MOST PREPARED, LEAST DISTRACTED

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            NEW ORLEANS – With all the potential distractions in "The Big Easy," along with the spike in COVID Omicron cases, there has been no place like the hotel for the seventh-ranked Baylor Bears (11-2).
            Using a motto of "Most prepared, least distracted" for Saturday's Sugar Bowl matchup against No. 8 Ole Miss (10-2), second-year head coach Dave Aranda kept the team in a protective bubble in the hotel other than an evening of bowling and a couple practice sessions.
            "Whether it's guys that are looking for what's going on that particular night, or it's guys that are looking for 'after this game, I'm out, I'm going to the pros,' or nowadays it's 'after this game I'm out and I'm in the portal,' or whatever it is, distractions abound," Aranda said.
            "Most prepared, least distracted gives you the best chance to win in the bowl game. I think there's really another strong layer with where we are at with COVID and the standards that we're embracing. And our team's been great about it. Everything we've asked our guys to do throughout this year, they've been great about. This is just another thing. I don't anticipate right now us missing anyone going into this game."
            One unique thing about this game is there have been zero announced opt-outs. That includes Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, a projected first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
            "I think a lot of that has to do with the culture and the players that you have, too," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. "I think when your quarterback would be the most obvious opt-out never even thinks about it . . . and he's played through injuries when he could have not played in games, I think it starts at the top. I think our culture's come a long way. You look back a year ago, we had a few opt-outs. So, things have changed."
            Aranda said it starts with "just knowing the type of program that you want to be and finding kids that align with that program."
            "I think all that we can do is really try to get a right fit for who we are and get to know your people, continue to see them in the ups and downs and appreciate them, because it's really a players' game," he said.
            After missing the last 2 ½ games with a pulled right hamstring, Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon looks "like he never left," Aranda said, and will start Saturday's game against the Rebels.
            "(Thursday) was just way impressive," Aranda said. "He's been opening up, running full speed, showing bursts, showing change of direction, making throws from one hash to the far sideline. So, I'm excited for him. There's a look in his eye, and I know his heart's on fire, too. Excited for this opportunity, and I know he's ready for it."
            Behind Corral, Ole Miss has an explosive offense that's ranked fourth nationally, averaging 506.7 yards and 35.9 points per game. While that can put a lot of stress on the defense, obviously, the Baylor offense could feel pressure to keep up or answer every time the Rebels score.
            But, Aranda said it's important for the Bears "to be us and for us to not get out of our lane of what we do well."
            That starts with a powerful running game led by Abram Smith, who's second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally with 1,429 yards. He needs 119 yards in the bowl game to break Terrance Ganaway's school single-season record (1,547).
            "I think offensively for us, to move the ball and run the ball, establish the line of scrimmage, to get the eighth and ninth guy involved in the box, so that there are opportunities for pass plays behind them," Aranda said. "To use movement in the pocket and get our quarterback out on the perimeter where there's a run or throw option. And then, I think the ability to use motion, shifts to try to get the looks or the adjustments that we want. Those are process things that I think will lead to the results or outcome that we're hoping for."
            Baylor counters Ole Miss's explosive offense with a defense that has allowed just 347.8 yards and 19.1 points per game and forced a Big 12-high 25 turnovers.
            "You just don't see many big plays against them or screw-ups, which makes it hard to beat," Kiffin said of the Baylor defense. "(Aranda) basically has created a team like his defenses have always been – limit big plays, very smart, disciplined defense. Now, he has a whole team of it."
            After a 2021 calendar year that included national championships in men's basketball and acrobatics & tumbling and conference championships in football, men's and women's basketball and men's tennis, the Bears have a chance to start 2022 out the right way with their first win in a New Year's Day bowl game since the 1957 Sugar Bowl.
            "That definitely helps build the culture of having great teams at Baylor University," senior safety JT Woods said. "I think it's going to help even more in the future when you can have a program that's a powerhouse in multiple sports. That's awesome for recruiting. And then, right now, it gives us that morale that we're a school of winning, not just a team of winning. Everybody around us is winning, so the expectation is to win."
            Saturday's game is scheduled for a 7:45 p.m. kickoff at Caesars Superdome and will be broadcast on ESPN, with Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy and Katie George calling the action.
            Aranda, who was in this same stadium two years ago as the defensive coordinator when LSU won the national championship, said he feels "blessed" to be back in New Orleans.
            "I've been by this Superdome so many times, whether it's recruiting or it's heading into downtown for a bite to eat," he said. "So, just to be back, brings back memories. And to have the opportunity to play in this game is just so cool. I'm very appreciative and blessed for it."

MOST PREPARED, LEAST DISTRACTED

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Players Mentioned

Gerry Bohanon

Abram Smith

JT Woods

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