Nate Bennett and Louis Brown IV Post-Game Comments Shine Light on Baylor's Team Unity
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After the Bears' victory over LA Tech, Coach Aranda as well as a few players sat down for a post-game press conference. To see our thoughts on Coach Aranda's comments, you can find them here. In this article however, we'll be focusing on WR Louis Brown IV and QB Nate Bennett's comments and providing our editorial takes on them.
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Nate Bennett: "Yeah, no doubt. I mean, I think that was something that, obviously, as a competitor and a perfectionist and as a quarterback, your job is to get the guy, the playmaker, to the ball. And there was times I didn't do that last week. You could say first start or whatever, but I don't, you know, I expect to go in there and play big time football. So, yeah, I think a lot of it's just like you don't have a whole lot of reps throughout spring and fall with the one receivers.
"And it's like, honestly, a big thing is how close we are, I think, as people. And it's like, that matters. And I think that gets lost with football. It's just like how close our team is. And so, yeah, I think having another week under my belt of just throwing to these guys, getting extra work after walkthroughs. Just honestly, we've done a lot with football, too, like our team visualization. And so it was like, you miss something, that's part of the game.
"That's going to happen. I had plays today that I want back, right? But it's just like visualizing you making that play. And I tried to do that a lot this week. And so, yeah, I mean, praise God I connected on them. And so, again, these guys make my job easy. But I'm thankful that I had an opportunity to get it back. So, yeah."
Our Take: Humility from a quarterback. A refreshing realization that sportsmanship and team unity still have their place in sports. That Nate Bennett can acknowledge his shortcomings, admit that things were on him to improve, actively improved them, and never losing the support of the team or coaching staff.
DJ Lagway may end up having more athletic intangibles, but if Bennett were to be named starter for the next game against Colorado, some of the staff here would be quite content with such a decision. Bennett has certainly done his best to provide Baylor with the means to win these past two games.
Nate Bennett on Jayden McGowan
Nate Bennett: "Yeah, I definitely feel that. Jayden's been my guy since he got here. Such a good dude. I mean, y'all probably, who have been around him, just like a fireball out there, like the nicest dude you'll ever meet. And so I love that about him. He's such a great temperament on our team. But, yeah, I mean, we've had a lot of reps together, right?
"Especially in, you know, he came a little later. So fall camp, had a lot of reps together. And he's got special speed, right? So those deep routes and stuff with him and just making people miss, it's really just like, same thing with Gavin, right? It's just like, get the ball in their hands, let them make a play. I'd be a point guard.
"And so I think the stuff in fall definitely translated to what we've done the past two games. And it's just felt seamless, right? And so, again, it's just like, you know, your past question of just building the camaraderie with the other guys. But me and Jayden have been locked in for a minute now. So I'm thankful that he's on our team. He makes my job so easy."
Our Take: Jayden McGowan was only targeted for passes twice against LA Tech, and twice the pass was complete, and each time McGowan scored a touchdown. That's about as solid of a target as a quarterback could want. Add into the mix Gavin Freeman, Louis Brown IV, Dre'lon Miller, and the rest, and and without a doubt Baylor has both a strong and deep receiving corps. But, this is the exact kind of positivity that helps a locker room and a side line, a quarterback willing to spread the ball around and absolute units waiting to catch and run.
Louis Brown IV on Jayden McGowan
Louis Brown IV: "He's a big time player in my eyes. You know, going through winter, fall camp, summer, just seeing him just grow, you know, as a person, he is just amazing, you know? And we all had built that connection, you know, through it all. And we all trust each other. You know, the bonding that we did, you know, through it all. And it just all came together. And we got belief in each other and faith. And then, you know, we're going to make it happen. So it was fantastic."
Our Take: I know I repeat this pretty often, but every time team unity or camaraderie comes up by one of the players is only ever a good sign. These players really seem to like playing together and succeeding together. Even after the loss to Auburn earlier in the season, the Bears weren't passing blame or pointing fingers. They acknowledged that the game didn't go their way and that they would work harder to prevent that kind of outcome from becoming the norm.
Big XII Conference Play Starts This Saturday Against Colorado
Louis Brown IV: "Yeah. Like I said, just having a belief, you know, in our work ethic. You know, we harp on, you know, just being smart, tough, dependable every week, you know. And, you know, we got guys, you know, that can play the inside and outside, and, you know, just practicing day in, day out, and getting that extra work in, you know, after practice. So, you know, we have it down pat, you know, make sure it's second nature to us, you know. So, really just, man, the work ethic, you know, that we put in, and, you know, just believing that we can make it happen. We can make anything happen, as long as we dial it in, you know, and it works throughout the week, and, you know, just doing our 1/11 throughout all. So, yeah, I feel very comfortable going to conference play."
Our Take: The Bears, as a team, seem mentally locked in and ready for Big XII play as well as the remainder of the season. Still some questions on offensive line to resolve and some penalty discipline that needs refined just a bit, but Baylor seems ready to play. If positivity were gasoline, this Bears team would be able to travel to the moon and back in a Buick with some fuel still in the tank. The road ahead through the rest of the season won't be easy, but Baylor seems up to the task.
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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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