Three Takeaways: August 28
8/28/2023 5:39:00 PM | Football
Revamped offensive line has 'very high ceiling'
Baylor Bear Insider Jerry Hill gives his three takeaways from Monday's weekly press conference with head coach Dave Aranda talking about the Bears' 2023 season opener against Texas State, which kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium and will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+:
- SHARE THE ROCK In Dave Aranda's mind, Baylor doesn't have an RB1, more like a "two-headed monster." He sees both sophomore Richard Reese and Oklahoma State transfer Dominic Richardson as starters that can "move the chains for us and can get that one or two yards that we need on critical third and fourth down (plays)." The challenge, he said, "has been to try to get both Dom and Richard to believe that themselves, and I feel like they do. I think the proof is going to be in the pudding of this game coming up and the next (game), just in terms of how they're being utilized, the reps they're getting, that they feel that it is a two-headed monster, so to speak. I know the belief is totally aligned that way (in the football offices)."
- O-LINE'S 'CEILING IS VERY HIGH': With only one starter returning, the offensive line was filled with questions, particularly going into spring training. But the transfer portal additions of brothers Clark and Campbell Barrington and the emergence of massive redshirt freshman Kaden Sieracki (6-8, 318) at right guard has helped "solidify the offensive unit and given them a really good identity," Aranda said. "Every week they've improved, and I think there's still some improving to do. I think their ceiling is very high. Their athleticism is very high. I think this could be one of the more athletic groups that (offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and offensive line coach Eric Mateos) have ever had. Could be the most athletic group. They're starting from a spot where they didn't really know. So, some of these misfires . . . or missed IDs, that's how they're learning it. For us to limit those opportunities, to maximize the things that we're really doing well but then still grow in those areas that were maybe not where we want to be is a really critical thing."
- SPREAD YOU OUT: Under the direction of first-year head coach G.J. Kinne, the son of former Baylor linebacker Gary Joe Kinne, Texas State will run a wide-open offense that splits the receivers "outside the hash, closer to the sidelines," Aranda said. At Incarnate Word last year, an offense led by Kinne and offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich topped all NCAA Division I football in scoring offense with 51.5 points per game and ranked second in the FCS ranks in total offense with 581.2 yards per game. "They'll do it from big, open sets to where everyone's spread out," Aranda said. "And if there's a misfit, it's out. They'll do it with tight ends in the core, but the receivers are way out wide. So, it creates a lot of space inside. Vertical reach is what we call it, so they'll go vertical. If there's a (safety) on top, they'll sit down in the zones. And if there's not a guy on top, they'll take the top off. That's the majority of what they do. And they do it really fast and they do it well. And there's a confidence that allows guys' athleticism to take over."
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