By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Welcome to another edition of Single-Digit Flashback. Playing off Baylor’s new and popular tradition of awarding numbers 0-9 to those deserving players who have become leaders on the team,
>0. With the announcement of former LSU NT Siaki Ika on where his future is headed coming on Monday, Baylor is crossing its fingers because it needs help along the front. Well, it needs it on both fronts. But in this case, Dave Aranda’s program could really use an enforcer in the middle of the 3-man defensive front.
The staff would have had that had they hung on to DeSoto’s Byron Murphy. But since he flipped to and signed with Texas, they needed a replacement. Ika would fill that because he knows Aranda from their crossover year in 2019 when the Tigers won the national championship. Ika played in 13 games for LSU. But when Bo Pelini took over as defensive coordinator in 2020 and switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3, Ika’s role diminished.
Ika has the credentials as Rivals had him as the No. 93 recruit in the 2019 class. He played sparingly this year before deciding it was time to move on. We’ll keep you posted on what he decides.
>1. The Ika announcement plays into the talking point that Aranda said at his NSD presser last Wednesday when he noted that they needed to find more defensive linemen. It’s mentioned to me that Baylor probably needs 3-4 more of them in order to change the look of that front. As we saw, Baylor’s defense was pretty solid this past year. However, it could not generate enough of a consistent pass rush. The coverages were pretty stellar. But what hurt along with the pass rush was the defense surrendering explosive plays. That happened too much against Oklahoma State, TCU and Kansas State and Texas. The rushing defense would tend to get hit with those far too much.
>2. When you hear about former Baylor QB Charlie Brewer already committing to Utah and former Texas quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson both committing to Utah within hours of each other on Sunday, it does give you pause. The timing of these announcements is nearly of the mindset – and several of my colleagues in this industry agree – that these deals are being struck well before the QBs announce their intentions. There’s a bit of purposeful delay to make it look like some research was done. However, you can’t tell me that Brewer did a crash course on Utah and other schools before he decided to go to Salt Lake City in a week. That’s not a criticism of the process. That’s just the way this works. When you know you’re leaving, lay your groundwork ahead and make sure your people are in touch with the people you want to talk with and see if there is interest. If there is, then you further your discussions. Look it like a coaching search. Urban Meyer and Texas reportedly had backdoor discussions until it was known a week before Texas’ finale that Meyer wouldn’t be coming. And then the following weekend, Texas AD Chris Del Conte announced Tom Herman was returning for 2021.
>3. Here are some odd stats that I looked at from the 2020 season. For instance, did you know that Baylor opponents didn’t miss a field goal this year? They were 12-12, but they missed two PATs. Did you know that Baylor outscored its opponent on points off of touchdowns? They scored 65. Opponents scored 29. Did you know no Baylor offensive player lost a fumble this year? In fact, Baylor’s lone lost fumble was on Trestan Ebner’s muffed punt against Kansas State. Baylor was really good protecting the ball as it had only four other fumbles for a total of five. Did you know that Baylor actually outscored its opponents in the fourth quarter, 79-57? And did you know that no Baylor rusher or receiver broke 500 yards? The closest was receiver RJ Sneed who finished with 497 receiving yards.
>4. Given the way the season ended against Oklahoma State with so many guys out between the coaching staff, support staff and players, finishing the season last week was the prudent decision. Aranda really has to get his offseason program going to legitimately build a foundation. Remember, he was introduced on Jan. 17, which is generally a month behind when most college coaching searches are conducted and filled. He hit the ground recruiting the next day. Players were going through a best-as-you-can-do-it offseason program. Aranda was building a staff. And he was still doing that when the pandemic shut everything down. Baylor was going to start spring ball after it returned from break. An offseason program builds an identity. For this program to really establish something, the sooner it can get off the gridiron and into the weight room and really understanding how the way things are done, the better it will be for 2021. That’s why my criticism of Aranda this year isn’t as intense. If he had a legitimate offseason and they still looked like they did, then sure. We all understand football has become a 365 sport. And when you lose roughly 150 between March and the start of fall camp in August, that’s a gut punch.
>5. One of the answers that struck me in the Zoom Call with Kyron Drones, Jordan Jenkins, Javon Gipson and Monaray Baldwin was Jenkins talking about how he was going to transition into power lifting during the winter. He said he wants to get stronger before he arrives at Baylor in the summer. The thing I picked up on Jenkins is that he gives the vibe of a real self-starter. I’m looking forward to watching his career once he arrives.
>6. This postgame comment from Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber on what he saw with Baylor Saturday in Manhattan, KS.: They really know their roles, they’re unselfish. They make the extra pass, they do what coach asks, and they’re special."
Weber also compares this team to the 2005 National Finalist team he had at Illinois. That group, which went 37-2, lost to North Carolina. That team was crazy good. The thing that makes a special team special is that the communication is at another level. They almost coach themselves. For any team that’s trying to develop continuity, a long layoff could be an issue. But with this group, the 9-day sit down was just a blip. If we can finish this season and play the NCAA tournament, this Baylor team will go down as the one that everyone will remember 20 years from now. They’ll remember most of the players on this roster. They’ll remember the starting lineup. They’ll remember who came off the bench.
>7. Faith was shaken. Nerves were frayed. Frustration seemed constant. The season lasted what felt like an eternity. But we got through this college football season. In August, it looked like there wouldn’t even be a season. The Big Ten 10 and PAC 12 bailed. But when the Big 12 stood its ground and stood with the SEC and ACC, it probably was the first time the league really showed a backbone. They demonstrated there could be a way to play the season while dealing with the pandemic. Testing protocols were rigorous. When there were outbreaks, games were re-scheduled. I think the Big 12 had only two cancellations this year, Texas-Kansas and Oklahoma-West Virginia. Obviously, you hope this is the only year it happens. What I’d like to think is that man found a way to make something happen when all appeared lost. As the biblical line says, “Nothing is impossible…’’
>8. If you feel like Texas A&M was hosed by the College Football Playoff committee by not collecting the No. 4 spot ahead of Notre Dame when the playoff was announced, feel free to come to the Aggies defense. We’re always going to have No. 5 vs. No. 4 argument because that’s what we do. A&M’s resume is very similar to Notre Dame. The Aggies lost by 28 at No. 1 Alabama. Notre Dame lost by 24 in the rematch with No. 1 Clemson which had Trevor Lawrence this time. If Trevor Lawrence is available for the meeting in South Bend, IN in October, I think Clemson wins that and the Aggies are in the playoff. But the Irish won that game. It has to count for something. A&M had a great win over Florida, which lost its three games by a total of 12 points. The aggregate record of A&M’s SEC opponents not named Alabama was 30-48. The Aggregate record of Notre Dame’s opponents not named Clemson was 32-51. Pretty much doesn’t make much of a difference. Was it branding and TV ratings that made the difference? Maybe. BTW, I have no problem with Ohio State getting in at No. 3.
>9. It wouldn’t be 2020 without some kind of end of the year chaos, would it? Aledo continues to play in the Class 5A state playoffs. And it plays its Regional semifinal against Frisco ON FREAKING CHRISTMAS EVE AT 7:30 PM at the Star Center in Frisco. We knew that they wanted to play on Christmas Eve but were hoping for a reasonable time. However, not many venues understandably want to host games. So Aledo was left with flipping home and home with Frisco….and lost. Had Aledo won, no problem for an afternoon game at Bearcat Stadium. We couldn’t get into the Star Center earlier in the day because the Cowboys are practicing. So while you all are enjoying a quiet and sentimental evening with your families or whoever you choose to be with, yours truly will be dealing with the Bearcats. Oh, and the family was not happy to learn this over the weekend. If there’s any consolation, we know there will be 12 Class 5A and 6A playoff games played on Christmas Eve. All but Aledo-Frisco and Southlake Carroll-Arlington Martin have tolerable kickoff times. Carroll-Martin is also 7:30 p.m. Well, I’ll get to listen to Christmas Carols on the way home and when I walk in the door around midnight.
Let’s make it a great week leading up to Christmas!
Publisher
Welcome to another edition of Single-Digit Flashback. Playing off Baylor’s new and popular tradition of awarding numbers 0-9 to those deserving players who have become leaders on the team,
>0. With the announcement of former LSU NT Siaki Ika on where his future is headed coming on Monday, Baylor is crossing its fingers because it needs help along the front. Well, it needs it on both fronts. But in this case, Dave Aranda’s program could really use an enforcer in the middle of the 3-man defensive front.
The staff would have had that had they hung on to DeSoto’s Byron Murphy. But since he flipped to and signed with Texas, they needed a replacement. Ika would fill that because he knows Aranda from their crossover year in 2019 when the Tigers won the national championship. Ika played in 13 games for LSU. But when Bo Pelini took over as defensive coordinator in 2020 and switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3, Ika’s role diminished.
Ika has the credentials as Rivals had him as the No. 93 recruit in the 2019 class. He played sparingly this year before deciding it was time to move on. We’ll keep you posted on what he decides.
>1. The Ika announcement plays into the talking point that Aranda said at his NSD presser last Wednesday when he noted that they needed to find more defensive linemen. It’s mentioned to me that Baylor probably needs 3-4 more of them in order to change the look of that front. As we saw, Baylor’s defense was pretty solid this past year. However, it could not generate enough of a consistent pass rush. The coverages were pretty stellar. But what hurt along with the pass rush was the defense surrendering explosive plays. That happened too much against Oklahoma State, TCU and Kansas State and Texas. The rushing defense would tend to get hit with those far too much.
>2. When you hear about former Baylor QB Charlie Brewer already committing to Utah and former Texas quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson both committing to Utah within hours of each other on Sunday, it does give you pause. The timing of these announcements is nearly of the mindset – and several of my colleagues in this industry agree – that these deals are being struck well before the QBs announce their intentions. There’s a bit of purposeful delay to make it look like some research was done. However, you can’t tell me that Brewer did a crash course on Utah and other schools before he decided to go to Salt Lake City in a week. That’s not a criticism of the process. That’s just the way this works. When you know you’re leaving, lay your groundwork ahead and make sure your people are in touch with the people you want to talk with and see if there is interest. If there is, then you further your discussions. Look it like a coaching search. Urban Meyer and Texas reportedly had backdoor discussions until it was known a week before Texas’ finale that Meyer wouldn’t be coming. And then the following weekend, Texas AD Chris Del Conte announced Tom Herman was returning for 2021.
>3. Here are some odd stats that I looked at from the 2020 season. For instance, did you know that Baylor opponents didn’t miss a field goal this year? They were 12-12, but they missed two PATs. Did you know that Baylor outscored its opponent on points off of touchdowns? They scored 65. Opponents scored 29. Did you know no Baylor offensive player lost a fumble this year? In fact, Baylor’s lone lost fumble was on Trestan Ebner’s muffed punt against Kansas State. Baylor was really good protecting the ball as it had only four other fumbles for a total of five. Did you know that Baylor actually outscored its opponents in the fourth quarter, 79-57? And did you know that no Baylor rusher or receiver broke 500 yards? The closest was receiver RJ Sneed who finished with 497 receiving yards.
>4. Given the way the season ended against Oklahoma State with so many guys out between the coaching staff, support staff and players, finishing the season last week was the prudent decision. Aranda really has to get his offseason program going to legitimately build a foundation. Remember, he was introduced on Jan. 17, which is generally a month behind when most college coaching searches are conducted and filled. He hit the ground recruiting the next day. Players were going through a best-as-you-can-do-it offseason program. Aranda was building a staff. And he was still doing that when the pandemic shut everything down. Baylor was going to start spring ball after it returned from break. An offseason program builds an identity. For this program to really establish something, the sooner it can get off the gridiron and into the weight room and really understanding how the way things are done, the better it will be for 2021. That’s why my criticism of Aranda this year isn’t as intense. If he had a legitimate offseason and they still looked like they did, then sure. We all understand football has become a 365 sport. And when you lose roughly 150 between March and the start of fall camp in August, that’s a gut punch.
>5. One of the answers that struck me in the Zoom Call with Kyron Drones, Jordan Jenkins, Javon Gipson and Monaray Baldwin was Jenkins talking about how he was going to transition into power lifting during the winter. He said he wants to get stronger before he arrives at Baylor in the summer. The thing I picked up on Jenkins is that he gives the vibe of a real self-starter. I’m looking forward to watching his career once he arrives.
>6. This postgame comment from Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber on what he saw with Baylor Saturday in Manhattan, KS.: They really know their roles, they’re unselfish. They make the extra pass, they do what coach asks, and they’re special."
Weber also compares this team to the 2005 National Finalist team he had at Illinois. That group, which went 37-2, lost to North Carolina. That team was crazy good. The thing that makes a special team special is that the communication is at another level. They almost coach themselves. For any team that’s trying to develop continuity, a long layoff could be an issue. But with this group, the 9-day sit down was just a blip. If we can finish this season and play the NCAA tournament, this Baylor team will go down as the one that everyone will remember 20 years from now. They’ll remember most of the players on this roster. They’ll remember the starting lineup. They’ll remember who came off the bench.
>7. Faith was shaken. Nerves were frayed. Frustration seemed constant. The season lasted what felt like an eternity. But we got through this college football season. In August, it looked like there wouldn’t even be a season. The Big Ten 10 and PAC 12 bailed. But when the Big 12 stood its ground and stood with the SEC and ACC, it probably was the first time the league really showed a backbone. They demonstrated there could be a way to play the season while dealing with the pandemic. Testing protocols were rigorous. When there were outbreaks, games were re-scheduled. I think the Big 12 had only two cancellations this year, Texas-Kansas and Oklahoma-West Virginia. Obviously, you hope this is the only year it happens. What I’d like to think is that man found a way to make something happen when all appeared lost. As the biblical line says, “Nothing is impossible…’’
>8. If you feel like Texas A&M was hosed by the College Football Playoff committee by not collecting the No. 4 spot ahead of Notre Dame when the playoff was announced, feel free to come to the Aggies defense. We’re always going to have No. 5 vs. No. 4 argument because that’s what we do. A&M’s resume is very similar to Notre Dame. The Aggies lost by 28 at No. 1 Alabama. Notre Dame lost by 24 in the rematch with No. 1 Clemson which had Trevor Lawrence this time. If Trevor Lawrence is available for the meeting in South Bend, IN in October, I think Clemson wins that and the Aggies are in the playoff. But the Irish won that game. It has to count for something. A&M had a great win over Florida, which lost its three games by a total of 12 points. The aggregate record of A&M’s SEC opponents not named Alabama was 30-48. The Aggregate record of Notre Dame’s opponents not named Clemson was 32-51. Pretty much doesn’t make much of a difference. Was it branding and TV ratings that made the difference? Maybe. BTW, I have no problem with Ohio State getting in at No. 3.
>9. It wouldn’t be 2020 without some kind of end of the year chaos, would it? Aledo continues to play in the Class 5A state playoffs. And it plays its Regional semifinal against Frisco ON FREAKING CHRISTMAS EVE AT 7:30 PM at the Star Center in Frisco. We knew that they wanted to play on Christmas Eve but were hoping for a reasonable time. However, not many venues understandably want to host games. So Aledo was left with flipping home and home with Frisco….and lost. Had Aledo won, no problem for an afternoon game at Bearcat Stadium. We couldn’t get into the Star Center earlier in the day because the Cowboys are practicing. So while you all are enjoying a quiet and sentimental evening with your families or whoever you choose to be with, yours truly will be dealing with the Bearcats. Oh, and the family was not happy to learn this over the weekend. If there’s any consolation, we know there will be 12 Class 5A and 6A playoff games played on Christmas Eve. All but Aledo-Frisco and Southlake Carroll-Arlington Martin have tolerable kickoff times. Carroll-Martin is also 7:30 p.m. Well, I’ll get to listen to Christmas Carols on the way home and when I walk in the door around midnight.
Let’s make it a great week leading up to Christmas!
