What Baylor HC Dave Aranda said on Monday, including why O-line coach Mason Miller isn't with the program anymore

Head coach Dave Aranda had his weekly press conference on Monday and was asked some difficult questions. How does the coaching staff motivate a group of players, that had major expectations entering the 2025 season, after suffering four losses?

It was also revealed on Monday that offensive line coach Mason Miller was no longer with the program. Aranda touched on that and much more.

Here's what Aranda had to say on Monday ahead of the UCF game.

Opening statement

It was a tough meeting this morning, you know. The somber frustration is still there. It was difficult. I thought the practice, though, was the complete opposite of that. A lot of energy, positive. And so you leave kind of feeling upbeat. I know a lot of guys after the end of practice felt that way. And so it's a big game for us.

We have to correct our ills. It's been two weeks of losing to the same thing. It's kind of been the thing all season long. And so we've got to get it fixed, whether it's the turnovers, stop on the run, self-inflicted wounds. And our focus has been on that, and we hit that today. We're going to continue to hit it, try to build some wins throughout this week so that we can get a win on Saturday.

Message to the fans

We've got a bunch of really, really good people in the program that are doing everything they can to get wins, to make an entertaining product for the fans. And it just means so much when there's fans there and there's a home-filled environment. And, you know, I just look at the guys that are on our team right now that have been through so much and are just such quality people, really good football players, but more than that, just quality people. And they're the type of people where maybe if some of the people we're talking about knew them better, it would be all for them and would be supporting them no matter what. And I just think for them to have it to where their work is being rewarded with people that got their back in a critical game would be cool. But I understand what you're saying. I can definitely see that.

On O-line coach Mason Miller not being with the program anymore

Yeah, it's a personal matter with Mason. And so, you know, my heart and all of my thoughts and really my best wishes for his future go out to him and his family. It's a personal thing. And we've got a group of O-line guys that are kind of analyst-type guys that took over the role on Saturday and are aiming to do it again this week and the remaining way through. And the O-line's in a really good spot. This game that we're in is such a crazy game. And it's just what maybe looks one way on the outside is completely the other way on the inside, and it's just difficult. But they're in a good spot. And they're feeling fired up and motivated and all of it. And so, yeah.

On LT Sean Thompkins

Really good, yeah. I thought for his first time being out there and the bullets flying and everything, really good. I think one of the bright spots. That along with Michael Turner would be two on offense particularly. But I thought Sean really played well. You know, our penalties were way down. It's probably somewhat as a result of that move. And so, a lot to build off of there.

How to keep players motivated and not allow losses snowball

Yeah, I think what happens when you lose sometimes, the frustration sits in. And then you do even less. And so, you give less than your best, which that doesn't. That's an equation that never adds up, you know. But I think it's kind of there's something about us, just the way that we're built that naturally that happens. And then when you lose, there's frustration kind of sits in you.

There's a fog, and you end up giving less than your best this time or this practice or this walkthrough or this or that. So, you've got to be really, really intentional about fighting through that. And so, we've been talking about that quite a bit and been really kind of pinpointed with, hey, these are the things. Here's what we're doing about it. Here's what it looks like when we're doing it right. Here's the accountability piece at the end. So, we're very much in that process right now. I feel good about that path.

How to reverse slow starts

That's a really good question. We talk about that all the time. And so, we've changed practice three times to try to address that. So, this is going to be the fourth time coming up tomorrow. And so, it's not for lack of kind of trying. I think we've got too many guys that kind of dip their toe in, see what the temperature is and all of it, and whether it's kind of giving confidence to players or whether it's getting calls in where there's no checks and it's just kind of a play it and you go. We've kind of come back to the same thing. It's so obvious when the light's turned on and here we are, whatever time is left in the game. And we need to play a game where when it kicks, that's what's happening. And so, very much fighting for that. That is something that's talked about all the time in the building.

How slow starts compare to previous years

I think it's more, I think in the past there would be one side of the ball that would be starting fast, maybe the other side of the ball, not so much. I think this year it's too many times offense and defense.

Bryson Washington's status

Looks great. Yeah, good to go. He had the thumbs up today. Yeah, we'll see how it goes throughout the week, but he's good to go.

Does he expect Carl Williams to play again this season

We're making a really last pretty strong push right now as we speak to get him kind of reevaluated and kind of looked at to try to see if we can get some out of him. I know he wants to, we want to. It's been a frustrating part to a frustrating season so far. And so we're going to try to be able to get it better at the end and see if we can get him involved.

What he sees from UCF

They're explosive on offense, very, very multiple. I think they have really good skill. Special teams is very explosive too. Their returners are really dangerous. Up front, you know, in the past coach has been really kind of multiple and a lot of line movement and kind of disruptive stuff. They've got a very big and really good front. And so he kind of lets them go a little bit more.

And so it'll be interesting just with the news that came out today and just all the things, how much movement and everything we get. I'm sure that's probably going to spike up a little bit because I think he's got always an itching to do that. But they've got really good skill on offense, really good front people on defense. It's a good team. They're coming off a bye.

Why the defense has regressed

Yeah. I think it's been trying to find consistently to where, you know, if it's a run play, it's less than four yards, you know, what's the structure. Just this year, we've moved to three-some structures to try to be able to get it to where we can play fast and adjust to all the things we've got to adjust to. Every year has kind of been different. I think we've, you know, a run play for us has been seven yards. You watch other people, it's been four yards. And so to get it to where it needs to be four yards has been a task we haven't completed yet.

How badly they need a win

Yeah, I think so, very much so. I think, you know, we talked about that fog earlier. A lot of times that fog can get you where, hey, it's calling on less effort. It's calling on kind of negative vibes. You can point at this guy or point at that guy. It's him, it's that guy, it's certainly not me. But just a step away is wins, is a win. Just a step away is momentum. Just a step away is a winning streak, you know? And so that's very much the case. And so we've identified that and are fighting that right now.

On shoring up the long runs against the defense

I think it's a combination, yeah. I think it's, you know, in every game, going all the way back to the Auburn game, there was a run that showed up in that game that they hadn't run. And, you know, we repped it in fall camp as a part of, hey, here's everything. Here's how you fit everything. Here's that. And then it showed up in that game.

And we did kind of our normal deal of here's the drawing, here's the video, here's the fits, and we just couldn't get it fixed. Normally you get that fixed, and we just couldn't do it. And, you know, I go to this last week, Cincinnati's a really strong stretch zone team. They almost ran no zone or no stretch. It was all gap scheme. And we really struggled to get it fit, and it's just that. The things that in the past maybe haven't been difficult are difficult.

Motivating players for the final four games

I think they see that, and they see the schedule, and they know how important it is to win. So the motivation's there. I think the execution's got to be better, but the motivation is there.

Has he seen players pointing fingers

It hasn't been that. I haven't seen that. Yeah, I think it's, you know, the core group of guys that we got just aren't going to allow that. That's just not the culture that we got. And so whether it's, you know, Omar or it's Sawyer or it's Josh Cameron or it's KT or it's Jackie or it's any of those guys, they've been through the mud and the yuck a little bit, and they know, you know, you can easily get out of it, and it's going to take everybody. And so it's a pretty close-knit locker room in there, and there's no room for that.

Blocking out the outside noise

We talk about that all the time too. Yeah, it's, you know, I think it's a part of the game, and I think you have to be so intentional on your own process and kind of what you got and where you're falling short and talking about a coach or a player and what you're going to do about it today and how you're going to improve right now that there's no time for any of that. And that's just difficult because I think, you know, everyone's got their phone right on, you know, in their pant leg, and so you just kind of have to keep reminding and really keep harping on the process.

Is UCF playing its best ball

I think so. I think they're kind of a scheme-driven team, and so there's a whole bunch of lines going a whole bunch of different ways when you watch them, on offense particularly. And so I think they're very much identifying people and weaknesses and attacking that. I think it's more that than, hey, this is kind of what we do. I think that is in there, but not as much as some of the other teams we've played. It's very much stuff that's being cooked up just for a certain team.

On Jacob Redding saying all they have is the guys in the locker room

Yeah, I think they, you know, the team's a close team and the team believes in itself, and they're as frustrated as everyone that we're talking about. And, you know, they want success and their care factor is very strong. They know, though, that it's only going to come by working together. And so that's very much the mantra that you hear out in practice, what you just said right there.

On self-scouting his play calling as a former defensive coordinator

Yeah, we have our offensive guys look at that, you know, and so they'll look and see, you know, which calls were, you know, in the view of like, hey, these are productive calls or we've got numbers at this point of attack or we don't, you know. And so you kind of get a grade, you know, every week with that. So you're very, very detailed with that. I think that's something that I think you have to because I think it's very important. And so you have to be willing to see the good and the bad and the ugly.