3 Biggest Decisions Coach Aranda Got Right Against Prairie View A&M and What They Mean Moving Forward
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With the victory over Prairie View A&M in the books for week two of the season, Head Coach Dave Aranda can breathe a little easier as the fan-base won't be as vocal about his position in the hot seat, at least until the next game. Unfortunately not a very competitive game between the two schools as the level of talent and depth on Baylor's roster simply overwhelmed Prairie View A&M's valiant effort. With that in mind, there was an objectively good decision or two made by Coach Aranda for this game. In this article, we'll take a look at the most notable of them and provide our editorial commentary on it
Starting Nate Bennett over DJ Lagway
DJ Lagway wore his jersey for the game against Prairie View A&M but out of caution and overall safety, he was not wearing his pads and remained on the sidelines. Could Lagway have started against Prairie View A&M? Maybe, but smarter heads prevailed and Bennett got the nod for the week's starting position.
Performing admirably, Bennett had two interceptions but by the time they happened the game was already well in hand and essentially decided. Throwing for 300 yards, two touchdowns, running for a third touchdown on the day, and ultimately picking up the win, Bennett's first official collegiate start went about as well as it could have.
Getting Jayden McGowan (and Other Receivers) Involved in the Passing Game
Gavin Freeman recorded his second consecutive 10+ catch and 100+ yard game against Prairie View A&M, but as solid of a day as he had, he's not the story here. In last week's game, Lagway completed 22 of his 27 passes (of 54 total attempts) to three receivers.
An adjustment to the game plan for this week saw 11 receivers catching the remaining 15 passes of Bennett's (and Griffin's) 42 total attempts. It means that seven different receivers caught a single pass a piece, and if that's not spreading the ball around much more than last week, I'm not sure what then would qualify.
Maintaining a Balanced Game Plan for This Week
Baylor had 32 total first downs against Prairie View A&M, 16 of which came through the air, 13 came from the running game, and three were awarded due to penalty. Running 84 total plays, the division between them in terms of running plays vs. passing attempts is split perfectly evenly at 42 each.
If the mission for this week's game against Prairie View A&M was to avoid becoming one-dimensional, then "mission accomplished."
What it All Means Going Forward?
The biggest and brightest positive to be acknowledged about all of this is that Coach Aranda isn't afraid to alter his overall scheme to help provide his team with the best chances for success. The Bears team currently sits at 1-1, with next week's game against Louisiana Tech where Baylor will be big favorites again, it will be interesting to see if (or how much) Coach Aranda takes from this victory against Prairie View A&M and improves even further.
With Colorado and the first Big XII conference game looming just a few weeks away, Baylor currently sits with a 0-0 record in the Big XII and the sky is currently the limit.
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Brad is a writer and contributes to the Baylor Bears on SI, with aspirations to share his own unique thoughts and perspectives with fans. Whether through the facts and figures of the past or the untold potential and triumphs of the future, sports have always been a large influence on Brad's storytelling and life overall. His inspiration to write began while watching sports when he first noticed the highs and lows of each game, each quarter, each play; there's a story in each of them worth telling, and he wanted to tell them.
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