'Right Now It's Too Easy To Beat Us': Baylor's Dave Aranda Shows Frustration in Two Key Areas
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During his weekly media availability, Head Coach Dave Aranda was asked a variety of questions. Ranging from the frustrations around offensive penalties and turnovers, to even praise for the offense, and many more topics.
The Press Room is always a happier place after a win than a loss, but Coach Aranda still vocalized frustrations on penalties as well as positivity in terms of the other aspects of the team. We'll be discussing several of the key quotes from Coach Aranda and providing our editorial takes on them in this article.
Coach Aranda's Opening Statement Most Telling
Coach Aranda: "I know locker room was a fun time. On Saturday night, it was well deserved. But there's a lot of things we got to get cleaned up. You know, one of the things that we've talked about quite a bit is being hard to kill. And that's not making it easy for a team to beat us. And right now it's too easy to beat us with the penalties and the turnovers. And we have to clean that up. Our identity needs to be the opposite of that, of giving those things to the opponent. And so we're very focused on that."
Our Take: Coach Aranda isn't wrong, penalties and turnovers are drive killers. And for Coach Aranda to state it so clearly in his opening statement shows that he's been putting some thought to it. The occasional miscue can be overlooked, but multiple false start penalties at home? Those are a lot harder to excuse as readily.
A Lot of Yellow Laundry on the Ground Against PVAM and 4 INTs so far This Season
Coach Aranda: "We have to get it cleaned up, yeah. That's the major number one thing that we have to do. That along with penalties, and particularly penalties on the offensive line. I think you look at offensive things that are holding us back, those are the two. You look at the interceptions. Some of them are on quarterback progressions and reads, and then a lot of it is on, you know, there's a misread of this guy's playing, and he normally doesn't play, or he doesn't normally play this spot, and he's in here for this reason, and there's a miscommunication or a misjudgment, and it ends up being that.
"And so all that stuff's got to settle down, and we're going to have to execute at a higher level. You know, to get in these games to where there's 15 and 16 play drives, and we're going forward and not backward, and we're taking time off the clock, and we're getting into the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game. There's no room for any of these errors that we're making."
Our Take: The reality of the situation is that the players are doing the best that they can with the tools at their disposal. Starting two separate quarterbacks who have never started for Baylor in each of the first two weeks of the season isn't ideal. Kaden Sieracki suffering an injury in game one against Auburn doesn't help things either, nor does the musical chairs of rotating offensive linemen.
We get what Coach Aranda is trying to do, and that's find the best options for the spots available and finding the best spot for each player. There's nothing wrong with that at all. The offense is playing solid football, they just need to commit just a few less penalties throughout the game. The interceptions are in a similar category.
This early in the season, a lot of information available is very fluid on each team and player. We expect as the season continues and Baylor is able to get a deeper and more in-depth film study on each team the better the odds of Baylor's quarterbacks to pick up those reads and avoid a costly turnover.
The Offensive Line Facing Further Changes or are the Starters Locked In?
Coach Aranda: No, I think we probably want to have some guys in spots to push certain guys that are on that starting group, but I think that starting group has proven itself that when they play consistent, they can move people against their will, and they can close a drive out. And so we've just got to get that more consistently. I think that's the issue. One of the things is when we start practice great, we've got to finish it stronger, and that will be up to bat right away on Tuesday morning.
Our Take: Consistency, familiarity, and experience on the field in a live-game together. By Coach Aranda's own admission later in this same presser, he states that, "...some of the guys that were playing in this last Saturday's game, it was their first time ever starting." The consistency will come with time.
However, with another game this Saturday against Louisiana Tech and the Big XII conference season beginning (with Colorado) the week after that, "time" is a precious resource that is quickly running out.
How Does Baylor Go About Getting the Running Game Established?
Coach Aranda: "I think if there wasn't any penalties, if we took away the penalties, that's the easiest. That's the low-hanging fruit right there, way too many penalties. And so we take those away. We had a bunch of them on one guy and was just having a conversation with him just downstairs just five minutes ago. And so the ability to clean that up, I think the efficiency numbers are higher, and there's a lot of positive.
"I think our running backs are running physical. I thought Caden Knighten was much improved from the week previous, was really finishing runs and was hitting downhill. I thought Caden on special teams really was impressive as well. Mike Turner has been impressive both weeks. Dawson Pengrass has been his old self, and you can count on four yards every time he touches the ball. But we have to be consistent.
"This offense right now, there's some big playability. I think the more that we get in a good rhythm with our receivers and we're Jaydens, we're Gavin and Louis, and we get JP back and where those guys are situated. But it's a 12-play, 15-play, 17-play drive outfit, and we just can't go backwards when we're trying to go forwards.
Our Take: It wasn't the only thing that Coach Aranda spoke about during his Monday presser, as he also gave vague updates on player injuries, praise for the defense, talk of the upcoming game against Louisiana Tech, and other topics. Discussion on reducing penalties and turnovers routinely made their way into Coach Aranda's answers though.
For the offense though, it's clear that Coach Aranda believes in his team's ability to take over a game and close it out. But even with his running backs gaining yardage with seemingly every carry, his wide receivers capable of catching whatever is thrown their way, and two potential starting quarterbacks who are both capable of having 300+ yard performances, every positive play becomes null and void when a flag for a holding penalty is thrown, a pass is thrown for an interception, or the ball is fumbled.
Coach Aranda is right to be frustrated by these things, as an ill-timed penalty or turnover could very easily cost Baylor a victory in the future.
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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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