As with every week, Coach Dave Aranda spoke on Monday during Media Availability. Aranda spoke after a gut-wrenching loss against TCU on Saturday. Admitting fault, taking responsibility, and reaffirming his faith in the Bears team, Coach Aranda has a lot to answer for (and even more to show) after this past week.
Coach Aranda's Opening Statement
Coach Aranda: "Moving on from the disappointment Saturday night. It's been a lot of work to look at the film and identify stuff that has to get fixed. I think specifically our offensive line and run block in and pass block in I think is the key contributor. I think a lot of our offensive linemen really struggled in the game.
"And you look at the defense, our defensive linemen probably had their best game. Our offensive linemen had their worst game. And so that was really the game when you look at it from that lens. And so I take responsibility for just our offensive front not being where they need to be.
"And so you go back to spring and just the issues there and it's something that is of great urgency to get fixed. Cuz I think that what that's gonna do is give a cleaner pocket to DJ. That's gonna give a run game to where it's not second and ten or second and 12. It's gonna be second and five or second and four after a successful run. And so those are the issues that we're addressing and looking right in the face and that's what's gonna get us better.
"A lot of respect for this team that is up next for us. They play hard. They've got talented players on the edge and athletic and explosive. And it's a team that's hunting for respect. And so it's gonna be a great challenge for us."
Our Take: Once again the defense did an outstanding job preventing yet another team from scoring more than 20 points, collecting QB sacks, TFLs, and INTs. That's been the m.o. for the defense in each game so far this season. Unfortunately, the offensive line has the inverse problem each week as they have yet to truly establish themselves.
It's not a play-calling thing or even something that's determined by the opponent they seem to be facing, but it's as plain as the nose on our faces. The offensive line is somewhere between "not quite up to snuff" and "just bad." Providing little to no run support the entire season, at least the O-line has (mostly) been able to prevent either DJ Lagway or Nate Bennett from taking too many unnecessary hits.
Without the offensive line being able to impose their will, or at the very least provide a push back against the defense, Baylor is going to continue to struggle offensively. Defense wins championships, but without an offensive line tougher than a paper tiger, it's going to be hard for the Bears to win games.
What Kind of Emphasis is Made to Improving the Offensive Line?
Coach Aranda: "Right, for any given play, it was the guys kind of took turns. It was the left guard, this play, it was the center, this other play. It was the right tackle, that play. And so that's a collective thing, it looks that way.
"Physically, there's guys that have to work on technique on certain blocks that they're struggling with. For others, it's a mental issue of letting go of a mistake and not carrying it. Take the lesson, don't carry the weight, and move on to the next. And so specific things for guys, but that is a big chore right now for us."
Our Take: So it's not just one guy messing up, it's all of them? That's a hard thing to take solace in, coach. We just finished up with Week 7, getting the offensive line in sync should have been an issue squashed much, much earlier in the season. Perhaps a loss this embarrassing will light the spark under the offensive line to start acting like they're collectively the size of a mid-sized sedan and should start acting like it.
Halftime Adjustments and Who to Blame?
Coach Aranda: "We'll continue to do that, yeah. The first thing you stare at is me. That's like I have to get that group ready to go. Like that has to, when you talk about tough, smart, dependable, it all starts up front. And so that's a failure by my part. And so I've gotta get that group ready to go. And so if that's moving pieces around, if that's giving competition, if that's challenging guys, all of those things are being talked about and being addressed now."
Our Take: Well, at least Aranda is taking responsibility as the guy in charge. However, without real change being shown in the next game and coming weeks, fan unrest may reach a tipping point that pushes past the point of no return.
The loss to TCU hurts not just fan morale, but also severely hampers Baylor's Big 12 championship hopes. Coming into the game 2-0 in the Big 12, the Bears were in charge of their own destiny and had momentum. After the 17-6 defeat at the hands of TCU at home in Waco however, the Bears are now 2-1 in the Big 12 and a notable step back from conference front runners Utah, Texas Tech, and BYU.
What was the Biggest Issue Against TCU?
Coach Aranda: "I think Saturday really came down to we had trouble blocking them. And so we gotta block them. I think it's more, it's less of, for me right now, our job is trying to get stuff corrected so we can go win games. Less of a macro issue like that, more of an issue of block the guy in front of you.
"All right, dominate the guy in front of you. And so we're really focused on that. I look at the lot of the things that maybe were issues last year that we've corrected, and we're still working on this one. We have to block better."
Our Take: There were certainly issues with blocking the TCU defense on Saturday. But if one of the more fundamental aspects of the game of football "block the guy in front of you" is proving too difficult for the offensive line to handle, this Baylor team and their season may be in more trouble than we initially realized. Six games through the season and six games remain; Dave Aranda's job may rely on him winning four of them at a minimum.
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