Even in Win Over Cincy, Aranda Sees Areas That Need Fixing
10/22/2023 9:11:00 PM | Football
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
For all the good that came from Baylor's 32-29 road win over the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday, because "wins are hard to come by," Dave Aranda pinpointed a couple of areas to fix before he ever left Nippert Stadium.
The obvious one is a run defense that allowed 288 yards total, two 100-yard rushers, 6.7 yards per carry and three plays of 38 yards or longer.
"The run game is kind of a gut punch. I feel that pretty strong right now," said Aranda, whose team improved to 3-4 overall and tied for sixth in the Big 12 at 2-2. "For us to have success, for the rest of the time we've got this year, we've got to stop the run and do it at a better clip than any form or fashion today. That's a challenge for us.
"We've got the guys to do it, both players and coaches. And I thought there was some positive growth in that regard prior to this game. I thought we took a step back today."
Brooks Miller, who got the start at one of the inside linebacker spots with Mike Smith Jr. out with a torn ACL, said it came down to gap integrity – players weren't filling the right gaps and didn't close off the edges. That led to the three long runs by Corey Kiner and Myles Montgomery of 40, 38 and 38 yards, accounting for almost 40% of the Bearcats' rushing total (110 of 288).
"I don't think it was anything they did to fool us," Miller said. "It was frustrating, because we knew they weren't beating us with anything crazy. They were beating us with stuff that we knew we could stop. (Defensive coordinator Matt Powledge) brought us up and told us what we needed to do. And I feel like for the rest of the game, we did it for the most part."
With all of its struggles, the defense still came up with a couple of key red-zone stops. And then, with the game on the line and a 15-point lead whittled to just three, the defense sealed the deal when redshirt freshman safety Corey Gordon Jr. broke up a fourth-down pass to tight end Chamon Metayer with 1:25 left.
"There are opportunities to make plays, even . . . if it's not the way it was drawn up or the way it's designed," Aranda said. "We've got to be able to do that, and we can do that. We were able to do that at the end of the game when there was pressure. We've got to do that in the beginning of the game when there is pressure. The makeup of this team tells me this is something that we're going to be able to conquer and take that next step."
Offensively, the issue was not being able to complete many run-pass options and exploit a Cincinnati defense that left holes across the middle with a one-high safety look. Blake Shapen completed 25-of-42 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown, but left some on the table with a few misses on crossing patterns over the middle.
"Receivers, with the leverage being outside, they can run an in-breaking route where there's nothing there but a guy that's way deep and a bunch of grass," Aranda said. "That's something we wanted to take advantage of, and we really weren't able to. For us to be able to hone in on that and have some run after catch is something that we desperately need on offense. I think anytime you can win and be able to say that you've got stuff to work on is a good thing."
In somewhat of an anomaly, Baylor is now 2-0 on the road and just 1-4 at home. Three of the Bears' last five games are at McLane Stadium, including back-to-back games against at Iowa State (4-3, 3-1) at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday and a Nov. 3 matchup against Big 12 newcomer Houston (3-4, 1-3).
"We have to play better at home," Aranda said. "We've got an opportunity coming up to make that a big thing, bigger than what's it's been, because we have to be able to play well there. It can't just be when it's us in a cramped little locker room when we feel a certain way."
Saturday's Homecoming game against Iowa State will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Baylor Bear Insider
For all the good that came from Baylor's 32-29 road win over the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday, because "wins are hard to come by," Dave Aranda pinpointed a couple of areas to fix before he ever left Nippert Stadium.
The obvious one is a run defense that allowed 288 yards total, two 100-yard rushers, 6.7 yards per carry and three plays of 38 yards or longer.
"The run game is kind of a gut punch. I feel that pretty strong right now," said Aranda, whose team improved to 3-4 overall and tied for sixth in the Big 12 at 2-2. "For us to have success, for the rest of the time we've got this year, we've got to stop the run and do it at a better clip than any form or fashion today. That's a challenge for us.
"We've got the guys to do it, both players and coaches. And I thought there was some positive growth in that regard prior to this game. I thought we took a step back today."
Brooks Miller, who got the start at one of the inside linebacker spots with Mike Smith Jr. out with a torn ACL, said it came down to gap integrity – players weren't filling the right gaps and didn't close off the edges. That led to the three long runs by Corey Kiner and Myles Montgomery of 40, 38 and 38 yards, accounting for almost 40% of the Bearcats' rushing total (110 of 288).
"I don't think it was anything they did to fool us," Miller said. "It was frustrating, because we knew they weren't beating us with anything crazy. They were beating us with stuff that we knew we could stop. (Defensive coordinator Matt Powledge) brought us up and told us what we needed to do. And I feel like for the rest of the game, we did it for the most part."
With all of its struggles, the defense still came up with a couple of key red-zone stops. And then, with the game on the line and a 15-point lead whittled to just three, the defense sealed the deal when redshirt freshman safety Corey Gordon Jr. broke up a fourth-down pass to tight end Chamon Metayer with 1:25 left.
"There are opportunities to make plays, even . . . if it's not the way it was drawn up or the way it's designed," Aranda said. "We've got to be able to do that, and we can do that. We were able to do that at the end of the game when there was pressure. We've got to do that in the beginning of the game when there is pressure. The makeup of this team tells me this is something that we're going to be able to conquer and take that next step."
Offensively, the issue was not being able to complete many run-pass options and exploit a Cincinnati defense that left holes across the middle with a one-high safety look. Blake Shapen completed 25-of-42 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown, but left some on the table with a few misses on crossing patterns over the middle.
"Receivers, with the leverage being outside, they can run an in-breaking route where there's nothing there but a guy that's way deep and a bunch of grass," Aranda said. "That's something we wanted to take advantage of, and we really weren't able to. For us to be able to hone in on that and have some run after catch is something that we desperately need on offense. I think anytime you can win and be able to say that you've got stuff to work on is a good thing."
In somewhat of an anomaly, Baylor is now 2-0 on the road and just 1-4 at home. Three of the Bears' last five games are at McLane Stadium, including back-to-back games against at Iowa State (4-3, 3-1) at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday and a Nov. 3 matchup against Big 12 newcomer Houston (3-4, 1-3).
"We have to play better at home," Aranda said. "We've got an opportunity coming up to make that a big thing, bigger than what's it's been, because we have to be able to play well there. It can't just be when it's us in a cramped little locker room when we feel a certain way."
Saturday's Homecoming game against Iowa State will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
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