Everything Baylor HC Dave Aranda said ahead of Big 12 opener against Arizona State

After taking down Samford in Week 3, Baylor has a big contest looming. The Bears will host Big 12 foe Arizona State on Saturday night for Baylor's Big 12 opener. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Sun Devils came over to the Big 12. Here is everything head coach Dave Aranda said ahead of the game.

Opening Statement

It's good to see you guys, excited for this week. It's a good meeting today, good practice, a lot of good energy there. This is a big rebound week for us. So we're looking forward to the work that we gotta do to play a good game on Saturday. I know Saturday night will be exciting, so we're looking forward to that.

Seeing improvement from the defense after seeing Samford film

I think it's gonna take every day intentional focus and effort by coaches, players, all of it, to get to where we need to be. I think there's some improvement there, but certainly not enough. I think we're gonna be way tested Saturday with really physical run offense and big play offense and a guy that we gotta locate and try to get more than one dude on, and so that causes a lot of issues.

And so for us to play really sound physical defense in that type of landscape is something we just really haven't been a part of yet. And so, yeah, I mean, we got better today, we gotta continue to get better. There'll be work kind of volunteering, guys watching film together and all of it the rest of the day.

It's gonna take that every day to get to where we need to be.

What he wants to see this week

You have to play more physical on O-line, D-line.

On the play of Caleb Burns and Micah Gifford

I think it was good to see them making plays. I think when you make plays like that, you can gain some confidence.

And so I think there's some confidence now behind their game. And so I think that first step's always kind of a big one cuz you're kind of stepping into a void, and then you kind of find your footing after that. And so I think they can clearly see the next step, so I'm excited for them to take that next step.

On the four takeaways against Samford

I hope so. I think the excitement about guys getting takeaways was good to see. We had a couple today in the two-minute period that we had, and a lot of excitement with guys getting it.

And so I think everybody wants to be in that bear coat. I think once you kind of get it going, it can be contagious. I don't think we've got it going yet, but I think there's a want to.

And I think guys recognize the importance of it. And it needs to be a part of, I think with our offense and our ability to score as fast as we can. And the offenses that we see and how many possessions there are, I think we have to get takeaways, and so it's a must.

How Sawyer Robertson has responded after a tougher week

Yeah, I just walked by him. There's like a skywalk there, and he's out there with Trigg right now, getting extra work, and so I think he's very motivated. I think you always, as a coach, you feel like you need to say something.

You really don't need to say much to him. He gets it, and he's on it.

On the ground game this week against Samford

Yeah, I think we've had more success with stretch plays and wide zone than we have with inside zone. At the end of last year, the inside zone was by far kind of our best style of run. And we just haven't been able to get the movement up front, and I think some of it has been, at the end of the game, we're running into loaded boxes, runs that have RPOs attached to them.

We really should be throwing it, and we weren't, and I think B. Walsh was, there's 20 guys in there, and he's running through 18 of them. And so I think there's a whole improvement there that's gotta take place, for sure, but I think the ability to run them wide with the stretch play and get that loose to kind of soften up the middle with the inside zone is how we're looking at it.

On the O-line improving

Those guys getting better, yeah.I think our movement up front, the line of scrimmage. When I broke the team this morning from our practice, I told them, hey man, the line of scrimmage, those first series or two, it's gonna go one way or the other, and that's really gonna beat the game.

Kind of where is that push going? How's that look? And so we have not, three games in, we have not decisively won kind of that battle. And we've won some games without it. In this game, I think we're gonna, to win it, we're gonna have to win that battle.

What Arizona State does well

Their game plan outfit on offense. I think they will look at your structure and design plays for that. I think they're a big play offense. They try to feature zero, and they'll move him around to do that. Quarterback is very dangerous scrambling. We've played some quarterbacks that are dangerous scrambling.

He's right up there, if not the number one guy of all of them. I think he's very fast, and when he decides to kind of cut it loose, he can make big plays. Both throwing it on the run, but running it, for sure. I think the running backs are a squad that's kind of coming together. I think they're looking to get healthy and everything. But they're a talented group.

Obviously, there's a big miss from last year, but I think they've got a competent and really solid, really good group. So it's a challenge for us. I mean, the line of scrimmage for them is a lot of returners and veteran guys. And so they handle movement really good, the ID, pressure, and they're able to kind of sort through and pick it up and move it out the way. And so they play a brand of ball that kind of bullies you. And if you let yourself be bullied, they'll take it.

Then defensively, I think a lot of pressure in big time moments. I think linebacker-wise, really talented. I think front-wise, they got two edgy guys that can win one-on-ones. And here lately, a lot of zone, try to force the ball down until it gets into pressure moments and then they heat you up. I think that heat up thing could be around any corner. I think they use that and call that out pretty effectively.

How Baylor is approaching Big 12 play after last season

I think it's just the team that we've got right now focusing on kind of what we've done well and how can we multiply that. If we've got really good people, could they be better served playing more? Could they be better served in a package?

Could we take some of the calls that we're doing here and put it into this personnel package cuz these guys are playing well? I think anytime when you're starting to learn your team and guys are playing well, you wanna feature the stuff that's going good. So I think that's going on right now.

I think that's a way important part of this particular time right now. Along with that is the stuff that we're not doing well. We gotta get it fixed.

We gotta find ways to change how we practice, change how we meet, change how we think about things. And I think the morning practices are good in that respect. It gives coaches a lot of time throughout the day to kind of sit it down, break it all down, go by it piece by piece, and put it back together.

A lot of times, the things that you do all the time, you don't recognize. There could be thoughts that you have that are just constructed that you don't think about. And you have to break that down to kind of get to, here's how we can get better. So there's a lot of that going on, too.

Thoughts of playing Arizona State for the first time

I'm excited just for, I mean, I've always been a fan of this particular team. I know there's a coach, when I was younger, I would always travel. I remember my mom drove me this time, because I would drive to visit these schools to go talk with coaches.

And I'd go to Cal or, I don't know, Stanford. Or I think I went to Arizona one time, so I told my family, hey, I need money. So I'm gonna drive to Arizona State. And so she didn't want me to do that. So she drove me, so we went to Arizona State. And there's a coach over there named Johnny Barr that I used to meet with.

Phil Snow was on that staff at that time. Kevin Wolfhausen, all these guys, just Bruce Snyder staff, unbelievable staff. And I remember Arizona State, the campus kind of turns into the downtown. There's like a downtown area that looks pretty cool, and it goes into campus. So my mom dropped me off right in the middle of that. Mom, please, pull off to the side.

Can we go in the back before you drop me off like that?So when I think of Arizona State, I think of that. But yeah, I've always been a fan of them, and so I'm excited for this game. It's a big game right off the bat. I'm excited for the opportunity.

Is a primetime game against ASU a good thing for this team right now

I think any time you kind of give in to a judgment thing, where this is important, that's not important. This deserves my attention, that doesn't deserve my attention. I just don't think it really works like that, I don't know.

I think everything's important. And I think what's hard about that is that it's almost like a body snatcher thing. Where it's the same dude, but he's not there.

And you gotta shake him, and you gotta do all these things to kind of wake him up. And you kind of give in to that voice of, hey man, it's this or it's that. And so the issue with giving in to that voice is that, obviously this week, with whatever jerseys we're wearing, whatever time of night we're playing, whatever the opponent is, all these things.

I'm sure guys are gonna get going, but then once you have adversity, then that voice kind of comes back into play. And you already gave in to it one time, it's easier to give it in to a second time. And so I think that's a big deal, and we have to be better at that. I think we've got guys with a lot of pride and have a lot of professionalism in what they do. But I think that's something that we have to improve on.

On Carl Williams' health

Yeah, he was going through everything today, so excited for his opportunity. He's fighting hard to get back on the field.

On Phoenix Jackson's health

I don't know. I think he's still kind of getting evaluated. I hope to know later this week. He's someone that really high hopes going into the season. We're hoping that we get him back here soon.

On dealing with depth due to injuries

Yeah, they've been working in throughout .I think that's something where it's kind of a double edged sword, I think on defense, particularly that first week, even the second week, where you're not playing as well as you'd like to play. And you try to get something fixed with the group that made the issue and made the problem, had the mistake, and then a whole new fresh group rolls in.

And they're just happy to kind of get on the scene and to bring them up to speed with all of it. And then it hits them in the mouth, and now you're kind of two, three steps behind with them. You feel like you're never out in front of it, right?

Whereas, what is it, it's kind of 50 first states, when you're rolling people through. And so when you have the same group through, right, that mistake builds kind of a library that they can go back to and see. There's always the ability to see on the sidelines, and obviously we preach that, I think it's another thing to go through it.

And so, I mean, there's always an issue with playing a lot of guys, but the positive thing about playing a lot of guys is kind of what you're talking about. You have guys that have played, have some experience, you feel comfortable with them getting in, so that's where we're at right now.

On D-line getting healthier

Yeah, I think some of the question goes into, who's our best players? Who's, is it, how do we feature our best guys? Are these our best guys?

Does this give us the best chance to win? Does last year's structure and the year before structure, does that help us win this year? Is this year a different year? I think all those things are happening.

On LeVar Thornton's bounce-back play

Yeah, I think he's got so much ability and so much promise. And I think what he's lacking is really just strong confidence. I think he is such a great kid and wants to please and wants to do well.

I think he's got all the ability to go out there and demand stuff and take away stuff and tell whoever's lining up against him, I'm gonna take it away. And I just think there's a, for guys that are like LeVar, you have to kind of go through some stuff to build up the insides. To be able to get to that point where you could say I'm gonna take away stuff.

I think there's dudes that just come out the gate that are like that. LeVar's got a lot of positive things. He's just not that way. I think he's working through it. I think once he gets to the point where he lines up and there's a look in his eye and all that, then watch out. He's very, very talented.

On Ashtyn Hawkins' play this season

Yeah, I think he is someone that Sawyer looks to. I think when you look at Trigg and you look at Ashtyn, I think those would probably be the two. And there's a bunch of weapons there.

You could probably argue for a couple other guys that have been making some plays here lately. But I know that those are two that he has a comfort level with and they kind of see things the same way. And so Ashtyn's a big part of it, whether it's just the energy on the sideline or the playmaking on the field. He's someone that our guys, when Ashtyn's on, there's juice all throughout the team that just come from him. Even if he's not playing, if he's on the sideline, people can feel it.

On Sawyer's mindset playing another good Big 12 QB

Yeah, I think with Sawyer, it's gonna be how can I get better? How can I get back to when I'm playing my best? How can I take this next step?

How can I help this team win? I think those are all the things I know that he has probably said or said internally, I guess, to us. And so I very much believe that with him. Just like I say, coming up here and he's still on the field with guys. I think he's very in tuned in terms of this is a week to improve. This is an opportunity not to be missed.

And he's leading us into that. So I would bet on Sawyer.

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