Transcript: Aranda reflects on TCU game, previews trip to Iowa State
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda Weekly Press Conference
November 2, 2020
On mood of team Sunday…
I thought it was a positive one. I think there’s a fair amount of accountability. I think that’s got to start from the top. It’s Tell the Truth Sunday, so you strip away the emotion, strip away any I want this or I want that and tell what happened. What the reality was and find out why it happened. What things were drilled throughout the week, what things were emphasized throughout the week. Did those things play out in the game? If so or if not, then why not. We got to drill down to all of it and spend a lot of time on the game tape. I thought we did that. We met offensively and defensively as groups and watched the game tape as full defense and offense together. I thought that was good. So the ability to kind of see what’s what and for there to be some ownership, both the coaches and players I think is important.
On status of John Lovett and Tyquan Thornton…
I think both of those guys are questionable right now. We’ll have to see how that plays out later in the week.
On biggest need for the offense…
I think offensively there are a couple of things. Offensive line-wise, I have to make sure we have five guys out there that are the same guys if we’re granted the opportunity to have them like we were this past game, which was really the first game. We get good knowing who’s to my left and who’s to my right, and what do we do in all of it, I feel like that’s No. 1. No. 2 would be the ability when we’re facing stunts and pressures, and things come from different angles, to really be able to coach aggressive and to be simple, so that we can fire off the line and take advantage of the angles we’re provided. I think those are things where personally I can do a better job of. So I think that’s something as we’ve kind of gone through all of this I’ve learned and I’ll be better at.
I think just offensively to widen it out. I think the consistency and to not have penalties. If a route is to be broken off at 10, let’s break it off at 10, not at 8, not at 12. I think those are things that need to be better and need to be more consistent. Those are things we’ve certainly talked about the last couple of days. I feel like our ability to execute the ordinary things at an extraordinary level is going to be a key to getting this turning around.
On benefits of Tell the Truth Sunday…
I think it’s good. Anytime there’s this real strong accountability, you’re able to have answers. I think when you don’t have success, I think people want to know why and what do we have to do to have success there. I think you’ve got to drill down into that and strip away all the passions that come with it or possibly hurting people’s feelings or protecting this or covering for that. You’ve got to get down to it. I feel like as a staff you have to be that way and your players have to be that way. We were certainly that yesterday and I appreciate everyone for doing that.
I think it’s important. That’s where you grow. That’s where you see where things are at, and now you can talk about things that are real and get better with stuff. We’re practicing today and we’re going to get right back at it. We’re excited to attack the right things at the right time the right way.
On conversations with team about Election Day…
We’ve talked about it quite a bit all the way back to quarantine time. I know leading up to this in outside moments we’ve talked about it. A fair amount of our team is registered and they pay attention to what’s going on outside of our little football bubble, and I’m appreciative of that. I think we should be that way and we should know what’s going on. They’ve got some opinions and it’s always great to hear all of it. For us team-wise going today with the short turnaround from yesterday and really honing in on our stuff and our base runs, passes, fronts, coverages, and getting that stuff in today versus their base, and having some more time tomorrow and get back on it on Wednesday with a mixture of first and second down as well as third down.
On missed tackles…
It was disappointing to see those missed tackles. We really have not had I think a real strong issue there. It goes to unfortunately the scoreboard. I feel like any time that you’re down it creates pressure, it creates abnormal behavior. When you’re not winning, I think people go outside of whether it’s a job description or it’s a technique, you kind of reach now. If we rewind on all of it, it’s coming from a good place. It’s coming from I want to stop this. I want to get 20 points with this one play. I think that’s where it starts. I think the consistency of one man, one job, doing your job and having faith and trust in the process in terms of what we’re doing day-in and day-out, first down, second down, third down, I think that has to win out. When we look at the missed tackles, I see them from that lens. But when we’re on the grass today, the ability to work on those tackles from those angles is certainly going to be addressed. But I feel it comes from a spot of focusing on the focus.
On development of defensive line…
It’s probably an inconsistent look. I think there’s been positives for sure. I think a lot of the positives have come in the throwing game, so the pressure and stunts and the execution of all of it. I think in the run game it’s been a little up and down, especially these past two weeks. I think all of it will be tested in the upcoming game. So with the edges and there will be A, B, C, D, E and F gaps, so our ability to defend those gaps and set edges, and from outside-in have great gap control and hand placement and lockout and the whole primary and secondary gap, I think is going to be a critical piece. I think we’ve had instances of that, but our ability to be more consistent is going to be really so important in a really strong defensive effort. I think there’s times where we have not been consistent and we resort to other things that open up other things. And we kind of go down that rabbit hole. The ability to play base and set edges, and kind here we are, there you are, let’s go, we’re still working to that piece.
On finding right personnel for defensive line…
Yes. There are guys that the effort is there, the effort mentally, the effort physically, the buy-in. I’m really appreciative of that group. I mean it’s great to hang out with those guys in their pre-stretch and their drills because they’re attacking it, man. Their mindset is to attack that stuff. If you ever need juice, they give it to you. I’m very much appreciate them. We have to get everybody back where they’re in the condition that we can go out and get on the grass and do what we’ve got to do, and find that right mix and balance of guys to get the job done, and I think we’re still in the process that way.
On confidence in faster start and Charlie Brewer…
I feel the faster start, I take accountability for that. I feel like that’s something I need to speak more into, I need to make a greater emphasis of. I think when we get to the stadium, and we’ve got guys in the locker room or out on the grass, I think I need to have a better plan there. So, that’s something that we’re addressing right now. And then, I feel like with Charlie, there’s a lot of positive with Charlie in that second half. We’ve got to get it to where we’re playing a complete game and Charlie’s been Charlie. In speaking to him, his confidence is there, his want to perform at a real high level for the offense and for his teammates is very high. So, I feel a great responsibility to do what I can to give him that opportunity.
On what he has learned from tough losses at previous jobs that he will apply this week…
I think any time after a loss, people are always looking and there are always eyes on you. So, I think with a loss comes great responsibility and accountability. So, you have to take responsibility for your part in it. A lot of times, big losses are the results of little decisions or little actions or little attitudes or little drills or little emphases or little lack of emphasis. You have to look all the way into that and see how that builds to the bigger picture and then own it, man, and then work to turn that around. In terms of the eyes on you, I think you want to be steady. You want to be real. I think the guys that need improvement or need better effort or need better attitudes, I think that’s got to be immediately addressed, because there’s guys out there that are cut wide open. When they come off the sidelines, there’s nothing left in them. And I think the ability to support those guys is way important. I think anytime you lose, you’re working to build on the positives and you’re working to get the guys that can improve and can get better, you’re working to reach them and get better.
On evaluation of early offensive play scripting…
I think looking at players more than plays. I think looking at accentuating the positives, the strengths of our players, or the strengths of maybe a certain alignment that a defense is taking. And I think of living in that space, maximizing our players in that pace. I think of getting the ball out quick, of having one to two progression reads – one, two, the ball’s out. I think those things to start it and get in a rhythm. The facts that you just brought up there (17 first-half points combined in last 3 games, no first downs in 1st two series, etc.) speak to a lack of a rhythm, lack of any flow. So, I think getting that rhythm going, and then I think what ties all of that in is tempo, is starting faster and getting some positive yards and then getting into a tempo mode. So, I think those things come up.
On plan for Craig ‘Sqwirl’ Williams this week…
Yes, Sqwirl brings such an explosiveness and just a dynamic ability to make plays in space. His ability to be flexed out, for him to work option routes, for him to be in the core and work wheel routes, as well as some of the power read and things where he’s going east and west can complement some of the stuff that we had with him going downhill. So, I think that’s the next step there.
On impression of Yusuf Terry thus far…
I do. I’m a big fan of Yusuf. He has always been someone, since I’ve been here, in watching him and talking to him, with just a ton of ability. Really good length, really good speed and really exceptional quickness for being as long and as tall as he is with the long speed that he has, his quickness in and out of breaks, is one of the things that makes him real special as a player. I think his confidence is growing, and I think just as coaches, we have to continue to pour into him, because I think his ceiling is really, really high. And I think the more that he’s involved and gets the ball, the more he’s going to impact us in a real positive way.
On challenges Brock Purdy and Breece Hall present…
They are impressive to look at. I’m impressed with their offense. I see the length on the perimeter, I see the physicality up front, I see a team that knows who they are. We’ve talked about identity. This team’s got a strong identity, and I think it’s a good lesson that when you know who you are and you play to your strengths, sometimes that’s so big you can’t even see the weaknesses. They’re a good illustration of it. They’re a big stretch team, they’re a big shift and motion team. So, the A-B-C-D-E-F, all those gaps, are going to have to be accounted for. There is quite a bit of work on just betting lined up and making sure that our eyes are on the right stuff. In the past, having played teams similar to them, there’s a certain style that you have to play of setting edges, defending the run, kind of a hardhat mindset. I think we need that and we invite it. I’m looking forward to today, starting it.
On what makes Iowa State defense special…
They make everything look the same. To back up even further, the general defensive structure is a frontline and then your second level and then your DBs way back there. So, what offenses have done with RPOs or play-action pass is they affect that second level where it works up to the first level, and then there’s space between the linebackers and the DDBs to throw the ball. So, what they’ve done is just create another level, so they’ve got their front, they’ve got their linebackers, and then they create another level in between the backer level and the DB level, where a lot of those routes come into play.
I think they also have the ability in the run game, to get that guy, the other-level guy, to be unaccounted for in the run game. Or, if you do account for him, then you’ve got to be concerned about edge pressure all this other stuff coming off the side. So, it’s a great set-up. I have a lot of respect for the coaches on that side of the ball, and they’ve got really good players, too. And there’s a physicality and a team bonding there that you can just kind of see, it really screams off the tape. So, it will be a challenge for us. I think there’s been some real competitive games in the past between the two schools. And I know just being around our offensive guys, I know they’re excited for the challenge.