Aranda's Call Sheet: 'The Team Knows What We're Capable Of'
On Monday, head coach Dave Aranda held his weekly press conference before the Bears (3-4, 1-3) take on Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4) in a homecoming matchup this Saturday. He discussed how they must build on Saturday's victory, improvements from the big win over Texas Tech and what to expect from Mike Gundy's Cowboys.
Building Off Momentum
Almost was a consistent theme across the first half of the schedule for head coach Dave Aranda's squad.
Baylor almost beat Colorado and almost beat BYU. There were flashes against Utah and Iowa State, but by and large, the Bears had yet to string together four competent quarters of football going into the mid-season bye week.
It wasn't until Baylor's emphatic 59-35 win over Texas Tech on Saturday that the Bears played their first complete game of the year, dominating the Red Raiders in every facet.
Saturday's road win was Baylor's first conference victory of the season and the first win over an original Big 12 member since beating Oklahoma on Nov. 5, 2022.
Now, the players, coaches and fans alike have tangible proof of what the Bears can do when they put it all together for four quarters.
"The belief and the confidence is contagious," Aranda said on Monday. "When [the team] accomplishes something – there's a belief of 'I'm that guy. I can do this.' I think the team feels that, particularly offensively."
Even after a convincing win, like the one on Saturday, Aranda told his squad that now isn't the time to take their foot off the gas. He mentioned a sense of urgency to get things right and improve upon what needs work, especially during Monday's practice.
"Now is the time to be really particular and focused on areas where we can get better," Aranda said. "This is not the time to recline if you have a chair that leans back. It's time to stand up and get moving on the things you're not doing particularly well or with things that we could have done better."
He later noted, "The team knows what we're capable of. They can see it and want to achieve it, but they need a little extra push."
Slow starts at McLane Stadium have been a recurring issue during Aranda's tenure. The fifth-year head coach mentioned how critical it is to start fast this weekend against the Cowboys, and quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) emphasized that at practice on Monday.
"Our aim is to start fast in this game, and we've struggled to do that, but we're going to need to do it this particular week with the start time and our opponent," Aranda said. "We're going to have to play our best early on, and [Robertson] was able to vocalize that, and it's probably better him than me."
Improvements On Both Sides Of The Ball
Arguably, one of the biggest surprises in Baylor's blowout win over Texas Tech was the resurgence of the Bears' run game, which has been dormant since the start of conference play.
The Bears outgained Texas Tech on the ground, 255-to-149. It was the fourth time this season that Baylor had more rushing yards than its opponent and the second time the Bears eclipsed 100 rushing yards in Big 12 play.
During Monday's press conference, Aranda credited the offensive line's performance against the Red Raiders for Baylor's success on the ground.
"Since the beginning of the season and from the first game on, there's been improvement; it's been the consistency part that's been lacking," he said. "To go out and do it is a big step. Then you can really start to believe it, and that happened with the Iowa State game and continued [against Texas Tech]."
Wide receiver Josh Cameron (RJr.) has become the team's most trusted target since Robertson took over as Baylor's starting quarterback versus Air Force. Against Texas Tech, the former walk-on hauled in a career-high three touchdowns while totaling 75 yards and six catches on the afternoon. He's also becoming one of the team's leaders off the field, according to Aranda.
"It's nice to have someone who does everything right and does everything right when no one's watching, so you don't have to be there taking roles and checking boxes," he said. "Josh is going to do it right, and for some of our guys, that's not a thing; it's only a thing when they are being watched or looked at. For Josh to be that way all the time and be the playmaker he is gives us hope that we can create more people like him."
Aranda gave an example of Cameron's leadership from a recent practice when the offense was going through the motions, but Cameron spoke up and refused to allow the sluggish play to continue.
"Josh is a really good-natured person with a great heart," Aranda said. "He threw his helmet down and said all of the f-and-s words that you can imagine and said it in such a really violent and frustrated way. He got everybody's attention, and they all stood up. He flipped that practice around for the offense."
Aranda added, "That's great growth for Josh. If you're making a Disney movie about it, you'd probably use different words, but he got their attention. For him to stand up in that moment and take charge, that's the growth in him."
Defensively, the Bears had one of their better performances of the year against the Red Raiders, limiting them to 21 points before two garbage-time touchdowns late in the contest. The win on Saturday also marked the least number of missed tackles so far this season for Baylor's defense.
Aranda noted that the defense's effort was the best it had been this fall, and he credited some bye-week changes, most notably simplifying things. He mentioned that early in the year, some of the defensive struggles were his fault due to not calling plays in a while and not putting the players in the best position to succeed.
"We really simplified things and have a good idea of who we are and the best way to play," he said. "We had cleats in the ground and were ready to play. The Iowa State game was the exact opposite, and we had to make a big correction, and I feel like we did that."
What To Expect From Mike Gundy's Pokes
After opening the season 3-0 and reaching as high as No. 14 in the AP Poll, head coach Mike Gundy's Cowboys have been in a tailspin ever since, losing four consecutive games to open conference play.
There's been a revolving door at quarterback between Garret Rangel (RSo.) and Alan Bowman (7Sr.). In the close 38-35 loss in Provo to No. 13 BYU, Rangel was injured and was replaced by Bowman, the quarterback who led the Pokes to a 10-win season a year ago.
"They are the fastest-tempo team in our league," Aranda said. "They are trying to find their footing in the throw game, and that's affecting their run game. … They are a really strong opponent. I have a lot of respect for the program and Coach Gundy and everything he's accomplished."
Next to Bowman in the backfield is running back Ollie Gordon II (Jr.), the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, All-American and Doak Walker award winner.
Gordon II has dealt with multiple injuries and has been off to a slow start this fall, but when healthy, he's as good, if not better, than Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks (Sr.), who the Bears saw this past weekend in Lubbock.
"He's big, fast, explosive and dangerous," Aranda said. "You can't one-arm tackle the guy. We're going to have to be at our best and better than what we've been to defend him."
Injury-wise, Baylor appeared to leave Lubbock unscathed and will be getting back three key players this weekend against the Cowboys: wide receiver Ketron Jackson (Sr.), cornerback Tevin Williams III (RJr.) and safety DJ Coleman (So.).
As for lingering injuries, running back Dominic Richardson (Sr.) hasn't played since logging three carries against No. 22 BYU in late September, and safety Kendrick Simpkins (5Sr.) last played on Sept. 21 against Colorado.
"We're hopeful for [Simpkins]," Aranda said. "I think Dom [Richardson] might still be a minute."
The Bears (3-4, 1-3) will play Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at McLane Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.