Everything Dave Aranda said ahead of Houston, talks future with Baylor

Baylor needs one more win in order to make a bowl game. Head coach Dave Aranda spoke to the media ahead of the Houston game, and here is everything he said.

Opening Statement

It's good to see you guys, excited, ready for this week. It's a big week for us. There's energy here at practice and good focus. I thought the team is in a good place when you put everything into account. I think they know what this week means. And a lot of respect for our opponent and the season they've had and the personnel they got, and know it's gonna be a four quarter fight to get a win. And so, ready to give it everything we got.

How to bounce back after last two games

Just go 1-0 every day, what does it take to go 1-0 today? It takes, hey man, I'm intentional in meetings. There's no school this week, so there's locked out. So there could be a lot of phone time, there could be a lot of outside stuff that gets on the inside. There could be, hey, this season, I'm gonna be doing this in a week, or I'm gonna be going here, or I'm gonna be all these other things.

So all of that's gotta be kept out. The focus has to be on what I need to do today. Practice would look like, man, I'm deciding to bring some juice. I'm not just gonna go out there and just feel it. I'm gonna make a decision to bring some energy. It would take intentionality and practice. The things that we're not doing good, let's really focus on those things.

It would take being able to communicate and be on the same page so that when we're going over our correction plays, or we're installing new plays, that hey, everyone's aligned, everyone's together. And so if you wanted to win, the practice would look a certain way. If you really didn't care about the result, the practice would look a different way. And so very much to align with wanting to win and wanting to get something out of each day and to go 1-0 each day is how you do it. Yeah, try to stack those wins.

How talks have been with the offense, and how Sawyer has carried himself heading into this game

Yeah, he's very motivated. And I think frustrated and followed closely with very motivated. I think we have to find a way to where defense and offense plays together. You look at that first quarter of this game that we played, offense is moving it down. That first drive especially is probably one of our fastest scoring drives of the season. And that second drive was a much longer drive, but scored the equal number of points.

Defensively, we're giving up this pass, we have this PI, and we're just not able to execute on all 11 guys. Defense is one guy away, two guys away, and it's a 14-0 head start.Y ou look at the third quarter, I don't know, where's the three drives where the defense is putting them back, offense back on the field. And offensively, we couldn't do anything with it. So it's one side's up, the other side's down. Other side gets up, the flip goes down.

And so we have to build a play consistently that way where we create some momentum and back each other up. We've done that in spurts. We've done that for, I guess, maybe one game. We're gonna need to do it in this one. It's a team with a lot of belief that we're playing and a lot of motivation. You can see it on tape, and so we're gonna have to match that.

What is his message as to how this can get better moving forward under his coaching

I think there is a great, a great, you know, want to determination. A great collective ownership of guys on this team. And I think that they very much wanna be able to break through this ceiling of not getting wins. You know, I think they, there is great, great, great motivation. And, you know, when I, when we go through games, man, we're just, you know, these scores of these last two are not entirely indicative of the fight that's going on.

We're in it, and then it kind of breaks loose. And, you know, I think the guys know how close we are. And I think being in the game with NIL and just everything that it entails to take it even further, I think, would push the product on the field even more. And so I think you take a group of guys that are talented and love Baylor and wanna represent and are doing everything right and are really close to breaking through, and then you take a real concerted effort to win recruiting battles and to bring in even more talent.

I think you have the ingredients to win. And, you know, I think at the heart of it is guys that really care and are really sacrificing. And under hard circumstances, you know, I think it's hard for all sides, but they're really fighting hard. So, you know, I very much wanna see this team win .And, you know, this game here is way important, you know, to be able to do that and be able to celebrate Baylor football. There hasn't just been very much of that, and we haven't really earned it. And so I very much want that for our team.

Does he understand the disconnect and frustration

I do, yeah, I do. You know, I think that probably came with me just not opening up as much as I probably should have. I just think I probably kept the media away too much, and I think, you know, I think that was probably a bad result. But, you know, I think the stuff that's taken out on me is one thing, and then when you take it out on the team, it's like a whole other thing, and it just doesn't feel right when it's that way. Whether it's, you know, collective team or certain players or certain side of the ball, because we've got great guys, and we've got dudes that are really committed to doing it the right way, and so I stand with them.

Decision to kick the field goal in the 4th Q against Arizona

Yeah, so that was the recommendation on that was to kick it, yeah, and so I think, you know, there's a certain yard range you have to be in, and then there's a certain distance that has to go to where it's like, hey, this makes sense to go for it or this makes sense to kick it, and we were clearly in the kick zone.

What Sawyer's legacy will be like at Baylor

He's leaving behind a guy that way cares, a guy that's totally committed, a guy that is a great leader and is a great ambassador of Baylor and is someone that really is focused on doing what's right for the school, for the team. For him, it's very much bigger than himself.

What he sees from Conner Weigman

You know, he's comfortable in the pocket. I think he can identify coverage, rotation, and throw the ball to the open guy. I think he's got ability to scramble, make plays when there's stuff not early apparent in the down where there's guys open. And I think there's more and more as the seasons progress, more and more designed quarterback runs where he's got a lot of yards and they've been able to run the ball and win some games with him as a leading rusher.

How much Baylor is focusing on his running skill

All of it, yeah. They make a concerted effort, Houston does, to run the football. And so I think to stop the run is really the thing. Offensively, they've got a really good tight end. They've got a really good slot receiver. And so their pieces are a little bit more inside. Their guys on the outside have got some length, and if you single them up, there's an ability for them to make a play. But I think it all starts with stopping the run.

Difference from Houston from last year to this year

Offensively, running the ball. I think defensively, they can stop people and they can get quarterbacks where they're confused. I think they have a good turnover ratio. I think special teams, they're really sound and they make you work. But I think offensively, they're running the ball and they're scoring points.

How does Baylor end the season with a win over Houston

We've got to try to win today, and then we've got to stack today's win with tomorrow's. And it's just some of the stuff that's coming up here, just the questions and just keeping the focus on what we have to do to win this game. I just think we are battling a little bit, just not being in class and just not a normal routine. Because a lot of times the outside things find a way to creep in a little bit more when you have more time yourself. And so I think it's going to take a real intentional approach to get the type of week we need.

How big of a game is this for recruiting

It's a good one. It's important. It's important to get a win. It's important versus a team that we recruit against a fair amount. Recruit a lot of the same guys. And so some of the battles here this last year came down to us and Houston somewhere in that mix. So I think it is important.

What Josh Cameron has meant to the program

Yeah, you look at this last game, and it's right prior to the end of the half, and we're in a two-minute drive, and he catches a ball on their sideline and has to break two tackles. I want to say to get out of bounds so that we can get on the field, kick a field goal. You know, just, I mean, whatever circumstance there is, he rises to the occasion, and he does it in such a way that just exudes class, integrity, and I think he's just so representative of everything that Baylor's about, and so we're going to miss him greatly.

How to fix turnovers for this game

It's a huge, huge piece. You know, Houston has a corner that particularly is a ball hawk, and they've got linebackers that punch the ball, and, you know, I think it's been the lack of our defense getting takeaways. Then offensively, you know, you look at that fourth quarter, B. Wash breaks through second level, has contact, two hands on the ball as he's supposed to, and he spins out of that looking for more, and as he spins, an arm comes off, and then that's when the ball's out.

So I think it's just more attention to those details when it matters most. I think when you are bitten by kind of the turnover bug, it gets all the way in there, and so we've got to go all the way in there and get it out, whether it's we're past the first contact of stuff, we're now into the second or third contact where the guy like B Wash is going to fight everybody for that extra yard or two, but he has to fight everybody for that extra yard or two with the right technique from start to finish, and so it's going to take that.

Devyn Bobby's emergence

Really strong leadership. Just so proud of just his maturity, and I think Devyn always had a voice. I don't know if he knew how strong his voice was, and I think he kind of allowed himself to be the guy that I guess he always was. I think he would dismiss the fact that he spoke up or said something that guys would listen to him and guys would follow him, and so I think he fully recognizes the power that he's got, and I'm way proud of him. I think he's one of the most improved guys we've got on our team from last year to this year, and this game's going to be a big game for him and for us.

What he wants to improve on going into next year

I think team-wise, we're going to have to really rebuild certain groups, and so I think the use of the portal and high school recruiting would be used towards that, but outside of that, that would be a great question to dive into after this game. Hopefully we get a win.