the personal stuff of him just growing, there’s still some other growth we got to do, but I feel like we’re trending.
(Apu’s impact on defense) Apu is one who will just tell you. He’s not going to raise his hand necessarily. He’ll tell you. He’s always been able to pick stuff up. I think he loves that zero nose, and we love it over here too, so that’s a great start of it. But he knows the structure of the defense and the run fits. He knows protection and he’s been able to tutor people on the sidelines. I know our guys respect him, not only how he plays, but he carries himself in such a way that they see where he’s headed. He’s a good instructor.
(Grimes offense) Going back to that time when all that was happening in December, the thing that struck me about Coach Grimes is No. 1 he’s a quality person, a legitimate good guy, which to be honest you can’t have enough of those. He’s a family guy. He’s someone who can command a room and someone who believes in simplicity. That simple can be sophisticated. You don’t have to be complex, you don’t have to have all these bells and whistles and that. That would be in line with how I would think, so that would be a real strong connector there. Once you got into it, you fell in love with the detail he has and you could feel from just talking to a lot of personal friends on that BYU staff, they just raved about him as a person and what he was able to do. Some of the issues we’re talking about now, confidence and that, it just felt like it was a perfect match. The ability to have something in early on and continue to work on it, even when there’s bad and good days, either way did you see this cut-up from the Kansas City Chiefs, hey did you see this cut-up from the Seattle Seahawks and all that, just to continue working our stuff and working on the details of it, that’s what you love. Because our kids can relate to that, and when things are simple you can go out and execute.
(4 turnovers today) So it’s been emphasized and it’s good to see. This is probably one of the better days for all that, so it was good to see defensively the strip, a couple of picks. So the energy on that side was pretty strong. I thought throughout the spring game it was at a really high level. From that perspective, you really think this is a good start and let’s continue on this path. Last year there was a lot of good in that general direction. I think offensively it was our poorest day in terms of that. I think that probably adds something to with what we talked about at the beginning with the Green and Gold, and all of it. So we’re going to take that as a learning experience. I look at the collective of all spring and I think they did a good job.
Baylor Head Coach Dave Aranda met with the media following the completion of the Green and Gold game at McLane Stadium that was watched by about 3,000 fans. The following are his comments.
Baylor HC Dave Aranda
Opening Statement
Proud of our team. To go through spring the way we did, and to work through a new offense and I really feel improve every week and really find that identity and focus on our strengths and recognize the problems and talk honestly and openly about what they are, and here’s what we’ve got to do to fix it, I feel like that’s happened and is still happening. And I think defensively, to take that next step as a defense is one thing, we return a bunch of guys. It’s another to have a higher level and a higher standard and to have players hold other players accountable, I feel like all that happened. I thought there was great effort today. Depth-wise going into it, whether it be the normal wear and tear of the spring or just short-changed on position numbers to begin with, we were short on a few positions. So, to play two teams was probably a bit much. And I told the team as such. I really appreciate their effort and fighting through it. A couple folks had 16 plays in a row, whether it was this team or that team. And you could see guys changing jerseys on the side. I appreciate that, I appreciate their effort to give us a spring game. Looking forward to what’s next.
(Defense ahead of the offense) I think the defense is ahead right now. I feel like their communication and just their level of comfort in terms of what’s being asked and here’s the how you: communicate, line up, make adjustments, play off blocks, you name it. I think those things are probably a little more ingrained. I think offensively, we’ve made a fair amount of progress. And I can see it. From the perspectives of Saturdays, you probably don’t see it. Speaking for yall, I think the Saturdays, it’s probably rough to see. There’s been a lot of good work on the Tuesday-Thursdays, to get some of those Tuesday-Thursday work and to get it to Saturday and everything Saturday represents – McLane, crowds, stage, lights, all that – is kind of where it’s at. And I think it’s a good phase to be at. Everybody understands it and everybody knows it, and we’ve got the summer to hone in on it even more. I think you’re correct, but I feel good about where we’re all headed as a team.
(Offense know its identity) Yeah, I think just in the play selection you could see it, just one wide-zone run after another. The play-action passes that were called after another. The max-protection, two-man routes that you could see, I think that’s going to be us. I think the more effective we can run the ball, the more secondary players are going to be tied to the run, the more we get the one-on-one. You saw it at times, and we were off on a throw here or off on a protection there. So, there’s been times throughout the spring where we’ve hit on those. To be the consistent, reliable offense we want comes with running the football and really setting the stage for the play-action pass. I think we can see that, I think the details we can hone in on better.
(Continuity building in the OL) I say yes and no. I wouldn’t think I would come in here and have an answer to you like that. I say yes in terms of what the room is like right now with Coach Mateos and then with Coach Grimes above it, I feel like there’s great buy-in. I feel like the kids love Eric and they love Grimey, and they like the direction of where everything’s at. And they feel like they’re being developed and someone cares about them and someone’s got their back. So, from that part of it, yes. I think depth-wise, whether this is getting guys healthy, whether it’s possibly transfer portal, whether it’s freshmen coming in, it’s been difficult to get that as full yes, because whoah, we’ve got these guys over here that are down; these guys over there that are down. Hey, get over here, and forget about the water. Or get a water while you’re doing your jersey change. There’s all that. Until that kind of dissipates, we can get to that full yes, which is important for where we’re headed.
(On the receivers adapting to the different QBs on the fly) That has come up multiple times, whether it was going into Saturdays or even Thursdays, we work a fair amount on football situations specifically, maybe it’s a two-minute, maybe it’s a backed-up, maybe it’s an end-of-the-game scenario, and I think all of those things kind of tie in to who the quarterback is, his style, and then the receivers kind of buying into, Hey, this play is going to be elongated, or hey, so-and-so is in there, that ball’s going to be out before your break, or hey, the scramble and throw is going to be the right.’ So, there’s a fair amount of that. I think sometimes that can cloud maybe an overall progress, but I think in the big picture it heightens an awareness of everyone’s job and how everyone’s one-eleventh kind of completes the thing.
(Assess the QB play today, ready to name a starter) No, not yet. It was good to see things kind of settle and really progress as the scrimmage went on. I think similar to what we’ve talked about in terms of the Tuesday-Thursday and taking that to Saturday, I think that’s what you saw early on. At least that’s what I felt. Coming off on the sidelines, kind of settling down and not trying to have to be anything other than what you already are. Just take away whatever’s kind of going through our head, or whatever we’re making more than what it is. I think once we got to that, we were able to be more consistent. I appreciate their ability to work through that, because I know we’ve got a good group and I’m excited about what’s still to come.
(Ending it on the TD pass to RJ Sneed) It was good. I think it was probably needed, but I also felt like they were competing, so they earned it. One of the things that I love about football is nothing’s given. Countless times I’m standing in the back, whether it was 7-on-7 or team period – this was predominantly early in camp. The quarterback would be out there taking the snap, and I’d be standing with the other three guys. Our receiver over here would be open, and this is supposed to be in progression, and we didn’t see it. And over here, I’m hearing to my side, ‘Look at this guy . . .’ And I kind of go, ‘Man, it’s way easier over here than it is over there.’ So, I think that progression is kind of where you start. And then I think as it goes, just comfortable. You want to know who your receivers are, who that corner is, what that matchup is, what the show is, what’s the tilt, what’s the coverage is going to be. All of those things go into that throw. So, it’s pretty cool to see.
(Abram Smith at RB) He’s been at running back really for the last week, exclusively. He’s challenging that room. You guys saw today just how physical he runs and the track he takes. It’s one foot in the ground, cut, vertical. So, I think he brings us a physicality and an edge that we’re looking for. I think when you’re a wide-zone team and you’re pushing this way, you can either reach an edge and turn that corner, or you can push an edge, stick in your foot in the ground and get vertical. He gives you that ability. I think that vertical piece is one right now that we’re working to get ingrained with some of our other guys. He’s a good illustration of what we’re looking for, but I also think he bring some toughness and some intangibles. I think overall, Baylor wins on that and we get better.
(Younger defensive players stepping and running faster) I think that. One of the things that we’ve talked about is whether it was Terrel Bernard or Jalen Pitre or Christian Morgan, so proud of Christian and his development as a leader. That’s probably not something he would raise his hand and volunteer for, but I think just life experience and his maturity and everything has gotten to a point where people are watching him and seeing how he handles this and that. He’s emerged. And I think just those guys. When things are defined, and then you’ve got people that are managing – these are things that are good, let’s celebrate. These are things that are bad, let’s convert it. But then you’ve got players that are modeling what we’re saying, and are continually leading and holding others accountable, you can bring guys up. And I think that’s occurred. On the defensive side, there’s a vast array of characters. You guys just had one up here (Apu). So, I think it’s a really good mix, it’s a good group. I think we’ve got a chance to be really good. We’re going to get some guys back in the summer time, some really good ones back. So, we’re just getting started over there.
(Apu Ika) I think Apu is still working through things in terms of getting everything lined up and in terms of where he wants to go as a person. I love Apu and his energy, I love his smile, I love his heart. His want-to and his connection to his team and his coaches and just his empathy for others is just so much higher than what I remember. From that side of it, we’re winning pretty strong. I think there’s things on the field that obviously show up, but the personal stuff of him just growing, there’s still some other growth we got to do, but I feel like we’re trending.
(Apu’s impact on defense) Apu is one who will just tell you. He’s not going to raise his hand necessarily. He’ll tell you. He’s always been able to pick stuff up. I think he loves that zero nose, and we love it over here too, so that’s a great start of it. But he knows the structure of the defense and the run fits. He knows protection and he’s been able to tutor people on the sidelines. I know our guys respect him, not only how he plays, but he carries himself in such a way that they see where he’s headed. He’s a good instructor.
(Grimes offense) Going back to that time when all that was happening in December, the thing that struck me about Coach Grimes is No. 1 he’s a quality person, a legitimate good guy, which to be honest you can’t have enough of those. He’s a family guy. He’s someone who can command a room and someone who believes in simplicity. That simple can be sophisticated. You don’t have to be complex, you don’t have to have all these bells and whistles and that. That would be in line with how I would think, so that would be a real strong connector there. Once you got into it, you fell in love with the detail he has and you could feel from just talking to a lot of personal friends on that BYU staff, they just raved about him as a person and what he was able to do. Some of the issues we’re talking about now, confidence and that, it just felt like it was a perfect match. The ability to have something in early on and continue to work on it, even when there’s bad and good days, either way did you see this cut-up from the Kansas City Chiefs, hey did you see this cut-up from the Seattle Seahawks and all that, just to continue working our stuff and working on the details of it, that’s what you love. Because our kids can relate to that, and when things are simple you can go out and execute.
(4 turnovers today) So it’s been emphasized and it’s good to see. This is probably one of the better days for all that, so it was good to see defensively the strip, a couple of picks. So the energy on that side was pretty strong. I thought throughout the spring game it was at a really high level. From that perspective, you really think this is a good start and let’s continue on this path. Last year there was a lot of good in that general direction. I think offensively it was our poorest day in terms of that. I think that probably adds something to with what we talked about at the beginning with the Green and Gold, and all of it. So we’re going to take that as a learning experience. I look at the collective of all spring and I think they did a good job.
