ABLE TO ADAPT
12/5/2023 10:57:00 AM | Football
New Baylor OC Spavital brings ‘downhill approach’ to running game
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Coming from an Air Raid spread offense background, Jake Spavital certainly believes in taking vertical shots down the field in an explosive passing game.
"But you've got to establish the run game," said the 38-year-old Spavital, who was named Baylor's offensive coordinator last Thursday and went through a joint press conference with head coach Dave Aranda on Monday.
In his one year as the OC at Cal, Spavital orchestrated an offense that ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing (181.1 yards per game), passed for 214.5 yards per game and totaled 395.7 yards, averaging 31.6 points per game. Running back Jaydn Ott rushed for a league-leading 1,260 yards that ranks 10th nationally and also led the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards per game (136.5), helping the Golden Bears (6-6) become bowl-eligible for the first time in four years.
"What we've done over the years is more of a downhill approach," Spavital said, "because there's so much variety with defensive fronts. If you do get caught in a bad look at times, you can at least manage to get back to the line of scrimmage where you're not dealing with negative plays. And you're still trying to play and stay on course and not play behind the chains."
Inheriting a Cal offense that had "about nine tight ends in the room," Spavital said he had to "just get creative and still have the same exact principles and concepts of what you have learned over the years."
That adaptability is one of the things that attracted Aranda's attention when he was looking to trasition from Jeff Grimes' wide-zone attack.
"He goes up to Cal and takes an offense that was a pro-style offense . . . and was able to inject a whole bunch of life and points and yards and excitement into it. I look at our situation here and I can see some parallels.
"That tree with Coach (Mike) Leach, whether it's Dana (Holgorsen), Kliff (Kingsbury) or whoever, a lot of those guys have all good things to say about Jake and just such a believer in him and where he's taken it and where the scheme has progressed to where it is now."
Spavital worked with Holgorsen as a grad assistant at Houston and Oklahoma State, coached quarterbacks at West Virginia (2011-12) and then returned to Morgantown as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017-18.
"He was all about spread, Air Raid, throw it around 100 times a game," Spavital said of Holgorsen. "To watch him just manage the team when we got to Oklahoma State and we're at West Virginia and how he adapted to personnel and the importance of being a head coach and running the football and establishing the run game and how important that is, I was always impressed with Dana on how he would adapt and manage a game."
In his four years as the head coach at Texas State (2018-22), where he was 13-35 overall, Spavital lost twice to Baylor in 2021 (29-20) and 2022 (42-7).
"Fortunately, I've been up against these guys recently, so I have a pretty good idea (about Baylor's personnel)," Spavital said. "But in today's ever-changing climate of college football, there is going to be a lot of moving parts. What I see is that there's not much attrition at this school, compared to most. That's a compliment to Coach Aranda and the culture that he's created here.
"I do think there are pieces in place to be successful here, I truly do. . . . There will be a lot of moving and shaking, as I've said, over the next month. But once it solidifies, we'll have a pretty good idea of where we're going to go from a personnel standpoint."
With running backs coach A.J. Steward and offensive line coach Eric Mateos both announcing they were leaving, that leaves two more openings on the offensive staff. With Spavital coaching quarterbacks, Shawn Bell has moved to tight ends and Dallas Baker remains as the receivers coach.
"The No. 1 thing would be to get it right," Aranda said. "Just with the possibility of this year and the success being so close for us – we believe that – and trying to be able to get a piece that fits and then can challenge and can help us get over to the other side of it. . . . We want to find someone that can help us get an edge and get us over the top. That process, for sure, has already started. So, we're hoping it's sooner than later, but the best fit is the most important."
Admitting that his head was spinning a little, meeting the other coaches and staff and players and jumping into the recruiting process, Spavital said he's ready to "get on the grass and go to work."
"When I was at Texas State, I think we only had like 22 staff members, period," he said. "I felt like I met 75 in the first 10 minutes I was here. Which is a great thing. The professionalism that has occurred, how they've welcomed my family here, it's just been a breath of fresh air. And it makes me want to work even harder to put a product out there on the field that you guys will be proud of. Because I see the passion that this place has, and they want to win. And that's why I'm here."
Baylor Bear Insider
Coming from an Air Raid spread offense background, Jake Spavital certainly believes in taking vertical shots down the field in an explosive passing game.
"But you've got to establish the run game," said the 38-year-old Spavital, who was named Baylor's offensive coordinator last Thursday and went through a joint press conference with head coach Dave Aranda on Monday.
In his one year as the OC at Cal, Spavital orchestrated an offense that ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing (181.1 yards per game), passed for 214.5 yards per game and totaled 395.7 yards, averaging 31.6 points per game. Running back Jaydn Ott rushed for a league-leading 1,260 yards that ranks 10th nationally and also led the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards per game (136.5), helping the Golden Bears (6-6) become bowl-eligible for the first time in four years.
"What we've done over the years is more of a downhill approach," Spavital said, "because there's so much variety with defensive fronts. If you do get caught in a bad look at times, you can at least manage to get back to the line of scrimmage where you're not dealing with negative plays. And you're still trying to play and stay on course and not play behind the chains."
Inheriting a Cal offense that had "about nine tight ends in the room," Spavital said he had to "just get creative and still have the same exact principles and concepts of what you have learned over the years."
That adaptability is one of the things that attracted Aranda's attention when he was looking to trasition from Jeff Grimes' wide-zone attack.
"He goes up to Cal and takes an offense that was a pro-style offense . . . and was able to inject a whole bunch of life and points and yards and excitement into it. I look at our situation here and I can see some parallels.
"That tree with Coach (Mike) Leach, whether it's Dana (Holgorsen), Kliff (Kingsbury) or whoever, a lot of those guys have all good things to say about Jake and just such a believer in him and where he's taken it and where the scheme has progressed to where it is now."
Spavital worked with Holgorsen as a grad assistant at Houston and Oklahoma State, coached quarterbacks at West Virginia (2011-12) and then returned to Morgantown as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017-18.
"He was all about spread, Air Raid, throw it around 100 times a game," Spavital said of Holgorsen. "To watch him just manage the team when we got to Oklahoma State and we're at West Virginia and how he adapted to personnel and the importance of being a head coach and running the football and establishing the run game and how important that is, I was always impressed with Dana on how he would adapt and manage a game."
In his four years as the head coach at Texas State (2018-22), where he was 13-35 overall, Spavital lost twice to Baylor in 2021 (29-20) and 2022 (42-7).
"Fortunately, I've been up against these guys recently, so I have a pretty good idea (about Baylor's personnel)," Spavital said. "But in today's ever-changing climate of college football, there is going to be a lot of moving parts. What I see is that there's not much attrition at this school, compared to most. That's a compliment to Coach Aranda and the culture that he's created here.
"I do think there are pieces in place to be successful here, I truly do. . . . There will be a lot of moving and shaking, as I've said, over the next month. But once it solidifies, we'll have a pretty good idea of where we're going to go from a personnel standpoint."
With running backs coach A.J. Steward and offensive line coach Eric Mateos both announcing they were leaving, that leaves two more openings on the offensive staff. With Spavital coaching quarterbacks, Shawn Bell has moved to tight ends and Dallas Baker remains as the receivers coach.
"The No. 1 thing would be to get it right," Aranda said. "Just with the possibility of this year and the success being so close for us – we believe that – and trying to be able to get a piece that fits and then can challenge and can help us get over to the other side of it. . . . We want to find someone that can help us get an edge and get us over the top. That process, for sure, has already started. So, we're hoping it's sooner than later, but the best fit is the most important."
Admitting that his head was spinning a little, meeting the other coaches and staff and players and jumping into the recruiting process, Spavital said he's ready to "get on the grass and go to work."
"When I was at Texas State, I think we only had like 22 staff members, period," he said. "I felt like I met 75 in the first 10 minutes I was here. Which is a great thing. The professionalism that has occurred, how they've welcomed my family here, it's just been a breath of fresh air. And it makes me want to work even harder to put a product out there on the field that you guys will be proud of. Because I see the passion that this place has, and they want to win. And that's why I'm here."
Joe Klanderman's Message to the Baylor Family
Saturday, December 13
People is Always the No. 1 Priority - Baylor Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman
Saturday, December 13
Baylor Football: Sawyer Robertson William V. Campbell Trophy NFF Interview
Tuesday, December 09
Baylor Football: London Smith (National Signing Day 2026)
Thursday, December 04
