Baylor’s Dave Aranda on Richard Reese: ‘Plays with His Heart on Fire’
When Baylor Bears football head coach Dave Aranda addressed the media this past week, he was asked about a breakout star running back by the name of Richard Reese.
Specifically, whether this was the Reese the Bears coaching staff envisioned when they recruited him to join a stacked Baylor running back room.
“Yes, I think he’s a guy that plays hard, that plays with passion, that is way-driven, that is humble and always wanting to learn, and is someone that plays with his heart on fire,” Aranda said. “Really, when you ask that question, that’s the first thing I can think of is just how passionate he is.”
Reese, a 5-9, 175-pound freshman running back, has amassed 643 rushing yards on 116 carries with nine touchdowns so far this season.
“When he’s hitting the hole as hard as he is and his legs are still churning, his pad levels down, and the o-line got him four and he got a yard and a half or two on his own, over time the confidence of the offensive line just takes off,” Aranda said, “Then after two or three reps of that, now the o-line’s pushing him so now it becomes two, three yards, and I think all of that matters, and that is happening right now.”
Well said, coach Aranda.
So how about this season’s Texas Tech football team compared to the Red Raiders of last year?
“I think their level of effort is really good and I think it just speaks to their coaches,” Aranda said. “When you watch them play, their effort's strong and I think offensively they play really fast, their tempo. They have a few different quarterbacks in there, but they’ve all found ways to get the offense to work off the particular trait of the guy that’s there.
“I think defensive-wise, a lot of pressure, a lot of stunts, a lot of blitzes. Not a lot of the defenses look the same, there’s a bunch kind of being thrown at you and so you’ve got to prepare for some chaos with some speed to back it up, and so it makes it where you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
The battle between the Bears and Red Raiders kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Central Time in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 29, and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
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Denton Ramsey has been a journalist for over 20 years with a decade of experience as a sports writer and editor for a plethora of newspapers throughout Texas and Alabama. Growing up in Houston and attending Baylor University, Ramsey is a die-hard sports fan with a true passion for writing. He may be reached via email at denton.itb@gmail.com