Ask a football coach what kind of player he wants on his team, and he'll more than likely say he's looking for "a football guy."
For anyone uncertain of what that means. Baylor coach Dave Aranda provided a vivid example during his weekly press conference on Monday. During the Bears' tough 36–35 victory over UCF, Aranda described what he saw from senior linebacker Matt Jones late in the game.
"I was talking to Matt Jones while he was puking on the sideline," Aranda said. "He was getting out the last couple chunks of all of it, and then he goes up 'We're gonna win this game,' and puts his helmet back on."
Today, Dave Aranda dropped in a true football guy story from Saturday involving linebacker Matt Jones and his determination to beat UCF...mid sideline puke.
— Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) October 2, 2023
"He was getting out the last couple chunks of all of it and he goes 'we're gonna win this game.'" pic.twitter.com/BQdm3lPHM2
Aranda didn't say how close he was standing to Jones during this brief conversation. But maybe it didn't matter, as the coach went on to explain.
"When it's stuff like that, you get to a point to where guys aren't... thinking about themselves anymore," Aranda added. "They're thinking about doing it for other people."
Jones has set the bar for future Baylor players. The fifth-year linebacker has 34 tackles on the season and an undetermined number of chunks left on the sideline.
