Jimbo 2022: Balls To The Face

[UDontKnow 10572]

28 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

This kid seems like a Kendall Jones redux

Obligatory for Kendell Jones:

 

https://247sports.com/Article/Kendell-Jones-the-2016-five-star-defensive-tackle-and-Alabama-signee-will-soon-enroll-in-junior-74986470/

 

Went from Alabama to Kilgore Junior College. A damn shame.

 

[Hank_Hill 20068]

6 hours ago, Barbacoa said:

Bc he's an absolute beast and anyone can see it. IMG is the perfect place for him, may straighten him out. I'm not counting on it. 

Lolwut 

[texifornia 59023]

7 hours ago, irishtexan said:

This kid seems like a Kendall Jones redux

Eh, Jones seemed like a potato. Bear has a brain, he's just also got an ego and some questionably motivated people in his ear.

[RomaVicta 30607]

14 hours ago, Barbacoa said:

Bc he's an absolute beast and anyone can see it. IMG is the perfect place for him, may straighten him out. I'm not counting on it. 

 

3 hours ago, texifornia said:

Eh, Jones seemed like a potato. Bear has a brain, he's just also got an ego and some questionably motivated people in his ear.

Beasts love to play football. 

I only have cursory knowledge of Alexander, but a real player finds a way to get out there and play. I'm not seeing that here.

[Getafix 29459]

Perroni on their DL recruiting.

 

Spoiler

 

ShitsnGigS

Call your shot… who do we end up with on DL

 

PERRONI

A&M has Malick Sylla and Jadon Scarlett already.

To start with, I think Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy is leaning toward OU. But, if he makes it to A&M vs. Mississippi State for his unofficial, the Aggies can make up ground. But I would still go with OU on him. Walter Nolen is going to be a roller coaster. But A&M is in as good of shape as anybody. Him being basically in Knoxville helps Tennessee a bit, though.

Shemar Stewart really likes A&M a lot and the Aggies are probably the leader at the moment. He has had multiple different leaders in LSU and Miami previously but he will be back for his official visit the Alabama weekend and that will help. I think there's a good chance he ends up at A&M.

Anthony Lucas was once really high on A&M and Notre Dame but a bunch of others are now in the picture. He will be at the Bama game on an unofficial visit, so a win would be a big help. But I think he's probably a longer shot than some of the others.

Enai White has A&M in his top four and is looking seriously at the Aggies but I would be a bit surprised at this point if he ended up at A&M. It's not out of the question, though. Hero Kanu might take an unofficial visit but he doesn't have A&M in his top five and is a longshot.

I think Omari Abor is one of the most likely to end up at A&M. If I had to put in a prediction, I would put it for the Aggies. I also think Bear Alexander is still likely an Aggie, though Georgia is making this a lot more interesting than it previously was. He still plans to wait to announce at the Under Armour game.

All that to say, a class of the two current commits plus Alexander, Abor, Stewart and maybe one other is a very real possibility.

 

(GETAFIX: Note - Alexander, Abor and Stewart are all 5 stars.  And Sylla is a high 4 star.)

 

 

[RomaVicta 30607]

So, these are the five stars they were after and were not interested in the solid to high four-stars we brought it in?

If I remember correctly, they were going to be reeling these guys in, it was just a matter of which one. 

For Perroni, that seems kind of gloomy. Nobody solidly Aggie and many waiting quite a while before they decide. I'd love to be pulling in some of those big names. I think it's unrealistic to think the Aggies will get enough of them to shrug off our haul.

We'll see.

[Hookem2147 22044]

Don't forget that Jimbo's big sell to Bryce Anderson in July was the DL class they were bringing in to help make his job easier. Since that time we have brought in Aaron Bryant, Bledsoe and Tapp, and A&M has brought in nobody. They aren't getting Dindy or Nolen. Anyone without Maroon colored glasses could have told them that months ago.

[Ricky Butler 2809]

Just now, Hookem2147 said:

Don't forget that Jimbo's big sell to Bryce Anderson in July was the DL class they were bringing in to help make his job easier. Since that time we have brought in Aaron Bryant, Bledsoe and Tapp, and A&M has brought in nobody. They aren't getting Dindy or Nolen. Anyone without Maroon colored glasses could have told them that months ago.

Elite DL recruiting is always tricky. Everybody wants them and there aren't very many. Gotta fight the battle from all sides.

[Getafix 29459]

 

- last year, they had a DL class that included Shermar Turner (5-star), 4 other top 247 players, and the lower-rated, rotund bowling ball we evidently wanted (Regis)

- this year, with Scarlett and Sylla on board, even one of the highly ranked players above would be a solid core to complement the class from last year

- and they will likely have Leal's drafting position to sell to recruits (every mock I've seen rates him a first rounder)

Let's hope Bama, OM and a few others (Arky?) derail their season. (Was bummed Colorado didn't begin that a couple of weeks ago.)

@golfclap, @texasstrong12 may have thoughts on their DL situation ... 

[RGBIII 23020]

1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

They aren't getting Dindy

Daddy’s church construction stop?

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

I thought Bama' had started going after Shemar Stewart? 

[Lobwedgephil 1146]

Spoiler

No more tune-ups for the Aggies as they prepare to crank up SEC play against the No. 16 Razorbacks on Saturday. Billy Liucci takes on this week's subscriber questions about Saturday's SEC opener, the A&M o-line and much more.

---

Billy Liucci: Welcome back. I'm Billy Liucci. He's Gabe Bock. We're going to take your questions. Gabe, let's go. It's Arkansas Week. It's SEC play. There's not a lot to talk about or beat around the bush. Let's get this conversation going.

Gabe Bock: No exchange of pleasantries. It is SEC time. Let's go. All right. RebAg13, was that the first wide-open bomb of the Jimbo era? It was beautiful to see. Obviously, talking about Demas', which was the first 70-yard pass play in the Jimbo era at A&M.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I mean, I don't know how many times we've seen guys run that open. Actually, I can think of one and they didn't connect. It was against Clemson on like the second play of the game or so, at Clemson, a couple of years ago. Yeah. That hasn't been the MO. They also haven't had guys that can... Quite frankly, they haven't had many guys that can do that and take the top off of defense and now I think you certainly have one in Demas. You'd like to get Chapman back as soon as possible. He's shown he can be a problem down the field as well.

Billy Liucci: Maybe you're getting that going... I'm torn between the Joey TexAgs that just is so, "Our offense stinks. It's too conservative" but I also go I've seen this offense do it and I've seen it light up good defenses. I've actually seen it do it with Jimbo but they just do it running and throwing and maybe not attacking deep. I also am like I want to see stuff that makes the safeties back up and threatens them but then you go is that a chicken or the egg kind of thing?

Billy Liucci: I think it is but then I go back to the other side of the message boards where it's like, well, you're recruiting these guys like Demas and Yulkeith and Moose and we want to see some more of them but it's not like some of the other guys are necessarily lighting it up. I think they're underrated but I also think if you're still looking for that explosive element, you should still be in search of finding it because of what it can do.

Billy Liucci: Then at the same time, I also will say guys like Demas and Moose, they have to do it in practice every day. If I'm sitting there and I make a highlight-reel catch and, Gabe, you're running the right routes and I'm not and you're out at practice every day and I'm not and I'm not saying those guys in specific but I'm saying anybody on a team... Like the younger guys just have to figure it out and adjust and then learn the offense and figure out what it takes to be in the good graces of your head coach there to where you can play, so I think these guys have... They're in their second year now and now they're starting to earn their chances more.

Billy Liucci: Demas started to do it late last year and now the next step is when you do get those chances, make plays and that's exactly what Demond and Moose did. That was exciting because I do think those guys have play-making potential, the same with Yulkeith.

Gabe Bock: Billy, TheBirdman, a little off-topic here but that's what we get with Ask Liucci. How far do you see the Astros going this year? All the way or no?

Billy Liucci: I don't know if they can. I don't know if they can get past the Rays. You know? Look, that's not the only team but the Rays and... The Rays were a problem was it last year... I'm losing track. Yeah. It was last year, two years ago, the Astros got past them in five and I think it was three and one but it was a little more competitive series than the three to one would indicate. Then last year, they lost to the Dodgers there.

Billy Liucci: Man, they look good. The thing is Greinke, where's he at right now? There's no Verlander... I just don't know if they have the pitching to get through that gauntlet... It does become a gauntlet to make it through those playoffs. I could see them advancing to the ALCS, I'm a little skeptical of them winning it all.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. That East is so dang good, man. Some great teams.

Billy Liucci: The Jays, I mean, how about Toronto?

Gabe Bock: The Jays are doing really good. All right, dustdust8. I wonder if this is Chris Dusterhoff. Which position coach is not getting enough credit/recognition, Looch?

Billy Liucci: We always talk about those D-line guys. I think on some level, you might want to point out a guy like TJ Rush. I mean, they've been doing it without Myles Jones. They've been trying to get Brian George ready, a freshman in Tyreek Chappell, you saw Deuce Harmon playing early last weekend. Jaylon Jones has been absolutely lock-down. I'm not sure... I'm assuming it would be shared throughout the nickel with Antonio Johnson and Elko, Elko coaches the safeties and that's what Johnson really is.

Billy Liucci: I think he's done a nice job so far. I would say TJ Rushing in terms of someone that... Again, you're talking about that doesn't get a lot of credit.

Gabe Bock: All right. We go EastCoastAgNC, How many points does the defense give up Saturday? Only 17 total through three games. Do any of our running backs break 100 yards? A two-parter there.

Billy Liucci: Oh, man. I hope somebody breaks 100 yards for the Aggies. It's going to be difficult with the way they've been blocking. Just being perfectly honest here. I think they're going to have to grind it out. If you could get... Spiller can get up over 80 and Achane can get in the sixties... It might take a home run hit by Achane to get up there. Maybe that's what will put somebody over but if they can grind out over 150, those two backs, I think you'd be talking about a good day for the A&M offense where they grind out one of those...

Billy Liucci: Maybe it's a 23-17 kind of win, but I think Arkansas is going to score more on Saturday than A&M has given up in three games, which is what? 17 points? I think Arkansas, 20... You know, 17 on a good day for the Ags, 20-23, 24. A&M's offense is going... It's a winnable game and that's a good defensive effort but the Aggies are going to have to...

Billy Liucci: Here's why I say that Gabe, I think A&M's offense is going to be a struggle. I think they'll figure it out and grind through it but it's going to be a struggle, which is going to put Arkansas in some field position opportunities that will result in points. I mean, I think A&M wins this game. I'm not super fired up about the pick and I think it's like 24-20 Aggies.

Billy Liucci: My problem is what I haven't seen from A&M, save that second half at Colorado, is they just haven't seemed to be ready to go in there and say, "Let's freaking fight. Let's go." Particularly, on offense. The linemen, they just look like they're thinking, they're getting beat. They have a little hanging look about them. They don't look confident. I don't see guys running around just super confident on offense, whether it's Calzada, whether it's Wydermyer, Ainias, all the guys. The one guy that seems to just keep bringing it is Isiah and I think he's been the unsung MVP, helping hold it together offensively right now, because you're just not seeing it from that unit. They don't look like a confident unit. We're sitting here assuming that all of a sudden, they're going to gain confidence against the best defense they've played so far in that environment, against Barry Odom?

Billy Liucci: Crazier things have happened. These are college kids, these are college sports, but they're just going to have to mentally get tough this week and say, "We are not going to lose this football game because we have better players and we still have better guys on offense. We're just not going to lose. It ain't happening today. Not on my watch."

Billy Liucci: They're just going to have to take that mentality and they can grind this one out, grind out next week, and outscore Mississippi State at Kyle Field and then see where you're at for Bama. That's three weeks from New Mexico to Bama. That's a lot of time to improve.

Billy Liucci: A&M should be in survival mode right now, though, because they're a few game days from losing the first game in almost a year, in 12 tries, if they don't play their best game of the season Saturday.

Billy Liucci: By the way, A&M's best is absolutely good enough to beat Arkansas. Even though we haven't seen it yet and every team is different, I know these players and I know the way Jimbo Fisher and Mike Elko will coach a game. If these guys play their best Saturday, it will be good enough to beat Arkansas but we just haven't seen it. To play your best, you have to be confident, you have to practice well, and the last time I watched them play, which was Saturday against New Mexico and the week before against... They don't look like the most confident team at all offensively. They've got to get...

Billy Liucci: Something's got to change up here. I think the key to this one could be can the Aggie offense have some early success? Can Jimbo script up a great first drive? Can the O-line and Calzada execute that? And just take some of that pressure off and be like, okay, we're going to move the ball today. I think that could change everything, Gabe.

Billy Liucci: Again, 24-20 Ags. With all that said, I think A&M pulls off a very close one and it's going to be... It ain't going to be fun to watch if you're an Aggie fan. If you're going to be an Aggie fan or an Arkansas fan, it ain't going to be fun to watch but I think at the end, the Ags are the last team standing.

Gabe Bock: You sort of alluded to... The beginning of that message is it sounds like you've still got more you'd like to see from the number three-ranked defense in the country too.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I would. I do. A little more. Well, this is a new test now. For half the game, Colorado ran on them and made them look pedestrian and they tightened the screws up and they haven't looked the same since, they've been dominant, but Arkansas is a different beast from anything they've seen in terms of that running game.

Billy Liucci: Now it's not different than what they've seen previously, guys like Leal, Clemons, Jackson, Johnson, Hansford, Leon... Those guys have seen better but this is different than anything they've seen so far this year so they got to really dial up the intensity from start to finish.

Gabe Bock: streamers406, Baylor Cupp looked impressive as a run blocker when he entered the game, Billy. Do you think we will see more of 88 going forward in place of Max Wright as a second tight end?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think Max has struggled run blocking from watching the tape. Again, this is a guy that's just doing what the team asks him. He's moving around positions. Cupp looked good there at the end.

Billy Liucci: Baylor's MO, just being honest, has not always been as an excellent blocker. I know we've never seen him play but you've seen him practice a lot over the last two years. He caught my eye too with what he did and at some point, it's like Moose and Demas, guys out there and he's doing something different when it's an actual game...

Billy Liucci: Also, Baylor Cupp maybe that's... That's the benefit of competition. You have Max Wright out there and Baylor Cupp is sitting there going, "I should be out there." Okay, get in the game. Okay. You're not throwing it to me? I'm going to block my ass off and make you play me. I think that's what I was seeing from Cupp on Saturday. I was impressed too.

Gabe Bock: streamers406 has a second question...

Billy Liucci: By the way, they need that. The running game... They're too tight and if that second tight end can really block, it changes everything for Jimbo Fisher and what he can do.

Gabe Bock: No question.

Billy Liucci: By the way, Cupp's fast as hell. You get him running up the field it's a problem too.

Gabe Bock: In streamers406's opinion, Moose was the most impressive wide receiver on Saturday, Seemed to create more separation, showed more consistent hands than Chase Lane. Do you believe Moose eventually gets reps with the 1’s moving forward this year?

Billy Liucci: I think it's possible. Again, guys, this is my conflict with message boards and it always has been and sometimes the message boards will be right and sometimes they'll be wrong and I know that going in but everybody that said Kellen Mond sucked or Tannehill could never be a first-round pick or Von Miller shouldn't be a first-team All Big 12 and the Orange Bloods got it right.

Billy Liucci: But then there's the ones where I'm like, "Not yet. Not yet." I fight that battle with you too, Gabe. All the guys you know and have going in the first round where I'm like, "No, they're not. They're not." Then there are times when I'm going to be wrong.

Billy Liucci: I'm slower to warm. I think Moose is really good. I think Moose needs to play. I think these guys need chances to show what they can do so I agree on that front. I'll also say it was New Mexico and I did think Moose looked... He looked like he had juice to him. There was just a little extra there when I'm watching him. You know? Obviously, that catch was sensational. You hear the players say he makes those catches all the time.

Billy Liucci: But then there's Chase and it's like, okay, he also had four for 45 yards or so. He also made some monstrous catches and plays for this football team last year. My answer would not be I want to see Moose just take over for Chase. My answer would be I want to see more Moose and I'd like to see a situation where whoever is playing better or practicing better plays and that's...

Billy Liucci: I don't think they need to just stick with one guy there. I think it's like running back where you can say, "Hey, this guy's giving us a little juice this week. Let's leave him out there." "Oh, Demas caught two passes on the first drive? He's feeling it. Let's leave him out there." You know, "Demas doesn't seem in it. He's getting jammed up at the line. Let's put Chapman back out there and see what he can..."

Billy Liucci: I think it should be like that at all those receiver positions, to be honest with you. I don't think you have to go in and say we're going to rotate out guys regularly. I think if a guy is playing well, don't worry about it, leave him out there. If a guy is off to a slower start, don't waste time. Get someone else in there and see what they can do. That's what guys like... Like what you saw from Moose and Demas, that's what that I think provides you and then you might look up in three or four weeks and maybe one of those guys, it's like he's becoming that dude. They got to have a chance.

Gabe Bock: Absolutely. All right. Can't wait for your thoughts on this one. JBone3515, Who do you think will be the starting offensive line this week?

Billy Liucci: I think for this week, and we're at Tuesday so this could change, but I think you'd see it go Jahmir Johnson, Aki, Bryce, Layden, Kenyon, the original group. Now the wildcard in this whole thing... One of the wildcards is Luke Matthews but he's still in the sling as of Saturday. Until he practices for a couple weeks straight and it's like he's back and he's ready... Until that happens, I'm going to say the wildcard is Deuce Fatheree. Can he become good enough... I would throw him out there some Saturday at left tackle, like rotate... Don't rotate where Jahmir can't get in the flow in the SEC game but give Deuce some reps out there. See how he holds up in Jerry world under the scoreboard and the lights and the big stage.

Billy Liucci: That's all you got to worry about. The physical, it's already there for him. It's the mental and the knowing what to do and the not having your head explode when you're out there and forgetting everything you've been taught. You get his beak wet even a little more this week but once he gets to where... I've said this before the season. It might be mid-season. He could shake things up pretty significantly. Particularly, if he can man that right tackle spot. Then you could put Kenyon and you have a great guard again, you have an All American guard all of a sudden, and then you have Aki and Layden, hey, whoever is playing better is the starter, and then we got a pretty damn good, semi-experienced backup as well. That could be the wildcard but I don't think we're there yet.

Gabe Bock: All right. Red Red Wine, make me feel so fine, Billy, two-parter. First, what's your favorite way to eat pork?

Billy Liucci: Pork? I love Snow's Barbecue pork. It's like breakfast pork. It just falls apart. You can literally just pull it with your hand...

Gabe Bock: They only serve it at 8 A.M. on Saturdays.

Billy Liucci: That's true. It is breakfast pork. Carrie and the crew over there do an amazing job with that. That's incredible. Shout out to the crew at Snow's.

Gabe Bock: Let's go there soon.

Billy Liucci: You're not invited. Actually, you are, Gabe. You're invited.

Billy Liucci: Now you have time on Saturdays. Maybe on the by week, we'll go, Halloween Snow's. I'll tell you my other favorite pork dish is the pork chop at Perry's, whatever that... They do it like three different... One of them is literally like brisket, it almost tastes like, and then the other... Then there's a pork chop that comes with it. Then the big... I don't know if you'd call that a pork butt, whatever the hell you'd call the pork loin, but anyway, that's it. There you go. I don't want to make that answer too long.

Gabe Bock: Take the bacon, wrap it around the steak. That's my favorite way to do pork. All right. Second part of Red Red Wine's question …

Billy Liucci: We've seen your steak so I hope you've improved on them.

Gabe Bock: I have. I have.

Billy Liucci: What's part two?

Gabe Bock: Will we see Achane blow the game wide open in the third quarter?

Billy Liucci: I don't think I'm expecting that, Gabe. I don't think I'm expecting Achane in that running game just to wear them down and blow it open. I could see Achane popping a long touchdown run to win the game late. You know? In other words, in an Aggie victory, I could see a huge play from Achane, whether it's running the ball or coming out of the backfield for a long touchdown catch. Something to win that thing late. You know? In the fourth quarter. It's like whether it comes in the final couple minutes or whether it comes early but it's like the signature play of that fourth quarter and the play everyone shows when they're showing how the Aggies won.

Billy Liucci: I do think Achane is one of the small handful of keys to an A&M victory. You've got to get him the ball, he's got to turn in some big plays because right now, I still don't know that the Ags have very many big-play threats on offense, so you want to see a steady dose of Isaiah, and you want to see them work the ball to Wydermyer more for sure, and Ainias, but I think the home run plays, Achane is still the one the most capable of bringing them and you're not going to just drive up and down the field methodically for four quarters against this defense. They're going to need some big plays.

Billy Liucci: A&M drove pretty methodically through three quarters against them last year but Kellen Mond was just kind of perfectly navigating things. He had all day to throw a great protection upfront from those seniors. You don't have either of those dynamics now. You need big plays. Number six is the guy to do it.

Gabe Bock: All right. Sam Pittman initially invited this question and then you knew it was coming after the other thread last night so here we go, TheClaw07, Did Jimbo try to hire Sam Pittman a couple of years ago?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I said that. Somebody asked Olin for some ... Sometimes they ask Olin or Hop. Ask me the football stuff and ask me the inside stuff. I'm the one that knows. I'm also the one that's known for 25 fricking years, people. So yes. I don't know what they all said but they went after him... Jim Turner was here. Jim Turner was going to stay but Jim Turner was also looking, like coaches do when a new coach comes in.

Billy Liucci: Sam Pittman was considered the best O-line coach in the country at that time. They went to Georgia and made runs at him and James Coley and they didn't get Coley the first time. Actually got him the second time around. You look at Jimbo and Georgia and he took Marshall Malchow and he took a couple of GA analyst guys out of there. There's certainly a connection there.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Pittman would have been a game-changing hire because of what it would have meant in terms of the O-line recruiting because he's an excellent recruiter upfront. He really is. It worked out for Sam and I think it's worked out for A&M as well. Turner ended up leaving, which I don't think he should have. I think he probably regrets... I know he has to regret that. The Bengals and that didn't work out. He's at Texas State right now.

Billy Liucci: Josh Henson had a great year last year. This is the litmus test too. This is a hard group to work with, if you're Henson, just because of inexperience. It's tough, man. Somebody was saying how bad the Aggie O-line looked shaky on Saturday, right? It looked shaky, right? Okay.

Billy Liucci: I looked up at one point and your two tackles had never played college football, a meaningful snap. Blake Trainor and Deuce Fatheree, all of the talent in the world for Deuce. Bottom line, your two tackles on the field had never played college football. Ever. Three weeks ago, Aki had never played. Saturday, I look out there and you're starting two true freshmen of the five during the second half. Two of your five are true freshmen in game three. Bryce Foster, Aki, Layden came in in a blowout against South Carolina and Cole Cubelic went crazy over him. It was deserved but it was a blowout game against South Carolina and that's all he's ever really played that's mattered.

Billy Liucci: This is a wildly inexperienced bunch and Henson has his work cut out but that's why these guys are paid the big bucks. They've got to figure it out. The time for going, "We're young", it's still true but nobody cares anymore. Now you have to start to play winning football and then go from there.

Gabe Bock: TheClaw07's got one more question. We all had a crush on a teacher growing up, Billy. Who was yours?

Billy Liucci: Never. I didn't have any crush-worthy...

Gabe Bock: I never had a good-looking teacher, frankly.

Billy Liucci: Gabe, that's a rude ass thing to say and I'm sure a lot of those women and men, whoever they were, at some point along the way, were good-looking. Maybe you just had older teachers that you judged because you're an ageist.

Billy Liucci: I'm sure I had teachers that were very pretty when they were younger. I'm also sure I'm forgetting somebody but I know what the question is and my answer is not good enough for you all because it's I can't think of one.

Gabe Bock: WhereIsHozaScott, sooner or later people are going to ask who is Hoza Scott? Do you think we'll see a "Florida moment" for this offensive line where they figure out their true identity? I feel like a lot of people don't remember or don't mention that it took a few games for last year's offensive line to see their groove.

Billy Liucci: It did but I also think people don't understand that it took one game because they played pretty good against Bama in game two. It took a year and one game because they weren't good the year before. In some cases, it took two years and one game. Remember how the beatdown they took at Clemson to start that season? It took a year and one game. Okay? We are back to that year, and even worse in terms of experience.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I do think they're going to have a turning point moment at some point but I hope it's sooner than later or it's going to result in A&M losing a couple football games. It could be this Saturday. It could be a three-quarter struggle and in the fourth quarter, A&M lines up and churns it down the field for a seven-minute game-winning drive or they have to go into a four-minute offense after a long struggle, we're giving up... The yards and points are tough to come by and they go into a four-minute offense to preserve a three-point lead and they do it.

Billy Liucci: It could be something as simple as that. I don't think it has to be necessarily as emphatic as what we saw against Florida last year. That's when a bunch of seniors said let's run the damn ball to Henson and Henson went and told Jimbo, "These guys, they're telling me we can do it. We need to run it" and they did.

Billy Liucci: I don't think it has to be that dramatic or emphatic but something in even this game could change and it doesn't have to be a dominant four quarters or running the football for the Aggies. It could be a key moment late in a victory and then maybe this team skyrockets from there along with the O-line.

Gabe Bock: David Kennard also asked who you think the starting lineup is going to be on the offensive line. We'll go to 86Aggie1... You did not predict Fatheree would start earlier, Billy, but 86Aggie1 asks, should Fatheree be starting upfront?

Billy Liucci: I would say not yet. If you start Fatheree, you essentially have to bench either Jahmir Johnson or Aki or Layden. You know? I think you still have to play those guys and I don't think there's a reason to push out Fatheree out there before he's ready and I think he's coming on fast and I think he's going to be ready soon but, again, I just go back...

Billy Liucci: It's like the Moose thing or, particularly, Moose with that question earlier. You guys watched the guy play half a football game against New Mexico. A guy like Jahmir Johnson has started for almost three years in the SEC and put out some really good tape and he hasn't been bad for A&M so far either.

Billy Liucci: I do think, though, that Deuce will end up being one of the best five. I do. At some point this year. Because he had an encouraging debut against New Mexico, I would be reluctant to throw him out there as a starter and give all the one reps all week to get him ready against Arkansas, and a veteran Arkansas defense, on that stage. It's kind of like maybe you play him a little bit this week and if he fares well, then you go, okay, we'd love to have this guy really hitting a corner by the time we play Bama, maybe you play him at home against Mississippi State or maybe you're looking ahead and you're going, "South Carolina is game six. We'd like to have him ready to start throughout the second half of the season."

Billy Liucci: I mean, it just is entirely dependent on... You've got to see where he's at mentally. Like I said, I think Deuce Fatheree is the wildcard that could really change the look of this O-line but he's got to be along.

Billy Liucci: People are forgetting... You know that Jimbo Fisher thinks that guys like Aki and Layden Robinson have the potential to be long-time NFL football players. When you say that, you're just basically saying let's sit a guy that they believe is going to be a long-time NFL player, that they're now entering game four as starters.

Billy Liucci: Like I said, Deuce has to do this and I think he will. I just don't know if he's at this point this week.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. aeroag14, This is the best A&M defense since blank? Last year?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. It's too soon to tell. Too soon to tell. They haven't been tested. Colorado's offense is awful outside of that running back. New Mexico's awful. Terry Wilson is awful. We knew that two years ago. Kent State was problematic but I wouldn't call them an explosive offense. This defense will have their chances. They're going to play KJ Jefferson and Kendal Briles and this Arkansas offense this week and those running backs and their receiver is exceptional. They're going to play Alabama. They're going to play Connor Bazelak on the road. They're going to play... It's Matt Corral. They're going to play LSU and those wide receivers. Mike Leach next weekend.

Billy Liucci: This defense will get tested in every way imaginable. If they are one of the better A&M defenses... I think they are one of the better ones we've seen in the last 25 years or so, and that's not the highest of bars but I think this is a really good defense. If they're elite, like one of the better ones we've seen at A&M, we're sure as hell going to know it because I just went through the list of what they're going to face and if they come out the other side as a top-five defense in the country, or I think even a top 10, with those offensive attacks they face, and if they're a top 10 defense, I think you can put them down as one of the best A&M ones we've seen.

Gabe Bock: If I heard you right, you do not expect A&M to go all year without giving up a 20-yard pass?

Billy Liucci: No. No. They'll get tested this weekend in that regard because of how much they'll get sucked in by that Arkansas running game and wondering if Jefferson is going to keep it and then he goes over the top. That's what makes them so dangerous. The Aggies are going to have to play a very disciplined defense this weekend, which they typically do under Mike Elko.

Gabe Bock: sundaytiger13, will any of the injured guys return? Young, B Williams, Matthews, et cetera. Does Myles Jones start this week?

Billy Liucci: I think we'll see Myles Jones start. It's always questionable with his foot but I think they've got a specific plan for him in terms of practice. It's getting him ready for a game each week without overly taxing and risking hurting that foot. Like I said, Matthews was in a sling last Saturday still. I don't think we'll see Chapman back quite yet but pretty quickly. Who else, Gabe?

Gabe Bock: Carper was one.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Carper.

Gabe Bock: Young and Brian Williams.

Billy Liucci: Brian Williams wasn't suited up. I hadn't asked about him. I think Carper, it would be iffy. Ainias should go.

Gabe Bock: Erick Young.

Billy Liucci: Erick Young, he's been hurt so far all season. I keep hearing he's really close to being back. Maybe this is the week. For the last couple of weeks, I've been hearing he's really close.

Gabe Bock: Excellent. All right. Let's see, CattlemanAg, Billy, who do you project to be our next few commitments? When should we expect to get another verbal?

Billy Liucci: I think I'll just wait on that. We'll wait on that answer. There aren't a lot of them lined up right now for anybody. These guys, once they got into the season, they're going to wait and they're going to wait a while. I think the guy I'd be keeping a close eye on would be like Gabe Brownlow-Dindy between A&M and OU. If he's here, as it's scheduled, next weekend, I think I could see him going back and sitting down and comparing his recent OU official with the A&M experience and sitting down with his family, who is actually moving here before too long, and talking things over.

Billy Liucci: A lot of those other guys are so highly regarded and there's so much recruitment left for them. They deliberately waited until the start of the season to go take these visits and do all this. Barring the Aggies winning Saturday and next Saturday and setting up a monster showdown with Bama and pulling off the upset and guys getting caught in the excitement, I think you'll probably be in a slower period in terms of recruiting for several weeks.

Gabe Bock: All right. How many more, Billy?

Billy Liucci: Let's do about five more here. We got to get down at 10:55.

Gabe Bock: You'll like the username, I don't know if you'll hate the question more or the 25 people who started it, because I know you. Gordon Bombay wants to know, why don't you accept my Facebook friend request?

Billy Liucci: I don't know... Is he Gordon Bombay on there? I don't check Facebook very often. It's about once every couple weeks I go get caught up because I'm not 90. I'm more than halfway there but I'm not 90 so I don't do Facebook. That's where like Gabe and my mom frequent.

Gabe Bock: Your mom is huge on Facebook.

Billy Liucci: Oh, yeah. She is. When that happens, that's when you know those outlets have jumped the shark and that's where every once in a while I'll go because you keep up with all your high school buddies on there. That's it. I'm not big on Facebook. And some of those requests get lost over... Re-request it and I will be on the lookout for Gordon Bombay.

Gabe Bock: Yes. Exactly. All right. Maybe you'll score a goal and get Billy to friend you. AnotherOldAgDad, he's got to be on Facebook, how nasty do you expect this game to be? Assuming an Aggie win, who's the likely defensive MVP for this game?

Billy Liucci: It better be nasty because Arkansas is going to be nasty and Jimbo mentioned it because he knows, he knows they're going... He's trying to get his team to embrace that and understand that. Like I said, every team is different. Last year's team, you knew they were going to get nasty. They had four senior nasty O-linemen. Kenyon Green's in there mauling people at guard. You know?

Billy Liucci: Who will be the defensive MVP if A&M... I'll say... I can see it being a Micheal Clemons, Tyree Johnson kind of game. We know certain guys are going to bring it but you look up and those guys have three sacks between them and they're all over Jefferson. If Arkansas' center is injured, does McKinnley Jackson have a field day? Does DeMarvin Leal? We saw him inside more last week than at any point this season. If you got a backup center in there, how much of a problem can Marv be working on the inside?

Billy Liucci: I'll say those two. They get to harass Jefferson and harass him into some mistakes.

Gabe Bock: All right. BarnyardAgg ‘12, will Lincoln Riley test the NFL waters within the next five years?

Billy Liucci: I say no. I think that's a lot of over-hype and I think people are starting to realize that maybe Lincoln Riley himself is over-hyped. I say no. He's got a great gig at OU. They're not running him out any time soon. I guess the one wildcard would be Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones and all that money and that desperation... They've looked good in the first two games but if McCarthy doesn't cut it, does Jerry... Do what?

Gabe Bock: Jason Witten gets that job.

Billy Liucci: Okay. I think that would be a travesty too. I don't think that would work either but whatever. I'll say if they went... Dallas would be the only real threat.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. I think Lincoln will attest when he gets to the SEC and realizes his offense isn't that good. All right...

Billy Liucci: They didn't ask you.

Gabe Bock: No. They didn't.

Billy Liucci: Look, I think he's realizing it right now, Gabe, when he's playing Tulane and Nebraska.

Gabe Bock: Exactly.

Billy Liucci: And Iowa State and K State last year.

Gabe Bock: How many losses did they have this year, two or three?

Billy Liucci: Who?

Gabe Bock: OU.

Billy Liucci: Oh, at the end of the year?

Gabe Bock: Yeah.

Billy Liucci: I don't know, man. That league is not very good either. I'll say just one and then two when they go get humiliated in the bowl in the playoff. They were very lucky last year that they got to play that Florida team.

Gabe Bock: For sure, taylorswift13, thank you, Taylor, how cool would it be if Leal, Clemons, PV, and Johnson were all drafted in the next draft? That could solidify us as D-Line U. The first part of a two-parter.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think that would be monstrous. What did you say? Leal, Clemons, PV, and who? Johnson?

Gabe Bock: Tyree.

Billy Liucci: That'd be awesome. I mean, Tyree hasn't popped up there yet. I have had a couple scouts ask me about him and PV's certainly got a shot. I don't know. I could see three of them getting drafted. Get all four? I could see three of them. You got to remember, Clemons is playing like it right now, man. He's playing lights out. If he keeps that up, he's going to steadily climb draft boards.

Gabe Bock: Taylor also says he or she's prediction is three catches or less for Treylon Burks if Jaylon Jones is shadowing him. What's the over/under for receptions for Burks?

Billy Liucci: I think you put the over/under at like four or five, four and a half, five, five and a half. I mean, they're going to try to get him the ball a lot. What do you want to bet on that? I don't know. Doe Elko shadow him with a Jaylon Jones or not? Treylon Burks, I think the question of how many catches Treylon Burks gets is going to have to do with, how many times are you going to swing him the ball where it's just going to be automatic reception? It's just a matter of how good do the Aggies tackle near the line and that's where Jaylon and Myles and even Brian George come in big.

Billy Liucci: The second part of that is down the field, that's what I'm concerned about. If they get pressure on KJ Jefferson, that number goes way down really fast because KJ can hit... He can throw a nice, deep ball and chunk it but a lot of those passes down the field, he's throwing to guys that are wide open. I watched it against Georgia Southern, I watched it against Texas, and, A, it's partially a credit to Kendal Briles but it's also a credit to how Arkansas can get that ground game going. If they can't and A&M can get pressure on Jefferson, then him throwing accurately down the field becomes a coin flip.

Gabe Bock: A good way to end it here, agfan2332, it looks like we finally might get a shake-up in the college football playoff. Ohio State, Clemson, and OU have struggled. How healthy is it for college football for them to not make it and who would you like to see that isn't A&M? In terms of new teams getting in.

Billy Liucci: Say that again, Gabe.

Gabe Bock: He thinks that there's going to be a shakeup with how Ohio State, Clemson and OU struggled. Other than A&M, which new teams would you like to see get a crack at that playoff.

Billy Liucci: It's hard to say because you want it to be A&M. Oregon, just somebody... It's been a while for somebody out west and just to see if they have that juice. Penn State, I've always liked the uniforms, I like the atmosphere, I like the Happy Valley for where they play, and the Nittany Lions. I don't hate James Franklin.

Billy Liucci: I also think Penn State is... I think they're over-hyped and overrated. They beat an Auburn team that might go 3-5 in the SEC this year but they're going to ride that hype now and A&M or somebody has to win some monster game to pass them and they'll have to beat somebody way better than Auburn in order to pass them. I hate that crap. One of those two I guess.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. They won't get any credit when they beat Auburn and then we'll have to go beat somebody better, right?

Billy Liucci: Yup. All right, man. Let's do this. I'll go hit some today, tonight, get some Q&A done tomorrow, and then it's key match-ups. The first time I'm having some fun writing these key match-ups. There are plenty of them to talk about this week. We'll do that. We'll do a lot of radio. We got a podcast this week. Aggies/Razorbacks this weekend. Jerry World should be a bowl game, a New Year six type of bowl game environment in there. Playoff environment because guess what? It's game one of SEC play. It's also game one of the SEC playoffs.

Gabe Bock: Let's do it.

 

 

[EZ$ 2128]

25 minutes ago, Lobwedgephil said:

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No more tune-ups for the Aggies as they prepare to crank up SEC play against the No. 16 Razorbacks on Saturday. Billy Liucci takes on this week's subscriber questions about Saturday's SEC opener, the A&M o-line and much more.

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Billy Liucci: Welcome back. I'm Billy Liucci. He's Gabe Bock. We're going to take your questions. Gabe, let's go. It's Arkansas Week. It's SEC play. There's not a lot to talk about or beat around the bush. Let's get this conversation going.

Gabe Bock: No exchange of pleasantries. It is SEC time. Let's go. All right. RebAg13, was that the first wide-open bomb of the Jimbo era? It was beautiful to see. Obviously, talking about Demas', which was the first 70-yard pass play in the Jimbo era at A&M.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I mean, I don't know how many times we've seen guys run that open. Actually, I can think of one and they didn't connect. It was against Clemson on like the second play of the game or so, at Clemson, a couple of years ago. Yeah. That hasn't been the MO. They also haven't had guys that can... Quite frankly, they haven't had many guys that can do that and take the top off of defense and now I think you certainly have one in Demas. You'd like to get Chapman back as soon as possible. He's shown he can be a problem down the field as well.

Billy Liucci: Maybe you're getting that going... I'm torn between the Joey TexAgs that just is so, "Our offense stinks. It's too conservative" but I also go I've seen this offense do it and I've seen it light up good defenses. I've actually seen it do it with Jimbo but they just do it running and throwing and maybe not attacking deep. I also am like I want to see stuff that makes the safeties back up and threatens them but then you go is that a chicken or the egg kind of thing?

Billy Liucci: I think it is but then I go back to the other side of the message boards where it's like, well, you're recruiting these guys like Demas and Yulkeith and Moose and we want to see some more of them but it's not like some of the other guys are necessarily lighting it up. I think they're underrated but I also think if you're still looking for that explosive element, you should still be in search of finding it because of what it can do.

Billy Liucci: Then at the same time, I also will say guys like Demas and Moose, they have to do it in practice every day. If I'm sitting there and I make a highlight-reel catch and, Gabe, you're running the right routes and I'm not and you're out at practice every day and I'm not and I'm not saying those guys in specific but I'm saying anybody on a team... Like the younger guys just have to figure it out and adjust and then learn the offense and figure out what it takes to be in the good graces of your head coach there to where you can play, so I think these guys have... They're in their second year now and now they're starting to earn their chances more.

Billy Liucci: Demas started to do it late last year and now the next step is when you do get those chances, make plays and that's exactly what Demond and Moose did. That was exciting because I do think those guys have play-making potential, the same with Yulkeith.

Gabe Bock: Billy, TheBirdman, a little off-topic here but that's what we get with Ask Liucci. How far do you see the Astros going this year? All the way or no?

Billy Liucci: I don't know if they can. I don't know if they can get past the Rays. You know? Look, that's not the only team but the Rays and... The Rays were a problem was it last year... I'm losing track. Yeah. It was last year, two years ago, the Astros got past them in five and I think it was three and one but it was a little more competitive series than the three to one would indicate. Then last year, they lost to the Dodgers there.

Billy Liucci: Man, they look good. The thing is Greinke, where's he at right now? There's no Verlander... I just don't know if they have the pitching to get through that gauntlet... It does become a gauntlet to make it through those playoffs. I could see them advancing to the ALCS, I'm a little skeptical of them winning it all.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. That East is so dang good, man. Some great teams.

Billy Liucci: The Jays, I mean, how about Toronto?

Gabe Bock: The Jays are doing really good. All right, dustdust8. I wonder if this is Chris Dusterhoff. Which position coach is not getting enough credit/recognition, Looch?

Billy Liucci: We always talk about those D-line guys. I think on some level, you might want to point out a guy like TJ Rush. I mean, they've been doing it without Myles Jones. They've been trying to get Brian George ready, a freshman in Tyreek Chappell, you saw Deuce Harmon playing early last weekend. Jaylon Jones has been absolutely lock-down. I'm not sure... I'm assuming it would be shared throughout the nickel with Antonio Johnson and Elko, Elko coaches the safeties and that's what Johnson really is.

Billy Liucci: I think he's done a nice job so far. I would say TJ Rushing in terms of someone that... Again, you're talking about that doesn't get a lot of credit.

Gabe Bock: All right. We go EastCoastAgNC, How many points does the defense give up Saturday? Only 17 total through three games. Do any of our running backs break 100 yards? A two-parter there.

Billy Liucci: Oh, man. I hope somebody breaks 100 yards for the Aggies. It's going to be difficult with the way they've been blocking. Just being perfectly honest here. I think they're going to have to grind it out. If you could get... Spiller can get up over 80 and Achane can get in the sixties... It might take a home run hit by Achane to get up there. Maybe that's what will put somebody over but if they can grind out over 150, those two backs, I think you'd be talking about a good day for the A&M offense where they grind out one of those...

Billy Liucci: Maybe it's a 23-17 kind of win, but I think Arkansas is going to score more on Saturday than A&M has given up in three games, which is what? 17 points? I think Arkansas, 20... You know, 17 on a good day for the Ags, 20-23, 24. A&M's offense is going... It's a winnable game and that's a good defensive effort but the Aggies are going to have to...

Billy Liucci: Here's why I say that Gabe, I think A&M's offense is going to be a struggle. I think they'll figure it out and grind through it but it's going to be a struggle, which is going to put Arkansas in some field position opportunities that will result in points. I mean, I think A&M wins this game. I'm not super fired up about the pick and I think it's like 24-20 Aggies.

Billy Liucci: My problem is what I haven't seen from A&M, save that second half at Colorado, is they just haven't seemed to be ready to go in there and say, "Let's freaking fight. Let's go." Particularly, on offense. The linemen, they just look like they're thinking, they're getting beat. They have a little hanging look about them. They don't look confident. I don't see guys running around just super confident on offense, whether it's Calzada, whether it's Wydermyer, Ainias, all the guys. The one guy that seems to just keep bringing it is Isiah and I think he's been the unsung MVP, helping hold it together offensively right now, because you're just not seeing it from that unit. They don't look like a confident unit. We're sitting here assuming that all of a sudden, they're going to gain confidence against the best defense they've played so far in that environment, against Barry Odom?

Billy Liucci: Crazier things have happened. These are college kids, these are college sports, but they're just going to have to mentally get tough this week and say, "We are not going to lose this football game because we have better players and we still have better guys on offense. We're just not going to lose. It ain't happening today. Not on my watch."

Billy Liucci: They're just going to have to take that mentality and they can grind this one out, grind out next week, and outscore Mississippi State at Kyle Field and then see where you're at for Bama. That's three weeks from New Mexico to Bama. That's a lot of time to improve.

Billy Liucci: A&M should be in survival mode right now, though, because they're a few game days from losing the first game in almost a year, in 12 tries, if they don't play their best game of the season Saturday.

Billy Liucci: By the way, A&M's best is absolutely good enough to beat Arkansas. Even though we haven't seen it yet and every team is different, I know these players and I know the way Jimbo Fisher and Mike Elko will coach a game. If these guys play their best Saturday, it will be good enough to beat Arkansas but we just haven't seen it. To play your best, you have to be confident, you have to practice well, and the last time I watched them play, which was Saturday against New Mexico and the week before against... They don't look like the most confident team at all offensively. They've got to get...

Billy Liucci: Something's got to change up here. I think the key to this one could be can the Aggie offense have some early success? Can Jimbo script up a great first drive? Can the O-line and Calzada execute that? And just take some of that pressure off and be like, okay, we're going to move the ball today. I think that could change everything, Gabe.

Billy Liucci: Again, 24-20 Ags. With all that said, I think A&M pulls off a very close one and it's going to be... It ain't going to be fun to watch if you're an Aggie fan. If you're going to be an Aggie fan or an Arkansas fan, it ain't going to be fun to watch but I think at the end, the Ags are the last team standing.

Gabe Bock: You sort of alluded to... The beginning of that message is it sounds like you've still got more you'd like to see from the number three-ranked defense in the country too.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I would. I do. A little more. Well, this is a new test now. For half the game, Colorado ran on them and made them look pedestrian and they tightened the screws up and they haven't looked the same since, they've been dominant, but Arkansas is a different beast from anything they've seen in terms of that running game.

Billy Liucci: Now it's not different than what they've seen previously, guys like Leal, Clemons, Jackson, Johnson, Hansford, Leon... Those guys have seen better but this is different than anything they've seen so far this year so they got to really dial up the intensity from start to finish.

Gabe Bock: streamers406, Baylor Cupp looked impressive as a run blocker when he entered the game, Billy. Do you think we will see more of 88 going forward in place of Max Wright as a second tight end?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think Max has struggled run blocking from watching the tape. Again, this is a guy that's just doing what the team asks him. He's moving around positions. Cupp looked good there at the end.

Billy Liucci: Baylor's MO, just being honest, has not always been as an excellent blocker. I know we've never seen him play but you've seen him practice a lot over the last two years. He caught my eye too with what he did and at some point, it's like Moose and Demas, guys out there and he's doing something different when it's an actual game...

Billy Liucci: Also, Baylor Cupp maybe that's... That's the benefit of competition. You have Max Wright out there and Baylor Cupp is sitting there going, "I should be out there." Okay, get in the game. Okay. You're not throwing it to me? I'm going to block my ass off and make you play me. I think that's what I was seeing from Cupp on Saturday. I was impressed too.

Gabe Bock: streamers406 has a second question...

Billy Liucci: By the way, they need that. The running game... They're too tight and if that second tight end can really block, it changes everything for Jimbo Fisher and what he can do.

Gabe Bock: No question.

Billy Liucci: By the way, Cupp's fast as hell. You get him running up the field it's a problem too.

Gabe Bock: In streamers406's opinion, Moose was the most impressive wide receiver on Saturday, Seemed to create more separation, showed more consistent hands than Chase Lane. Do you believe Moose eventually gets reps with the 1’s moving forward this year?

Billy Liucci: I think it's possible. Again, guys, this is my conflict with message boards and it always has been and sometimes the message boards will be right and sometimes they'll be wrong and I know that going in but everybody that said Kellen Mond sucked or Tannehill could never be a first-round pick or Von Miller shouldn't be a first-team All Big 12 and the Orange Bloods got it right.

Billy Liucci: But then there's the ones where I'm like, "Not yet. Not yet." I fight that battle with you too, Gabe. All the guys you know and have going in the first round where I'm like, "No, they're not. They're not." Then there are times when I'm going to be wrong.

Billy Liucci: I'm slower to warm. I think Moose is really good. I think Moose needs to play. I think these guys need chances to show what they can do so I agree on that front. I'll also say it was New Mexico and I did think Moose looked... He looked like he had juice to him. There was just a little extra there when I'm watching him. You know? Obviously, that catch was sensational. You hear the players say he makes those catches all the time.

Billy Liucci: But then there's Chase and it's like, okay, he also had four for 45 yards or so. He also made some monstrous catches and plays for this football team last year. My answer would not be I want to see Moose just take over for Chase. My answer would be I want to see more Moose and I'd like to see a situation where whoever is playing better or practicing better plays and that's...

Billy Liucci: I don't think they need to just stick with one guy there. I think it's like running back where you can say, "Hey, this guy's giving us a little juice this week. Let's leave him out there." "Oh, Demas caught two passes on the first drive? He's feeling it. Let's leave him out there." You know, "Demas doesn't seem in it. He's getting jammed up at the line. Let's put Chapman back out there and see what he can..."

Billy Liucci: I think it should be like that at all those receiver positions, to be honest with you. I don't think you have to go in and say we're going to rotate out guys regularly. I think if a guy is playing well, don't worry about it, leave him out there. If a guy is off to a slower start, don't waste time. Get someone else in there and see what they can do. That's what guys like... Like what you saw from Moose and Demas, that's what that I think provides you and then you might look up in three or four weeks and maybe one of those guys, it's like he's becoming that dude. They got to have a chance.

Gabe Bock: Absolutely. All right. Can't wait for your thoughts on this one. JBone3515, Who do you think will be the starting offensive line this week?

Billy Liucci: I think for this week, and we're at Tuesday so this could change, but I think you'd see it go Jahmir Johnson, Aki, Bryce, Layden, Kenyon, the original group. Now the wildcard in this whole thing... One of the wildcards is Luke Matthews but he's still in the sling as of Saturday. Until he practices for a couple weeks straight and it's like he's back and he's ready... Until that happens, I'm going to say the wildcard is Deuce Fatheree. Can he become good enough... I would throw him out there some Saturday at left tackle, like rotate... Don't rotate where Jahmir can't get in the flow in the SEC game but give Deuce some reps out there. See how he holds up in Jerry world under the scoreboard and the lights and the big stage.

Billy Liucci: That's all you got to worry about. The physical, it's already there for him. It's the mental and the knowing what to do and the not having your head explode when you're out there and forgetting everything you've been taught. You get his beak wet even a little more this week but once he gets to where... I've said this before the season. It might be mid-season. He could shake things up pretty significantly. Particularly, if he can man that right tackle spot. Then you could put Kenyon and you have a great guard again, you have an All American guard all of a sudden, and then you have Aki and Layden, hey, whoever is playing better is the starter, and then we got a pretty damn good, semi-experienced backup as well. That could be the wildcard but I don't think we're there yet.

Gabe Bock: All right. Red Red Wine, make me feel so fine, Billy, two-parter. First, what's your favorite way to eat pork?

Billy Liucci: Pork? I love Snow's Barbecue pork. It's like breakfast pork. It just falls apart. You can literally just pull it with your hand...

Gabe Bock: They only serve it at 8 A.M. on Saturdays.

Billy Liucci: That's true. It is breakfast pork. Carrie and the crew over there do an amazing job with that. That's incredible. Shout out to the crew at Snow's.

Gabe Bock: Let's go there soon.

Billy Liucci: You're not invited. Actually, you are, Gabe. You're invited.

Billy Liucci: Now you have time on Saturdays. Maybe on the by week, we'll go, Halloween Snow's. I'll tell you my other favorite pork dish is the pork chop at Perry's, whatever that... They do it like three different... One of them is literally like brisket, it almost tastes like, and then the other... Then there's a pork chop that comes with it. Then the big... I don't know if you'd call that a pork butt, whatever the hell you'd call the pork loin, but anyway, that's it. There you go. I don't want to make that answer too long.

Gabe Bock: Take the bacon, wrap it around the steak. That's my favorite way to do pork. All right. Second part of Red Red Wine's question …

Billy Liucci: We've seen your steak so I hope you've improved on them.

Gabe Bock: I have. I have.

Billy Liucci: What's part two?

Gabe Bock: Will we see Achane blow the game wide open in the third quarter?

Billy Liucci: I don't think I'm expecting that, Gabe. I don't think I'm expecting Achane in that running game just to wear them down and blow it open. I could see Achane popping a long touchdown run to win the game late. You know? In other words, in an Aggie victory, I could see a huge play from Achane, whether it's running the ball or coming out of the backfield for a long touchdown catch. Something to win that thing late. You know? In the fourth quarter. It's like whether it comes in the final couple minutes or whether it comes early but it's like the signature play of that fourth quarter and the play everyone shows when they're showing how the Aggies won.

Billy Liucci: I do think Achane is one of the small handful of keys to an A&M victory. You've got to get him the ball, he's got to turn in some big plays because right now, I still don't know that the Ags have very many big-play threats on offense, so you want to see a steady dose of Isaiah, and you want to see them work the ball to Wydermyer more for sure, and Ainias, but I think the home run plays, Achane is still the one the most capable of bringing them and you're not going to just drive up and down the field methodically for four quarters against this defense. They're going to need some big plays.

Billy Liucci: A&M drove pretty methodically through three quarters against them last year but Kellen Mond was just kind of perfectly navigating things. He had all day to throw a great protection upfront from those seniors. You don't have either of those dynamics now. You need big plays. Number six is the guy to do it.

Gabe Bock: All right. Sam Pittman initially invited this question and then you knew it was coming after the other thread last night so here we go, TheClaw07, Did Jimbo try to hire Sam Pittman a couple of years ago?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I said that. Somebody asked Olin for some ... Sometimes they ask Olin or Hop. Ask me the football stuff and ask me the inside stuff. I'm the one that knows. I'm also the one that's known for 25 fricking years, people. So yes. I don't know what they all said but they went after him... Jim Turner was here. Jim Turner was going to stay but Jim Turner was also looking, like coaches do when a new coach comes in.

Billy Liucci: Sam Pittman was considered the best O-line coach in the country at that time. They went to Georgia and made runs at him and James Coley and they didn't get Coley the first time. Actually got him the second time around. You look at Jimbo and Georgia and he took Marshall Malchow and he took a couple of GA analyst guys out of there. There's certainly a connection there.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Pittman would have been a game-changing hire because of what it would have meant in terms of the O-line recruiting because he's an excellent recruiter upfront. He really is. It worked out for Sam and I think it's worked out for A&M as well. Turner ended up leaving, which I don't think he should have. I think he probably regrets... I know he has to regret that. The Bengals and that didn't work out. He's at Texas State right now.

Billy Liucci: Josh Henson had a great year last year. This is the litmus test too. This is a hard group to work with, if you're Henson, just because of inexperience. It's tough, man. Somebody was saying how bad the Aggie O-line looked shaky on Saturday, right? It looked shaky, right? Okay.

Billy Liucci: I looked up at one point and your two tackles had never played college football, a meaningful snap. Blake Trainor and Deuce Fatheree, all of the talent in the world for Deuce. Bottom line, your two tackles on the field had never played college football. Ever. Three weeks ago, Aki had never played. Saturday, I look out there and you're starting two true freshmen of the five during the second half. Two of your five are true freshmen in game three. Bryce Foster, Aki, Layden came in in a blowout against South Carolina and Cole Cubelic went crazy over him. It was deserved but it was a blowout game against South Carolina and that's all he's ever really played that's mattered.

Billy Liucci: This is a wildly inexperienced bunch and Henson has his work cut out but that's why these guys are paid the big bucks. They've got to figure it out. The time for going, "We're young", it's still true but nobody cares anymore. Now you have to start to play winning football and then go from there.

Gabe Bock: TheClaw07's got one more question. We all had a crush on a teacher growing up, Billy. Who was yours?

Billy Liucci: Never. I didn't have any crush-worthy...

Gabe Bock: I never had a good-looking teacher, frankly.

Billy Liucci: Gabe, that's a rude ass thing to say and I'm sure a lot of those women and men, whoever they were, at some point along the way, were good-looking. Maybe you just had older teachers that you judged because you're an ageist.

Billy Liucci: I'm sure I had teachers that were very pretty when they were younger. I'm also sure I'm forgetting somebody but I know what the question is and my answer is not good enough for you all because it's I can't think of one.

Gabe Bock: WhereIsHozaScott, sooner or later people are going to ask who is Hoza Scott? Do you think we'll see a "Florida moment" for this offensive line where they figure out their true identity? I feel like a lot of people don't remember or don't mention that it took a few games for last year's offensive line to see their groove.

Billy Liucci: It did but I also think people don't understand that it took one game because they played pretty good against Bama in game two. It took a year and one game because they weren't good the year before. In some cases, it took two years and one game. Remember how the beatdown they took at Clemson to start that season? It took a year and one game. Okay? We are back to that year, and even worse in terms of experience.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I do think they're going to have a turning point moment at some point but I hope it's sooner than later or it's going to result in A&M losing a couple football games. It could be this Saturday. It could be a three-quarter struggle and in the fourth quarter, A&M lines up and churns it down the field for a seven-minute game-winning drive or they have to go into a four-minute offense after a long struggle, we're giving up... The yards and points are tough to come by and they go into a four-minute offense to preserve a three-point lead and they do it.

Billy Liucci: It could be something as simple as that. I don't think it has to be necessarily as emphatic as what we saw against Florida last year. That's when a bunch of seniors said let's run the damn ball to Henson and Henson went and told Jimbo, "These guys, they're telling me we can do it. We need to run it" and they did.

Billy Liucci: I don't think it has to be that dramatic or emphatic but something in even this game could change and it doesn't have to be a dominant four quarters or running the football for the Aggies. It could be a key moment late in a victory and then maybe this team skyrockets from there along with the O-line.

Gabe Bock: David Kennard also asked who you think the starting lineup is going to be on the offensive line. We'll go to 86Aggie1... You did not predict Fatheree would start earlier, Billy, but 86Aggie1 asks, should Fatheree be starting upfront?

Billy Liucci: I would say not yet. If you start Fatheree, you essentially have to bench either Jahmir Johnson or Aki or Layden. You know? I think you still have to play those guys and I don't think there's a reason to push out Fatheree out there before he's ready and I think he's coming on fast and I think he's going to be ready soon but, again, I just go back...

Billy Liucci: It's like the Moose thing or, particularly, Moose with that question earlier. You guys watched the guy play half a football game against New Mexico. A guy like Jahmir Johnson has started for almost three years in the SEC and put out some really good tape and he hasn't been bad for A&M so far either.

Billy Liucci: I do think, though, that Deuce will end up being one of the best five. I do. At some point this year. Because he had an encouraging debut against New Mexico, I would be reluctant to throw him out there as a starter and give all the one reps all week to get him ready against Arkansas, and a veteran Arkansas defense, on that stage. It's kind of like maybe you play him a little bit this week and if he fares well, then you go, okay, we'd love to have this guy really hitting a corner by the time we play Bama, maybe you play him at home against Mississippi State or maybe you're looking ahead and you're going, "South Carolina is game six. We'd like to have him ready to start throughout the second half of the season."

Billy Liucci: I mean, it just is entirely dependent on... You've got to see where he's at mentally. Like I said, I think Deuce Fatheree is the wildcard that could really change the look of this O-line but he's got to be along.

Billy Liucci: People are forgetting... You know that Jimbo Fisher thinks that guys like Aki and Layden Robinson have the potential to be long-time NFL football players. When you say that, you're just basically saying let's sit a guy that they believe is going to be a long-time NFL player, that they're now entering game four as starters.

Billy Liucci: Like I said, Deuce has to do this and I think he will. I just don't know if he's at this point this week.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. aeroag14, This is the best A&M defense since blank? Last year?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. It's too soon to tell. Too soon to tell. They haven't been tested. Colorado's offense is awful outside of that running back. New Mexico's awful. Terry Wilson is awful. We knew that two years ago. Kent State was problematic but I wouldn't call them an explosive offense. This defense will have their chances. They're going to play KJ Jefferson and Kendal Briles and this Arkansas offense this week and those running backs and their receiver is exceptional. They're going to play Alabama. They're going to play Connor Bazelak on the road. They're going to play... It's Matt Corral. They're going to play LSU and those wide receivers. Mike Leach next weekend.

Billy Liucci: This defense will get tested in every way imaginable. If they are one of the better A&M defenses... I think they are one of the better ones we've seen in the last 25 years or so, and that's not the highest of bars but I think this is a really good defense. If they're elite, like one of the better ones we've seen at A&M, we're sure as hell going to know it because I just went through the list of what they're going to face and if they come out the other side as a top-five defense in the country, or I think even a top 10, with those offensive attacks they face, and if they're a top 10 defense, I think you can put them down as one of the best A&M ones we've seen.

Gabe Bock: If I heard you right, you do not expect A&M to go all year without giving up a 20-yard pass?

Billy Liucci: No. No. They'll get tested this weekend in that regard because of how much they'll get sucked in by that Arkansas running game and wondering if Jefferson is going to keep it and then he goes over the top. That's what makes them so dangerous. The Aggies are going to have to play a very disciplined defense this weekend, which they typically do under Mike Elko.

Gabe Bock: sundaytiger13, will any of the injured guys return? Young, B Williams, Matthews, et cetera. Does Myles Jones start this week?

Billy Liucci: I think we'll see Myles Jones start. It's always questionable with his foot but I think they've got a specific plan for him in terms of practice. It's getting him ready for a game each week without overly taxing and risking hurting that foot. Like I said, Matthews was in a sling last Saturday still. I don't think we'll see Chapman back quite yet but pretty quickly. Who else, Gabe?

Gabe Bock: Carper was one.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Carper.

Gabe Bock: Young and Brian Williams.

Billy Liucci: Brian Williams wasn't suited up. I hadn't asked about him. I think Carper, it would be iffy. Ainias should go.

Gabe Bock: Erick Young.

Billy Liucci: Erick Young, he's been hurt so far all season. I keep hearing he's really close to being back. Maybe this is the week. For the last couple of weeks, I've been hearing he's really close.

Gabe Bock: Excellent. All right. Let's see, CattlemanAg, Billy, who do you project to be our next few commitments? When should we expect to get another verbal?

Billy Liucci: I think I'll just wait on that. We'll wait on that answer. There aren't a lot of them lined up right now for anybody. These guys, once they got into the season, they're going to wait and they're going to wait a while. I think the guy I'd be keeping a close eye on would be like Gabe Brownlow-Dindy between A&M and OU. If he's here, as it's scheduled, next weekend, I think I could see him going back and sitting down and comparing his recent OU official with the A&M experience and sitting down with his family, who is actually moving here before too long, and talking things over.

Billy Liucci: A lot of those other guys are so highly regarded and there's so much recruitment left for them. They deliberately waited until the start of the season to go take these visits and do all this. Barring the Aggies winning Saturday and next Saturday and setting up a monster showdown with Bama and pulling off the upset and guys getting caught in the excitement, I think you'll probably be in a slower period in terms of recruiting for several weeks.

Gabe Bock: All right. How many more, Billy?

Billy Liucci: Let's do about five more here. We got to get down at 10:55.

Gabe Bock: You'll like the username, I don't know if you'll hate the question more or the 25 people who started it, because I know you. Gordon Bombay wants to know, why don't you accept my Facebook friend request?

Billy Liucci: I don't know... Is he Gordon Bombay on there? I don't check Facebook very often. It's about once every couple weeks I go get caught up because I'm not 90. I'm more than halfway there but I'm not 90 so I don't do Facebook. That's where like Gabe and my mom frequent.

Gabe Bock: Your mom is huge on Facebook.

Billy Liucci: Oh, yeah. She is. When that happens, that's when you know those outlets have jumped the shark and that's where every once in a while I'll go because you keep up with all your high school buddies on there. That's it. I'm not big on Facebook. And some of those requests get lost over... Re-request it and I will be on the lookout for Gordon Bombay.

Gabe Bock: Yes. Exactly. All right. Maybe you'll score a goal and get Billy to friend you. AnotherOldAgDad, he's got to be on Facebook, how nasty do you expect this game to be? Assuming an Aggie win, who's the likely defensive MVP for this game?

Billy Liucci: It better be nasty because Arkansas is going to be nasty and Jimbo mentioned it because he knows, he knows they're going... He's trying to get his team to embrace that and understand that. Like I said, every team is different. Last year's team, you knew they were going to get nasty. They had four senior nasty O-linemen. Kenyon Green's in there mauling people at guard. You know?

Billy Liucci: Who will be the defensive MVP if A&M... I'll say... I can see it being a Micheal Clemons, Tyree Johnson kind of game. We know certain guys are going to bring it but you look up and those guys have three sacks between them and they're all over Jefferson. If Arkansas' center is injured, does McKinnley Jackson have a field day? Does DeMarvin Leal? We saw him inside more last week than at any point this season. If you got a backup center in there, how much of a problem can Marv be working on the inside?

Billy Liucci: I'll say those two. They get to harass Jefferson and harass him into some mistakes.

Gabe Bock: All right. BarnyardAgg ‘12, will Lincoln Riley test the NFL waters within the next five years?

Billy Liucci: I say no. I think that's a lot of over-hype and I think people are starting to realize that maybe Lincoln Riley himself is over-hyped. I say no. He's got a great gig at OU. They're not running him out any time soon. I guess the one wildcard would be Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones and all that money and that desperation... They've looked good in the first two games but if McCarthy doesn't cut it, does Jerry... Do what?

Gabe Bock: Jason Witten gets that job.

Billy Liucci: Okay. I think that would be a travesty too. I don't think that would work either but whatever. I'll say if they went... Dallas would be the only real threat.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. I think Lincoln will attest when he gets to the SEC and realizes his offense isn't that good. All right...

Billy Liucci: They didn't ask you.

Gabe Bock: No. They didn't.

Billy Liucci: Look, I think he's realizing it right now, Gabe, when he's playing Tulane and Nebraska.

Gabe Bock: Exactly.

Billy Liucci: And Iowa State and K State last year.

Gabe Bock: How many losses did they have this year, two or three?

Billy Liucci: Who?

Gabe Bock: OU.

Billy Liucci: Oh, at the end of the year?

Gabe Bock: Yeah.

Billy Liucci: I don't know, man. That league is not very good either. I'll say just one and then two when they go get humiliated in the bowl in the playoff. They were very lucky last year that they got to play that Florida team.

Gabe Bock: For sure, taylorswift13, thank you, Taylor, how cool would it be if Leal, Clemons, PV, and Johnson were all drafted in the next draft? That could solidify us as D-Line U. The first part of a two-parter.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think that would be monstrous. What did you say? Leal, Clemons, PV, and who? Johnson?

Gabe Bock: Tyree.

Billy Liucci: That'd be awesome. I mean, Tyree hasn't popped up there yet. I have had a couple scouts ask me about him and PV's certainly got a shot. I don't know. I could see three of them getting drafted. Get all four? I could see three of them. You got to remember, Clemons is playing like it right now, man. He's playing lights out. If he keeps that up, he's going to steadily climb draft boards.

Gabe Bock: Taylor also says he or she's prediction is three catches or less for Treylon Burks if Jaylon Jones is shadowing him. What's the over/under for receptions for Burks?

Billy Liucci: I think you put the over/under at like four or five, four and a half, five, five and a half. I mean, they're going to try to get him the ball a lot. What do you want to bet on that? I don't know. Doe Elko shadow him with a Jaylon Jones or not? Treylon Burks, I think the question of how many catches Treylon Burks gets is going to have to do with, how many times are you going to swing him the ball where it's just going to be automatic reception? It's just a matter of how good do the Aggies tackle near the line and that's where Jaylon and Myles and even Brian George come in big.

Billy Liucci: The second part of that is down the field, that's what I'm concerned about. If they get pressure on KJ Jefferson, that number goes way down really fast because KJ can hit... He can throw a nice, deep ball and chunk it but a lot of those passes down the field, he's throwing to guys that are wide open. I watched it against Georgia Southern, I watched it against Texas, and, A, it's partially a credit to Kendal Briles but it's also a credit to how Arkansas can get that ground game going. If they can't and A&M can get pressure on Jefferson, then him throwing accurately down the field becomes a coin flip.

Gabe Bock: A good way to end it here, agfan2332, it looks like we finally might get a shake-up in the college football playoff. Ohio State, Clemson, and OU have struggled. How healthy is it for college football for them to not make it and who would you like to see that isn't A&M? In terms of new teams getting in.

Billy Liucci: Say that again, Gabe.

Gabe Bock: He thinks that there's going to be a shakeup with how Ohio State, Clemson and OU struggled. Other than A&M, which new teams would you like to see get a crack at that playoff.

Billy Liucci: It's hard to say because you want it to be A&M. Oregon, just somebody... It's been a while for somebody out west and just to see if they have that juice. Penn State, I've always liked the uniforms, I like the atmosphere, I like the Happy Valley for where they play, and the Nittany Lions. I don't hate James Franklin.

Billy Liucci: I also think Penn State is... I think they're over-hyped and overrated. They beat an Auburn team that might go 3-5 in the SEC this year but they're going to ride that hype now and A&M or somebody has to win some monster game to pass them and they'll have to beat somebody way better than Auburn in order to pass them. I hate that crap. One of those two I guess.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. They won't get any credit when they beat Auburn and then we'll have to go beat somebody better, right?

Billy Liucci: Yup. All right, man. Let's do this. I'll go hit some today, tonight, get some Q&A done tomorrow, and then it's key match-ups. The first time I'm having some fun writing these key match-ups. There are plenty of them to talk about this week. We'll do that. We'll do a lot of radio. We got a podcast this week. Aggies/Razorbacks this weekend. Jerry World should be a bowl game, a New Year six type of bowl game environment in there. Playoff environment because guess what? It's game one of SEC play. It's also game one of the SEC playoffs.

Gabe Bock: Let's do it.

 

 

 

[JesusSweatDuck 18125]

18 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

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No more tune-ups for the Aggies as they prepare to crank up SEC play against the No. 16 Razorbacks on Saturday. Billy Liucci takes on this week's subscriber questions about Saturday's SEC opener, the A&M o-line and much more.

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Billy Liucci: Welcome back. I'm Billy Liucci. He's Gabe Bock. We're going to take your questions. Gabe, let's go. It's Arkansas Week. It's SEC play. There's not a lot to talk about or beat around the bush. Let's get this conversation going.

Gabe Bock: No exchange of pleasantries. It is SEC time. Let's go. All right. RebAg13, was that the first wide-open bomb of the Jimbo era? It was beautiful to see. Obviously, talking about Demas', which was the first 70-yard pass play in the Jimbo era at A&M.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I mean, I don't know how many times we've seen guys run that open. Actually, I can think of one and they didn't connect. It was against Clemson on like the second play of the game or so, at Clemson, a couple of years ago. Yeah. That hasn't been the MO. They also haven't had guys that can... Quite frankly, they haven't had many guys that can do that and take the top off of defense and now I think you certainly have one in Demas. You'd like to get Chapman back as soon as possible. He's shown he can be a problem down the field as well.

Billy Liucci: Maybe you're getting that going... I'm torn between the Joey TexAgs that just is so, "Our offense stinks. It's too conservative" but I also go I've seen this offense do it and I've seen it light up good defenses. I've actually seen it do it with Jimbo but they just do it running and throwing and maybe not attacking deep. I also am like I want to see stuff that makes the safeties back up and threatens them but then you go is that a chicken or the egg kind of thing?

Billy Liucci: I think it is but then I go back to the other side of the message boards where it's like, well, you're recruiting these guys like Demas and Yulkeith and Moose and we want to see some more of them but it's not like some of the other guys are necessarily lighting it up. I think they're underrated but I also think if you're still looking for that explosive element, you should still be in search of finding it because of what it can do.

Billy Liucci: Then at the same time, I also will say guys like Demas and Moose, they have to do it in practice every day. If I'm sitting there and I make a highlight-reel catch and, Gabe, you're running the right routes and I'm not and you're out at practice every day and I'm not and I'm not saying those guys in specific but I'm saying anybody on a team... Like the younger guys just have to figure it out and adjust and then learn the offense and figure out what it takes to be in the good graces of your head coach there to where you can play, so I think these guys have... They're in their second year now and now they're starting to earn their chances more.

Billy Liucci: Demas started to do it late last year and now the next step is when you do get those chances, make plays and that's exactly what Demond and Moose did. That was exciting because I do think those guys have play-making potential, the same with Yulkeith.

Gabe Bock: Billy, TheBirdman, a little off-topic here but that's what we get with Ask Liucci. How far do you see the Astros going this year? All the way or no?

Billy Liucci: I don't know if they can. I don't know if they can get past the Rays. You know? Look, that's not the only team but the Rays and... The Rays were a problem was it last year... I'm losing track. Yeah. It was last year, two years ago, the Astros got past them in five and I think it was three and one but it was a little more competitive series than the three to one would indicate. Then last year, they lost to the Dodgers there.

Billy Liucci: Man, they look good. The thing is Greinke, where's he at right now? There's no Verlander... I just don't know if they have the pitching to get through that gauntlet... It does become a gauntlet to make it through those playoffs. I could see them advancing to the ALCS, I'm a little skeptical of them winning it all.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. That East is so dang good, man. Some great teams.

Billy Liucci: The Jays, I mean, how about Toronto?

Gabe Bock: The Jays are doing really good. All right, dustdust8. I wonder if this is Chris Dusterhoff. Which position coach is not getting enough credit/recognition, Looch?

Billy Liucci: We always talk about those D-line guys. I think on some level, you might want to point out a guy like TJ Rush. I mean, they've been doing it without Myles Jones. They've been trying to get Brian George ready, a freshman in Tyreek Chappell, you saw Deuce Harmon playing early last weekend. Jaylon Jones has been absolutely lock-down. I'm not sure... I'm assuming it would be shared throughout the nickel with Antonio Johnson and Elko, Elko coaches the safeties and that's what Johnson really is.

Billy Liucci: I think he's done a nice job so far. I would say TJ Rushing in terms of someone that... Again, you're talking about that doesn't get a lot of credit.

Gabe Bock: All right. We go EastCoastAgNC, How many points does the defense give up Saturday? Only 17 total through three games. Do any of our running backs break 100 yards? A two-parter there.

Billy Liucci: Oh, man. I hope somebody breaks 100 yards for the Aggies. It's going to be difficult with the way they've been blocking. Just being perfectly honest here. I think they're going to have to grind it out. If you could get... Spiller can get up over 80 and Achane can get in the sixties... It might take a home run hit by Achane to get up there. Maybe that's what will put somebody over but if they can grind out over 150, those two backs, I think you'd be talking about a good day for the A&M offense where they grind out one of those...

Billy Liucci: Maybe it's a 23-17 kind of win, but I think Arkansas is going to score more on Saturday than A&M has given up in three games, which is what? 17 points? I think Arkansas, 20... You know, 17 on a good day for the Ags, 20-23, 24. A&M's offense is going... It's a winnable game and that's a good defensive effort but the Aggies are going to have to...

Billy Liucci: Here's why I say that Gabe, I think A&M's offense is going to be a struggle. I think they'll figure it out and grind through it but it's going to be a struggle, which is going to put Arkansas in some field position opportunities that will result in points. I mean, I think A&M wins this game. I'm not super fired up about the pick and I think it's like 24-20 Aggies.

Billy Liucci: My problem is what I haven't seen from A&M, save that second half at Colorado, is they just haven't seemed to be ready to go in there and say, "Let's freaking fight. Let's go." Particularly, on offense. The linemen, they just look like they're thinking, they're getting beat. They have a little hanging look about them. They don't look confident. I don't see guys running around just super confident on offense, whether it's Calzada, whether it's Wydermyer, Ainias, all the guys. The one guy that seems to just keep bringing it is Isiah and I think he's been the unsung MVP, helping hold it together offensively right now, because you're just not seeing it from that unit. They don't look like a confident unit. We're sitting here assuming that all of a sudden, they're going to gain confidence against the best defense they've played so far in that environment, against Barry Odom?

Billy Liucci: Crazier things have happened. These are college kids, these are college sports, but they're just going to have to mentally get tough this week and say, "We are not going to lose this football game because we have better players and we still have better guys on offense. We're just not going to lose. It ain't happening today. Not on my watch."

Billy Liucci: They're just going to have to take that mentality and they can grind this one out, grind out next week, and outscore Mississippi State at Kyle Field and then see where you're at for Bama. That's three weeks from New Mexico to Bama. That's a lot of time to improve.

Billy Liucci: A&M should be in survival mode right now, though, because they're a few game days from losing the first game in almost a year, in 12 tries, if they don't play their best game of the season Saturday.

Billy Liucci: By the way, A&M's best is absolutely good enough to beat Arkansas. Even though we haven't seen it yet and every team is different, I know these players and I know the way Jimbo Fisher and Mike Elko will coach a game. If these guys play their best Saturday, it will be good enough to beat Arkansas but we just haven't seen it. To play your best, you have to be confident, you have to practice well, and the last time I watched them play, which was Saturday against New Mexico and the week before against... They don't look like the most confident team at all offensively. They've got to get...

Billy Liucci: Something's got to change up here. I think the key to this one could be can the Aggie offense have some early success? Can Jimbo script up a great first drive? Can the O-line and Calzada execute that? And just take some of that pressure off and be like, okay, we're going to move the ball today. I think that could change everything, Gabe.

Billy Liucci: Again, 24-20 Ags. With all that said, I think A&M pulls off a very close one and it's going to be... It ain't going to be fun to watch if you're an Aggie fan. If you're going to be an Aggie fan or an Arkansas fan, it ain't going to be fun to watch but I think at the end, the Ags are the last team standing.

Gabe Bock: You sort of alluded to... The beginning of that message is it sounds like you've still got more you'd like to see from the number three-ranked defense in the country too.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I would. I do. A little more. Well, this is a new test now. For half the game, Colorado ran on them and made them look pedestrian and they tightened the screws up and they haven't looked the same since, they've been dominant, but Arkansas is a different beast from anything they've seen in terms of that running game.

Billy Liucci: Now it's not different than what they've seen previously, guys like Leal, Clemons, Jackson, Johnson, Hansford, Leon... Those guys have seen better but this is different than anything they've seen so far this year so they got to really dial up the intensity from start to finish.

Gabe Bock: streamers406, Baylor Cupp looked impressive as a run blocker when he entered the game, Billy. Do you think we will see more of 88 going forward in place of Max Wright as a second tight end?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think Max has struggled run blocking from watching the tape. Again, this is a guy that's just doing what the team asks him. He's moving around positions. Cupp looked good there at the end.

Billy Liucci: Baylor's MO, just being honest, has not always been as an excellent blocker. I know we've never seen him play but you've seen him practice a lot over the last two years. He caught my eye too with what he did and at some point, it's like Moose and Demas, guys out there and he's doing something different when it's an actual game...

Billy Liucci: Also, Baylor Cupp maybe that's... That's the benefit of competition. You have Max Wright out there and Baylor Cupp is sitting there going, "I should be out there." Okay, get in the game. Okay. You're not throwing it to me? I'm going to block my ass off and make you play me. I think that's what I was seeing from Cupp on Saturday. I was impressed too.

Gabe Bock: streamers406 has a second question...

Billy Liucci: By the way, they need that. The running game... They're too tight and if that second tight end can really block, it changes everything for Jimbo Fisher and what he can do.

Gabe Bock: No question.

Billy Liucci: By the way, Cupp's fast as hell. You get him running up the field it's a problem too.

Gabe Bock: In streamers406's opinion, Moose was the most impressive wide receiver on Saturday, Seemed to create more separation, showed more consistent hands than Chase Lane. Do you believe Moose eventually gets reps with the 1’s moving forward this year?

Billy Liucci: I think it's possible. Again, guys, this is my conflict with message boards and it always has been and sometimes the message boards will be right and sometimes they'll be wrong and I know that going in but everybody that said Kellen Mond sucked or Tannehill could never be a first-round pick or Von Miller shouldn't be a first-team All Big 12 and the Orange Bloods got it right.

Billy Liucci: But then there's the ones where I'm like, "Not yet. Not yet." I fight that battle with you too, Gabe. All the guys you know and have going in the first round where I'm like, "No, they're not. They're not." Then there are times when I'm going to be wrong.

Billy Liucci: I'm slower to warm. I think Moose is really good. I think Moose needs to play. I think these guys need chances to show what they can do so I agree on that front. I'll also say it was New Mexico and I did think Moose looked... He looked like he had juice to him. There was just a little extra there when I'm watching him. You know? Obviously, that catch was sensational. You hear the players say he makes those catches all the time.

Billy Liucci: But then there's Chase and it's like, okay, he also had four for 45 yards or so. He also made some monstrous catches and plays for this football team last year. My answer would not be I want to see Moose just take over for Chase. My answer would be I want to see more Moose and I'd like to see a situation where whoever is playing better or practicing better plays and that's...

Billy Liucci: I don't think they need to just stick with one guy there. I think it's like running back where you can say, "Hey, this guy's giving us a little juice this week. Let's leave him out there." "Oh, Demas caught two passes on the first drive? He's feeling it. Let's leave him out there." You know, "Demas doesn't seem in it. He's getting jammed up at the line. Let's put Chapman back out there and see what he can..."

Billy Liucci: I think it should be like that at all those receiver positions, to be honest with you. I don't think you have to go in and say we're going to rotate out guys regularly. I think if a guy is playing well, don't worry about it, leave him out there. If a guy is off to a slower start, don't waste time. Get someone else in there and see what they can do. That's what guys like... Like what you saw from Moose and Demas, that's what that I think provides you and then you might look up in three or four weeks and maybe one of those guys, it's like he's becoming that dude. They got to have a chance.

Gabe Bock: Absolutely. All right. Can't wait for your thoughts on this one. JBone3515, Who do you think will be the starting offensive line this week?

Billy Liucci: I think for this week, and we're at Tuesday so this could change, but I think you'd see it go Jahmir Johnson, Aki, Bryce, Layden, Kenyon, the original group. Now the wildcard in this whole thing... One of the wildcards is Luke Matthews but he's still in the sling as of Saturday. Until he practices for a couple weeks straight and it's like he's back and he's ready... Until that happens, I'm going to say the wildcard is Deuce Fatheree. Can he become good enough... I would throw him out there some Saturday at left tackle, like rotate... Don't rotate where Jahmir can't get in the flow in the SEC game but give Deuce some reps out there. See how he holds up in Jerry world under the scoreboard and the lights and the big stage.

Billy Liucci: That's all you got to worry about. The physical, it's already there for him. It's the mental and the knowing what to do and the not having your head explode when you're out there and forgetting everything you've been taught. You get his beak wet even a little more this week but once he gets to where... I've said this before the season. It might be mid-season. He could shake things up pretty significantly. Particularly, if he can man that right tackle spot. Then you could put Kenyon and you have a great guard again, you have an All American guard all of a sudden, and then you have Aki and Layden, hey, whoever is playing better is the starter, and then we got a pretty damn good, semi-experienced backup as well. That could be the wildcard but I don't think we're there yet.

Gabe Bock: All right. Red Red Wine, make me feel so fine, Billy, two-parter. First, what's your favorite way to eat pork?

Billy Liucci: Pork? I love Snow's Barbecue pork. It's like breakfast pork. It just falls apart. You can literally just pull it with your hand...

Gabe Bock: They only serve it at 8 A.M. on Saturdays.

Billy Liucci: That's true. It is breakfast pork. Carrie and the crew over there do an amazing job with that. That's incredible. Shout out to the crew at Snow's.

Gabe Bock: Let's go there soon.

Billy Liucci: You're not invited. Actually, you are, Gabe. You're invited.

Billy Liucci: Now you have time on Saturdays. Maybe on the by week, we'll go, Halloween Snow's. I'll tell you my other favorite pork dish is the pork chop at Perry's, whatever that... They do it like three different... One of them is literally like brisket, it almost tastes like, and then the other... Then there's a pork chop that comes with it. Then the big... I don't know if you'd call that a pork butt, whatever the hell you'd call the pork loin, but anyway, that's it. There you go. I don't want to make that answer too long.

Gabe Bock: Take the bacon, wrap it around the steak. That's my favorite way to do pork. All right. Second part of Red Red Wine's question …

Billy Liucci: We've seen your steak so I hope you've improved on them.

Gabe Bock: I have. I have.

Billy Liucci: What's part two?

Gabe Bock: Will we see Achane blow the game wide open in the third quarter?

Billy Liucci: I don't think I'm expecting that, Gabe. I don't think I'm expecting Achane in that running game just to wear them down and blow it open. I could see Achane popping a long touchdown run to win the game late. You know? In other words, in an Aggie victory, I could see a huge play from Achane, whether it's running the ball or coming out of the backfield for a long touchdown catch. Something to win that thing late. You know? In the fourth quarter. It's like whether it comes in the final couple minutes or whether it comes early but it's like the signature play of that fourth quarter and the play everyone shows when they're showing how the Aggies won.

Billy Liucci: I do think Achane is one of the small handful of keys to an A&M victory. You've got to get him the ball, he's got to turn in some big plays because right now, I still don't know that the Ags have very many big-play threats on offense, so you want to see a steady dose of Isaiah, and you want to see them work the ball to Wydermyer more for sure, and Ainias, but I think the home run plays, Achane is still the one the most capable of bringing them and you're not going to just drive up and down the field methodically for four quarters against this defense. They're going to need some big plays.

Billy Liucci: A&M drove pretty methodically through three quarters against them last year but Kellen Mond was just kind of perfectly navigating things. He had all day to throw a great protection upfront from those seniors. You don't have either of those dynamics now. You need big plays. Number six is the guy to do it.

Gabe Bock: All right. Sam Pittman initially invited this question and then you knew it was coming after the other thread last night so here we go, TheClaw07, Did Jimbo try to hire Sam Pittman a couple of years ago?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I said that. Somebody asked Olin for some ... Sometimes they ask Olin or Hop. Ask me the football stuff and ask me the inside stuff. I'm the one that knows. I'm also the one that's known for 25 fricking years, people. So yes. I don't know what they all said but they went after him... Jim Turner was here. Jim Turner was going to stay but Jim Turner was also looking, like coaches do when a new coach comes in.

Billy Liucci: Sam Pittman was considered the best O-line coach in the country at that time. They went to Georgia and made runs at him and James Coley and they didn't get Coley the first time. Actually got him the second time around. You look at Jimbo and Georgia and he took Marshall Malchow and he took a couple of GA analyst guys out of there. There's certainly a connection there.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Pittman would have been a game-changing hire because of what it would have meant in terms of the O-line recruiting because he's an excellent recruiter upfront. He really is. It worked out for Sam and I think it's worked out for A&M as well. Turner ended up leaving, which I don't think he should have. I think he probably regrets... I know he has to regret that. The Bengals and that didn't work out. He's at Texas State right now.

Billy Liucci: Josh Henson had a great year last year. This is the litmus test too. This is a hard group to work with, if you're Henson, just because of inexperience. It's tough, man. Somebody was saying how bad the Aggie O-line looked shaky on Saturday, right? It looked shaky, right? Okay.

Billy Liucci: I looked up at one point and your two tackles had never played college football, a meaningful snap. Blake Trainor and Deuce Fatheree, all of the talent in the world for Deuce. Bottom line, your two tackles on the field had never played college football. Ever. Three weeks ago, Aki had never played. Saturday, I look out there and you're starting two true freshmen of the five during the second half. Two of your five are true freshmen in game three. Bryce Foster, Aki, Layden came in in a blowout against South Carolina and Cole Cubelic went crazy over him. It was deserved but it was a blowout game against South Carolina and that's all he's ever really played that's mattered.

Billy Liucci: This is a wildly inexperienced bunch and Henson has his work cut out but that's why these guys are paid the big bucks. They've got to figure it out. The time for going, "We're young", it's still true but nobody cares anymore. Now you have to start to play winning football and then go from there.

Gabe Bock: TheClaw07's got one more question. We all had a crush on a teacher growing up, Billy. Who was yours?

Billy Liucci: Never. I didn't have any crush-worthy...

Gabe Bock: I never had a good-looking teacher, frankly.

Billy Liucci: Gabe, that's a rude ass thing to say and I'm sure a lot of those women and men, whoever they were, at some point along the way, were good-looking. Maybe you just had older teachers that you judged because you're an ageist.

Billy Liucci: I'm sure I had teachers that were very pretty when they were younger. I'm also sure I'm forgetting somebody but I know what the question is and my answer is not good enough for you all because it's I can't think of one.

Gabe Bock: WhereIsHozaScott, sooner or later people are going to ask who is Hoza Scott? Do you think we'll see a "Florida moment" for this offensive line where they figure out their true identity? I feel like a lot of people don't remember or don't mention that it took a few games for last year's offensive line to see their groove.

Billy Liucci: It did but I also think people don't understand that it took one game because they played pretty good against Bama in game two. It took a year and one game because they weren't good the year before. In some cases, it took two years and one game. Remember how the beatdown they took at Clemson to start that season? It took a year and one game. Okay? We are back to that year, and even worse in terms of experience.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I do think they're going to have a turning point moment at some point but I hope it's sooner than later or it's going to result in A&M losing a couple football games. It could be this Saturday. It could be a three-quarter struggle and in the fourth quarter, A&M lines up and churns it down the field for a seven-minute game-winning drive or they have to go into a four-minute offense after a long struggle, we're giving up... The yards and points are tough to come by and they go into a four-minute offense to preserve a three-point lead and they do it.

Billy Liucci: It could be something as simple as that. I don't think it has to be necessarily as emphatic as what we saw against Florida last year. That's when a bunch of seniors said let's run the damn ball to Henson and Henson went and told Jimbo, "These guys, they're telling me we can do it. We need to run it" and they did.

Billy Liucci: I don't think it has to be that dramatic or emphatic but something in even this game could change and it doesn't have to be a dominant four quarters or running the football for the Aggies. It could be a key moment late in a victory and then maybe this team skyrockets from there along with the O-line.

Gabe Bock: David Kennard also asked who you think the starting lineup is going to be on the offensive line. We'll go to 86Aggie1... You did not predict Fatheree would start earlier, Billy, but 86Aggie1 asks, should Fatheree be starting upfront?

Billy Liucci: I would say not yet. If you start Fatheree, you essentially have to bench either Jahmir Johnson or Aki or Layden. You know? I think you still have to play those guys and I don't think there's a reason to push out Fatheree out there before he's ready and I think he's coming on fast and I think he's going to be ready soon but, again, I just go back...

Billy Liucci: It's like the Moose thing or, particularly, Moose with that question earlier. You guys watched the guy play half a football game against New Mexico. A guy like Jahmir Johnson has started for almost three years in the SEC and put out some really good tape and he hasn't been bad for A&M so far either.

Billy Liucci: I do think, though, that Deuce will end up being one of the best five. I do. At some point this year. Because he had an encouraging debut against New Mexico, I would be reluctant to throw him out there as a starter and give all the one reps all week to get him ready against Arkansas, and a veteran Arkansas defense, on that stage. It's kind of like maybe you play him a little bit this week and if he fares well, then you go, okay, we'd love to have this guy really hitting a corner by the time we play Bama, maybe you play him at home against Mississippi State or maybe you're looking ahead and you're going, "South Carolina is game six. We'd like to have him ready to start throughout the second half of the season."

Billy Liucci: I mean, it just is entirely dependent on... You've got to see where he's at mentally. Like I said, I think Deuce Fatheree is the wildcard that could really change the look of this O-line but he's got to be along.

Billy Liucci: People are forgetting... You know that Jimbo Fisher thinks that guys like Aki and Layden Robinson have the potential to be long-time NFL football players. When you say that, you're just basically saying let's sit a guy that they believe is going to be a long-time NFL player, that they're now entering game four as starters.

Billy Liucci: Like I said, Deuce has to do this and I think he will. I just don't know if he's at this point this week.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. aeroag14, This is the best A&M defense since blank? Last year?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. It's too soon to tell. Too soon to tell. They haven't been tested. Colorado's offense is awful outside of that running back. New Mexico's awful. Terry Wilson is awful. We knew that two years ago. Kent State was problematic but I wouldn't call them an explosive offense. This defense will have their chances. They're going to play KJ Jefferson and Kendal Briles and this Arkansas offense this week and those running backs and their receiver is exceptional. They're going to play Alabama. They're going to play Connor Bazelak on the road. They're going to play... It's Matt Corral. They're going to play LSU and those wide receivers. Mike Leach next weekend.

Billy Liucci: This defense will get tested in every way imaginable. If they are one of the better A&M defenses... I think they are one of the better ones we've seen in the last 25 years or so, and that's not the highest of bars but I think this is a really good defense. If they're elite, like one of the better ones we've seen at A&M, we're sure as hell going to know it because I just went through the list of what they're going to face and if they come out the other side as a top-five defense in the country, or I think even a top 10, with those offensive attacks they face, and if they're a top 10 defense, I think you can put them down as one of the best A&M ones we've seen.

Gabe Bock: If I heard you right, you do not expect A&M to go all year without giving up a 20-yard pass?

Billy Liucci: No. No. They'll get tested this weekend in that regard because of how much they'll get sucked in by that Arkansas running game and wondering if Jefferson is going to keep it and then he goes over the top. That's what makes them so dangerous. The Aggies are going to have to play a very disciplined defense this weekend, which they typically do under Mike Elko.

Gabe Bock: sundaytiger13, will any of the injured guys return? Young, B Williams, Matthews, et cetera. Does Myles Jones start this week?

Billy Liucci: I think we'll see Myles Jones start. It's always questionable with his foot but I think they've got a specific plan for him in terms of practice. It's getting him ready for a game each week without overly taxing and risking hurting that foot. Like I said, Matthews was in a sling last Saturday still. I don't think we'll see Chapman back quite yet but pretty quickly. Who else, Gabe?

Gabe Bock: Carper was one.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Carper.

Gabe Bock: Young and Brian Williams.

Billy Liucci: Brian Williams wasn't suited up. I hadn't asked about him. I think Carper, it would be iffy. Ainias should go.

Gabe Bock: Erick Young.

Billy Liucci: Erick Young, he's been hurt so far all season. I keep hearing he's really close to being back. Maybe this is the week. For the last couple of weeks, I've been hearing he's really close.

Gabe Bock: Excellent. All right. Let's see, CattlemanAg, Billy, who do you project to be our next few commitments? When should we expect to get another verbal?

Billy Liucci: I think I'll just wait on that. We'll wait on that answer. There aren't a lot of them lined up right now for anybody. These guys, once they got into the season, they're going to wait and they're going to wait a while. I think the guy I'd be keeping a close eye on would be like Gabe Brownlow-Dindy between A&M and OU. If he's here, as it's scheduled, next weekend, I think I could see him going back and sitting down and comparing his recent OU official with the A&M experience and sitting down with his family, who is actually moving here before too long, and talking things over.

Billy Liucci: A lot of those other guys are so highly regarded and there's so much recruitment left for them. They deliberately waited until the start of the season to go take these visits and do all this. Barring the Aggies winning Saturday and next Saturday and setting up a monster showdown with Bama and pulling off the upset and guys getting caught in the excitement, I think you'll probably be in a slower period in terms of recruiting for several weeks.

Gabe Bock: All right. How many more, Billy?

Billy Liucci: Let's do about five more here. We got to get down at 10:55.

Gabe Bock: You'll like the username, I don't know if you'll hate the question more or the 25 people who started it, because I know you. Gordon Bombay wants to know, why don't you accept my Facebook friend request?

Billy Liucci: I don't know... Is he Gordon Bombay on there? I don't check Facebook very often. It's about once every couple weeks I go get caught up because I'm not 90. I'm more than halfway there but I'm not 90 so I don't do Facebook. That's where like Gabe and my mom frequent.

Gabe Bock: Your mom is huge on Facebook.

Billy Liucci: Oh, yeah. She is. When that happens, that's when you know those outlets have jumped the shark and that's where every once in a while I'll go because you keep up with all your high school buddies on there. That's it. I'm not big on Facebook. And some of those requests get lost over... Re-request it and I will be on the lookout for Gordon Bombay.

Gabe Bock: Yes. Exactly. All right. Maybe you'll score a goal and get Billy to friend you. AnotherOldAgDad, he's got to be on Facebook, how nasty do you expect this game to be? Assuming an Aggie win, who's the likely defensive MVP for this game?

Billy Liucci: It better be nasty because Arkansas is going to be nasty and Jimbo mentioned it because he knows, he knows they're going... He's trying to get his team to embrace that and understand that. Like I said, every team is different. Last year's team, you knew they were going to get nasty. They had four senior nasty O-linemen. Kenyon Green's in there mauling people at guard. You know?

Billy Liucci: Who will be the defensive MVP if A&M... I'll say... I can see it being a Micheal Clemons, Tyree Johnson kind of game. We know certain guys are going to bring it but you look up and those guys have three sacks between them and they're all over Jefferson. If Arkansas' center is injured, does McKinnley Jackson have a field day? Does DeMarvin Leal? We saw him inside more last week than at any point this season. If you got a backup center in there, how much of a problem can Marv be working on the inside?

Billy Liucci: I'll say those two. They get to harass Jefferson and harass him into some mistakes.

Gabe Bock: All right. BarnyardAgg ‘12, will Lincoln Riley test the NFL waters within the next five years?

Billy Liucci: I say no. I think that's a lot of over-hype and I think people are starting to realize that maybe Lincoln Riley himself is over-hyped. I say no. He's got a great gig at OU. They're not running him out any time soon. I guess the one wildcard would be Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones and all that money and that desperation... They've looked good in the first two games but if McCarthy doesn't cut it, does Jerry... Do what?

Gabe Bock: Jason Witten gets that job.

Billy Liucci: Okay. I think that would be a travesty too. I don't think that would work either but whatever. I'll say if they went... Dallas would be the only real threat.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. I think Lincoln will attest when he gets to the SEC and realizes his offense isn't that good. All right...

Billy Liucci: They didn't ask you.

Gabe Bock: No. They didn't.

Billy Liucci: Look, I think he's realizing it right now, Gabe, when he's playing Tulane and Nebraska.

Gabe Bock: Exactly.

Billy Liucci: And Iowa State and K State last year.

Gabe Bock: How many losses did they have this year, two or three?

Billy Liucci: Who?

Gabe Bock: OU.

Billy Liucci: Oh, at the end of the year?

Gabe Bock: Yeah.

Billy Liucci: I don't know, man. That league is not very good either. I'll say just one and then two when they go get humiliated in the bowl in the playoff. They were very lucky last year that they got to play that Florida team.

Gabe Bock: For sure, taylorswift13, thank you, Taylor, how cool would it be if Leal, Clemons, PV, and Johnson were all drafted in the next draft? That could solidify us as D-Line U. The first part of a two-parter.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think that would be monstrous. What did you say? Leal, Clemons, PV, and who? Johnson?

Gabe Bock: Tyree.

Billy Liucci: That'd be awesome. I mean, Tyree hasn't popped up there yet. I have had a couple scouts ask me about him and PV's certainly got a shot. I don't know. I could see three of them getting drafted. Get all four? I could see three of them. You got to remember, Clemons is playing like it right now, man. He's playing lights out. If he keeps that up, he's going to steadily climb draft boards.

Gabe Bock: Taylor also says he or she's prediction is three catches or less for Treylon Burks if Jaylon Jones is shadowing him. What's the over/under for receptions for Burks?

Billy Liucci: I think you put the over/under at like four or five, four and a half, five, five and a half. I mean, they're going to try to get him the ball a lot. What do you want to bet on that? I don't know. Doe Elko shadow him with a Jaylon Jones or not? Treylon Burks, I think the question of how many catches Treylon Burks gets is going to have to do with, how many times are you going to swing him the ball where it's just going to be automatic reception? It's just a matter of how good do the Aggies tackle near the line and that's where Jaylon and Myles and even Brian George come in big.

Billy Liucci: The second part of that is down the field, that's what I'm concerned about. If they get pressure on KJ Jefferson, that number goes way down really fast because KJ can hit... He can throw a nice, deep ball and chunk it but a lot of those passes down the field, he's throwing to guys that are wide open. I watched it against Georgia Southern, I watched it against Texas, and, A, it's partially a credit to Kendal Briles but it's also a credit to how Arkansas can get that ground game going. If they can't and A&M can get pressure on Jefferson, then him throwing accurately down the field becomes a coin flip.

Gabe Bock: A good way to end it here, agfan2332, it looks like we finally might get a shake-up in the college football playoff. Ohio State, Clemson, and OU have struggled. How healthy is it for college football for them to not make it and who would you like to see that isn't A&M? In terms of new teams getting in.

Billy Liucci: Say that again, Gabe.

Gabe Bock: He thinks that there's going to be a shakeup with how Ohio State, Clemson and OU struggled. Other than A&M, which new teams would you like to see get a crack at that playoff.

Billy Liucci: It's hard to say because you want it to be A&M. Oregon, just somebody... It's been a while for somebody out west and just to see if they have that juice. Penn State, I've always liked the uniforms, I like the atmosphere, I like the Happy Valley for where they play, and the Nittany Lions. I don't hate James Franklin.

Billy Liucci: I also think Penn State is... I think they're over-hyped and overrated. They beat an Auburn team that might go 3-5 in the SEC this year but they're going to ride that hype now and A&M or somebody has to win some monster game to pass them and they'll have to beat somebody way better than Auburn in order to pass them. I hate that crap. One of those two I guess.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. They won't get any credit when they beat Auburn and then we'll have to go beat somebody better, right?

Billy Liucci: Yup. All right, man. Let's do this. I'll go hit some today, tonight, get some Q&A done tomorrow, and then it's key match-ups. The first time I'm having some fun writing these key match-ups. There are plenty of them to talk about this week. We'll do that. We'll do a lot of radio. We got a podcast this week. Aggies/Razorbacks this weekend. Jerry World should be a bowl game, a New Year six type of bowl game environment in there. Playoff environment because guess what? It's game one of SEC play. It's also game one of the SEC playoffs.

Gabe Bock: Let's do it.

 

 

Spoiler

No more tune-ups for the Aggies as they prepare to crank up SEC play against the No. 16 Razorbacks on Saturday. Billy Liucci takes on this week's subscriber questions about Saturday's SEC opener, the A&M o-line and much more.

Billy Liucci: Welcome back. I'm Billy Liucci. He's Gabe Bock. We're going to take your questions. Gabe, let's go. It's Arkansas Week. It's SEC play. There's not a lot to talk about or beat around the bush. Let's get this conversation going.

Gabe Bock: No exchange of pleasantries. It is SEC time. Let's go. All right. RebAg13, was that the first wide-open bomb of the Jimbo era? It was beautiful to see. Obviously, talking about Demas', which was the first 70-yard pass play in the Jimbo era at A&M.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I mean, I don't know how many times we've seen guys run that open. Actually, I can think of one and they didn't connect. It was against Clemson on like the second play of the game or so, at Clemson, a couple of years ago. Yeah. That hasn't been the MO. They also haven't had guys that can... Quite frankly, they haven't had many guys that can do that and take the top off of defense and now I think you certainly have one in Demas. You'd like to get Chapman back as soon as possible. He's shown he can be a problem down the field as well.

Billy Liucci: Maybe you're getting that going... I'm torn between the Joey TexAgs that just is so, "Our offense stinks. It's too conservative" but I also go I've seen this offense do it and I've seen it light up good defenses. I've actually seen it do it with Jimbo but they just do it running and throwing and maybe not attacking deep. I also am like I want to see stuff that makes the safeties back up and threatens them but then you go is that a chicken or the egg kind of thing?

Billy Liucci: I think it is but then I go back to the other side of the message boards where it's like, well, you're recruiting these guys like Demas and Yulkeith and Moose and we want to see some more of them but it's not like some of the other guys are necessarily lighting it up. I think they're underrated but I also think if you're still looking for that explosive element, you should still be in search of finding it because of what it can do.

Billy Liucci: Then at the same time, I also will say guys like Demas and Moose, they have to do it in practice every day. If I'm sitting there and I make a highlight-reel catch and, Gabe, you're running the right routes and I'm not and you're out at practice every day and I'm not and I'm not saying those guys in specific but I'm saying anybody on a team... Like the younger guys just have to figure it out and adjust and then learn the offense and figure out what it takes to be in the good graces of your head coach there to where you can play, so I think these guys have... They're in their second year now and now they're starting to earn their chances more.

Billy Liucci: Demas started to do it late last year and now the next step is when you do get those chances, make plays and that's exactly what Demond and Moose did. That was exciting because I do think those guys have play-making potential, the same with Yulkeith.

Gabe Bock: Billy, TheBirdman, a little off-topic here but that's what we get with Ask Liucci. How far do you see the Astros going this year? All the way or no?

Billy Liucci: I don't know if they can. I don't know if they can get past the Rays. You know? Look, that's not the only team but the Rays and... The Rays were a problem was it last year... I'm losing track. Yeah. It was last year, two years ago, the Astros got past them in five and I think it was three and one but it was a little more competitive series than the three to one would indicate. Then last year, they lost to the Dodgers there.

Billy Liucci: Man, they look good. The thing is Greinke, where's he at right now? There's no Verlander... I just don't know if they have the pitching to get through that gauntlet... It does become a gauntlet to make it through those playoffs. I could see them advancing to the ALCS, I'm a little skeptical of them winning it all.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. That East is so dang good, man. Some great teams.

Billy Liucci: The Jays, I mean, how about Toronto?

Gabe Bock: The Jays are doing really good. All right, dustdust8. I wonder if this is Chris Dusterhoff. Which position coach is not getting enough credit/recognition, Looch?

Billy Liucci: We always talk about those D-line guys. I think on some level, you might want to point out a guy like TJ Rush. I mean, they've been doing it without Myles Jones. They've been trying to get Brian George ready, a freshman in Tyreek Chappell, you saw Deuce Harmon playing early last weekend. Jaylon Jones has been absolutely lock-down. I'm not sure... I'm assuming it would be shared throughout the nickel with Antonio Johnson and Elko, Elko coaches the safeties and that's what Johnson really is.

Billy Liucci: I think he's done a nice job so far. I would say TJ Rushing in terms of someone that... Again, you're talking about that doesn't get a lot of credit.

Gabe Bock: All right. We go EastCoastAgNC, How many points does the defense give up Saturday? Only 17 total through three games. Do any of our running backs break 100 yards? A two-parter there.

Billy Liucci: Oh, man. I hope somebody breaks 100 yards for the Aggies. It's going to be difficult with the way they've been blocking. Just being perfectly honest here. I think they're going to have to grind it out. If you could get... Spiller can get up over 80 and Achane can get in the sixties... It might take a home run hit by Achane to get up there. Maybe that's what will put somebody over but if they can grind out over 150, those two backs, I think you'd be talking about a good day for the A&M offense where they grind out one of those...

Billy Liucci: Maybe it's a 23-17 kind of win, but I think Arkansas is going to score more on Saturday than A&M has given up in three games, which is what? 17 points? I think Arkansas, 20... You know, 17 on a good day for the Ags, 20-23, 24. A&M's offense is going... It's a winnable game and that's a good defensive effort but the Aggies are going to have to...

Billy Liucci: Here's why I say that Gabe, I think A&M's offense is going to be a struggle. I think they'll figure it out and grind through it but it's going to be a struggle, which is going to put Arkansas in some field position opportunities that will result in points. I mean, I think A&M wins this game. I'm not super fired up about the pick and I think it's like 24-20 Aggies.

Billy Liucci: My problem is what I haven't seen from A&M, save that second half at Colorado, is they just haven't seemed to be ready to go in there and say, "Let's freaking fight. Let's go." Particularly, on offense. The linemen, they just look like they're thinking, they're getting beat. They have a little hanging look about them. They don't look confident. I don't see guys running around just super confident on offense, whether it's Calzada, whether it's Wydermyer, Ainias, all the guys. The one guy that seems to just keep bringing it is Isiah and I think he's been the unsung MVP, helping hold it together offensively right now, because you're just not seeing it from that unit. They don't look like a confident unit. We're sitting here assuming that all of a sudden, they're going to gain confidence against the best defense they've played so far in that environment, against Barry Odom?

Billy Liucci: Crazier things have happened. These are college kids, these are college sports, but they're just going to have to mentally get tough this week and say, "We are not going to lose this football game because we have better players and we still have better guys on offense. We're just not going to lose. It ain't happening today. Not on my watch."

Billy Liucci: They're just going to have to take that mentality and they can grind this one out, grind out next week, and outscore Mississippi State at Kyle Field and then see where you're at for Bama. That's three weeks from New Mexico to Bama. That's a lot of time to improve.

Billy Liucci: A&M should be in survival mode right now, though, because they're a few game days from losing the first game in almost a year, in 12 tries, if they don't play their best game of the season Saturday.

Billy Liucci: By the way, A&M's best is absolutely good enough to beat Arkansas. Even though we haven't seen it yet and every team is different, I know these players and I know the way Jimbo Fisher and Mike Elko will coach a game. If these guys play their best Saturday, it will be good enough to beat Arkansas but we just haven't seen it. To play your best, you have to be confident, you have to practice well, and the last time I watched them play, which was Saturday against New Mexico and the week before against... They don't look like the most confident team at all offensively. They've got to get...

Billy Liucci: Something's got to change up here. I think the key to this one could be can the Aggie offense have some early success? Can Jimbo script up a great first drive? Can the O-line and Calzada execute that? And just take some of that pressure off and be like, okay, we're going to move the ball today. I think that could change everything, Gabe.

Billy Liucci: Again, 24-20 Ags. With all that said, I think A&M pulls off a very close one and it's going to be... It ain't going to be fun to watch if you're an Aggie fan. If you're going to be an Aggie fan or an Arkansas fan, it ain't going to be fun to watch but I think at the end, the Ags are the last team standing.

Gabe Bock: You sort of alluded to... The beginning of that message is it sounds like you've still got more you'd like to see from the number three-ranked defense in the country too.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I would. I do. A little more. Well, this is a new test now. For half the game, Colorado ran on them and made them look pedestrian and they tightened the screws up and they haven't looked the same since, they've been dominant, but Arkansas is a different beast from anything they've seen in terms of that running game.

Billy Liucci: Now it's not different than what they've seen previously, guys like Leal, Clemons, Jackson, Johnson, Hansford, Leon... Those guys have seen better but this is different than anything they've seen so far this year so they got to really dial up the intensity from start to finish.

Gabe Bock: streamers406, Baylor Cupp looked impressive as a run blocker when he entered the game, Billy. Do you think we will see more of 88 going forward in place of Max Wright as a second tight end?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think Max has struggled run blocking from watching the tape. Again, this is a guy that's just doing what the team asks him. He's moving around positions. Cupp looked good there at the end.

Billy Liucci: Baylor's MO, just being honest, has not always been as an excellent blocker. I know we've never seen him play but you've seen him practice a lot over the last two years. He caught my eye too with what he did and at some point, it's like Moose and Demas, guys out there and he's doing something different when it's an actual game...

Billy Liucci: Also, Baylor Cupp maybe that's... That's the benefit of competition. You have Max Wright out there and Baylor Cupp is sitting there going, "I should be out there." Okay, get in the game. Okay. You're not throwing it to me? I'm going to block my ass off and make you play me. I think that's what I was seeing from Cupp on Saturday. I was impressed too.

Gabe Bock: streamers406 has a second question...

Billy Liucci: By the way, they need that. The running game... They're too tight and if that second tight end can really block, it changes everything for Jimbo Fisher and what he can do.

Gabe Bock: No question.

Billy Liucci: By the way, Cupp's fast as hell. You get him running up the field it's a problem too.

Gabe Bock: In streamers406's opinion, Moose was the most impressive wide receiver on Saturday, Seemed to create more separation, showed more consistent hands than Chase Lane. Do you believe Moose eventually gets reps with the 1’s moving forward this year?

Billy Liucci: I think it's possible. Again, guys, this is my conflict with message boards and it always has been and sometimes the message boards will be right and sometimes they'll be wrong and I know that going in but everybody that said Kellen Mond sucked or Tannehill could never be a first-round pick or Von Miller shouldn't be a first-team All Big 12 and the Orange Bloods got it right.

Billy Liucci: But then there's the ones where I'm like, "Not yet. Not yet." I fight that battle with you too, Gabe. All the guys you know and have going in the first round where I'm like, "No, they're not. They're not." Then there are times when I'm going to be wrong.

Billy Liucci: I'm slower to warm. I think Moose is really good. I think Moose needs to play. I think these guys need chances to show what they can do so I agree on that front. I'll also say it was New Mexico and I did think Moose looked... He looked like he had juice to him. There was just a little extra there when I'm watching him. You know? Obviously, that catch was sensational. You hear the players say he makes those catches all the time.

Billy Liucci: But then there's Chase and it's like, okay, he also had four for 45 yards or so. He also made some monstrous catches and plays for this football team last year. My answer would not be I want to see Moose just take over for Chase. My answer would be I want to see more Moose and I'd like to see a situation where whoever is playing better or practicing better plays and that's...

Billy Liucci: I don't think they need to just stick with one guy there. I think it's like running back where you can say, "Hey, this guy's giving us a little juice this week. Let's leave him out there." "Oh, Demas caught two passes on the first drive? He's feeling it. Let's leave him out there." You know, "Demas doesn't seem in it. He's getting jammed up at the line. Let's put Chapman back out there and see what he can..."

Billy Liucci: I think it should be like that at all those receiver positions, to be honest with you. I don't think you have to go in and say we're going to rotate out guys regularly. I think if a guy is playing well, don't worry about it, leave him out there. If a guy is off to a slower start, don't waste time. Get someone else in there and see what they can do. That's what guys like... Like what you saw from Moose and Demas, that's what that I think provides you and then you might look up in three or four weeks and maybe one of those guys, it's like he's becoming that dude. They got to have a chance.

Gabe Bock: Absolutely. All right. Can't wait for your thoughts on this one. JBone3515, Who do you think will be the starting offensive line this week?

Billy Liucci: I think for this week, and we're at Tuesday so this could change, but I think you'd see it go Jahmir Johnson, Aki, Bryce, Layden, Kenyon, the original group. Now the wildcard in this whole thing... One of the wildcards is Luke Matthews but he's still in the sling as of Saturday. Until he practices for a couple weeks straight and it's like he's back and he's ready... Until that happens, I'm going to say the wildcard is Deuce Fatheree. Can he become good enough... I would throw him out there some Saturday at left tackle, like rotate... Don't rotate where Jahmir can't get in the flow in the SEC game but give Deuce some reps out there. See how he holds up in Jerry world under the scoreboard and the lights and the big stage.

Billy Liucci: That's all you got to worry about. The physical, it's already there for him. It's the mental and the knowing what to do and the not having your head explode when you're out there and forgetting everything you've been taught. You get his beak wet even a little more this week but once he gets to where... I've said this before the season. It might be mid-season. He could shake things up pretty significantly. Particularly, if he can man that right tackle spot. Then you could put Kenyon and you have a great guard again, you have an All American guard all of a sudden, and then you have Aki and Layden, hey, whoever is playing better is the starter, and then we got a pretty damn good, semi-experienced backup as well. That could be the wildcard but I don't think we're there yet.

Gabe Bock: All right. Red Red Wine, make me feel so fine, Billy, two-parter. First, what's your favorite way to eat pork?

Billy Liucci: Pork? I love Snow's Barbecue pork. It's like breakfast pork. It just falls apart. You can literally just pull it with your hand...

Gabe Bock: They only serve it at 8 A.M. on Saturdays.

Billy Liucci: That's true. It is breakfast pork. Carrie and the crew over there do an amazing job with that. That's incredible. Shout out to the crew at Snow's.

Gabe Bock: Let's go there soon.

Billy Liucci: You're not invited. Actually, you are, Gabe. You're invited.

Billy Liucci: Now you have time on Saturdays. Maybe on the by week, we'll go, Halloween Snow's. I'll tell you my other favorite pork dish is the pork chop at Perry's, whatever that... They do it like three different... One of them is literally like brisket, it almost tastes like, and then the other... Then there's a pork chop that comes with it. Then the big... I don't know if you'd call that a pork butt, whatever the hell you'd call the pork loin, but anyway, that's it. There you go. I don't want to make that answer too long.

Gabe Bock: Take the bacon, wrap it around the steak. That's my favorite way to do pork. All right. Second part of Red Red Wine's question …

Billy Liucci: We've seen your steak so I hope you've improved on them.

Gabe Bock: I have. I have.

Billy Liucci: What's part two?

Gabe Bock: Will we see Achane blow the game wide open in the third quarter?

Billy Liucci: I don't think I'm expecting that, Gabe. I don't think I'm expecting Achane in that running game just to wear them down and blow it open. I could see Achane popping a long touchdown run to win the game late. You know? In other words, in an Aggie victory, I could see a huge play from Achane, whether it's running the ball or coming out of the backfield for a long touchdown catch. Something to win that thing late. You know? In the fourth quarter. It's like whether it comes in the final couple minutes or whether it comes early but it's like the signature play of that fourth quarter and the play everyone shows when they're showing how the Aggies won.

Billy Liucci: I do think Achane is one of the small handful of keys to an A&M victory. You've got to get him the ball, he's got to turn in some big plays because right now, I still don't know that the Ags have very many big-play threats on offense, so you want to see a steady dose of Isaiah, and you want to see them work the ball to Wydermyer more for sure, and Ainias, but I think the home run plays, Achane is still the one the most capable of bringing them and you're not going to just drive up and down the field methodically for four quarters against this defense. They're going to need some big plays.

Billy Liucci: A&M drove pretty methodically through three quarters against them last year but Kellen Mond was just kind of perfectly navigating things. He had all day to throw a great protection upfront from those seniors. You don't have either of those dynamics now. You need big plays. Number six is the guy to do it.

Gabe Bock: All right. Sam Pittman initially invited this question and then you knew it was coming after the other thread last night so here we go, TheClaw07, Did Jimbo try to hire Sam Pittman a couple of years ago?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I said that. Somebody asked Olin for some ... Sometimes they ask Olin or Hop. Ask me the football stuff and ask me the inside stuff. I'm the one that knows. I'm also the one that's known for 25 fricking years, people. So yes. I don't know what they all said but they went after him... Jim Turner was here. Jim Turner was going to stay but Jim Turner was also looking, like coaches do when a new coach comes in.

Billy Liucci: Sam Pittman was considered the best O-line coach in the country at that time. They went to Georgia and made runs at him and James Coley and they didn't get Coley the first time. Actually got him the second time around. You look at Jimbo and Georgia and he took Marshall Malchow and he took a couple of GA analyst guys out of there. There's certainly a connection there.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Pittman would have been a game-changing hire because of what it would have meant in terms of the O-line recruiting because he's an excellent recruiter upfront. He really is. It worked out for Sam and I think it's worked out for A&M as well. Turner ended up leaving, which I don't think he should have. I think he probably regrets... I know he has to regret that. The Bengals and that didn't work out. He's at Texas State right now.

Billy Liucci: Josh Henson had a great year last year. This is the litmus test too. This is a hard group to work with, if you're Henson, just because of inexperience. It's tough, man. Somebody was saying how bad the Aggie O-line looked shaky on Saturday, right? It looked shaky, right? Okay.

Billy Liucci: I looked up at one point and your two tackles had never played college football, a meaningful snap. Blake Trainor and Deuce Fatheree, all of the talent in the world for Deuce. Bottom line, your two tackles on the field had never played college football. Ever. Three weeks ago, Aki had never played. Saturday, I look out there and you're starting two true freshmen of the five during the second half. Two of your five are true freshmen in game three. Bryce Foster, Aki, Layden came in in a blowout against South Carolina and Cole Cubelic went crazy over him. It was deserved but it was a blowout game against South Carolina and that's all he's ever really played that's mattered.

Billy Liucci: This is a wildly inexperienced bunch and Henson has his work cut out but that's why these guys are paid the big bucks. They've got to figure it out. The time for going, "We're young", it's still true but nobody cares anymore. Now you have to start to play winning football and then go from there.

Gabe Bock: TheClaw07's got one more question. We all had a crush on a teacher growing up, Billy. Who was yours?

Billy Liucci: Never. I didn't have any crush-worthy...

Gabe Bock: I never had a good-looking teacher, frankly.

Billy Liucci: Gabe, that's a rude ass thing to say and I'm sure a lot of those women and men, whoever they were, at some point along the way, were good-looking. Maybe you just had older teachers that you judged because you're an ageist.

Billy Liucci: I'm sure I had teachers that were very pretty when they were younger. I'm also sure I'm forgetting somebody but I know what the question is and my answer is not good enough for you all because it's I can't think of one.

Gabe Bock: WhereIsHozaScott, sooner or later people are going to ask who is Hoza Scott? Do you think we'll see a "Florida moment" for this offensive line where they figure out their true identity? I feel like a lot of people don't remember or don't mention that it took a few games for last year's offensive line to see their groove.

Billy Liucci: It did but I also think people don't understand that it took one game because they played pretty good against Bama in game two. It took a year and one game because they weren't good the year before. In some cases, it took two years and one game. Remember how the beatdown they took at Clemson to start that season? It took a year and one game. Okay? We are back to that year, and even worse in terms of experience.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I do think they're going to have a turning point moment at some point but I hope it's sooner than later or it's going to result in A&M losing a couple football games. It could be this Saturday. It could be a three-quarter struggle and in the fourth quarter, A&M lines up and churns it down the field for a seven-minute game-winning drive or they have to go into a four-minute offense after a long struggle, we're giving up... The yards and points are tough to come by and they go into a four-minute offense to preserve a three-point lead and they do it.

Billy Liucci: It could be something as simple as that. I don't think it has to be necessarily as emphatic as what we saw against Florida last year. That's when a bunch of seniors said let's run the damn ball to Henson and Henson went and told Jimbo, "These guys, they're telling me we can do it. We need to run it" and they did.

Billy Liucci: I don't think it has to be that dramatic or emphatic but something in even this game could change and it doesn't have to be a dominant four quarters or running the football for the Aggies. It could be a key moment late in a victory and then maybe this team skyrockets from there along with the O-line.

Gabe Bock: David Kennard also asked who you think the starting lineup is going to be on the offensive line. We'll go to 86Aggie1... You did not predict Fatheree would start earlier, Billy, but 86Aggie1 asks, should Fatheree be starting upfront?

Billy Liucci: I would say not yet. If you start Fatheree, you essentially have to bench either Jahmir Johnson or Aki or Layden. You know? I think you still have to play those guys and I don't think there's a reason to push out Fatheree out there before he's ready and I think he's coming on fast and I think he's going to be ready soon but, again, I just go back...

Billy Liucci: It's like the Moose thing or, particularly, Moose with that question earlier. You guys watched the guy play half a football game against New Mexico. A guy like Jahmir Johnson has started for almost three years in the SEC and put out some really good tape and he hasn't been bad for A&M so far either.

Billy Liucci: I do think, though, that Deuce will end up being one of the best five. I do. At some point this year. Because he had an encouraging debut against New Mexico, I would be reluctant to throw him out there as a starter and give all the one reps all week to get him ready against Arkansas, and a veteran Arkansas defense, on that stage. It's kind of like maybe you play him a little bit this week and if he fares well, then you go, okay, we'd love to have this guy really hitting a corner by the time we play Bama, maybe you play him at home against Mississippi State or maybe you're looking ahead and you're going, "South Carolina is game six. We'd like to have him ready to start throughout the second half of the season."

Billy Liucci: I mean, it just is entirely dependent on... You've got to see where he's at mentally. Like I said, I think Deuce Fatheree is the wildcard that could really change the look of this O-line but he's got to be along.

Billy Liucci: People are forgetting... You know that Jimbo Fisher thinks that guys like Aki and Layden Robinson have the potential to be long-time NFL football players. When you say that, you're just basically saying let's sit a guy that they believe is going to be a long-time NFL player, that they're now entering game four as starters.

Billy Liucci: Like I said, Deuce has to do this and I think he will. I just don't know if he's at this point this week.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. aeroag14, This is the best A&M defense since blank? Last year?

Billy Liucci: Yeah. It's too soon to tell. Too soon to tell. They haven't been tested. Colorado's offense is awful outside of that running back. New Mexico's awful. Terry Wilson is awful. We knew that two years ago. Kent State was problematic but I wouldn't call them an explosive offense. This defense will have their chances. They're going to play KJ Jefferson and Kendal Briles and this Arkansas offense this week and those running backs and their receiver is exceptional. They're going to play Alabama. They're going to play Connor Bazelak on the road. They're going to play... It's Matt Corral. They're going to play LSU and those wide receivers. Mike Leach next weekend.

Billy Liucci: This defense will get tested in every way imaginable. If they are one of the better A&M defenses... I think they are one of the better ones we've seen in the last 25 years or so, and that's not the highest of bars but I think this is a really good defense. If they're elite, like one of the better ones we've seen at A&M, we're sure as hell going to know it because I just went through the list of what they're going to face and if they come out the other side as a top-five defense in the country, or I think even a top 10, with those offensive attacks they face, and if they're a top 10 defense, I think you can put them down as one of the best A&M ones we've seen.

Gabe Bock: If I heard you right, you do not expect A&M to go all year without giving up a 20-yard pass?

Billy Liucci: No. No. They'll get tested this weekend in that regard because of how much they'll get sucked in by that Arkansas running game and wondering if Jefferson is going to keep it and then he goes over the top. That's what makes them so dangerous. The Aggies are going to have to play a very disciplined defense this weekend, which they typically do under Mike Elko.

Gabe Bock: sundaytiger13, will any of the injured guys return? Young, B Williams, Matthews, et cetera. Does Myles Jones start this week?

Billy Liucci: I think we'll see Myles Jones start. It's always questionable with his foot but I think they've got a specific plan for him in terms of practice. It's getting him ready for a game each week without overly taxing and risking hurting that foot. Like I said, Matthews was in a sling last Saturday still. I don't think we'll see Chapman back quite yet but pretty quickly. Who else, Gabe?

Gabe Bock: Carper was one.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. Carper.

Gabe Bock: Young and Brian Williams.

Billy Liucci: Brian Williams wasn't suited up. I hadn't asked about him. I think Carper, it would be iffy. Ainias should go.

Gabe Bock: Erick Young.

Billy Liucci: Erick Young, he's been hurt so far all season. I keep hearing he's really close to being back. Maybe this is the week. For the last couple of weeks, I've been hearing he's really close.

Gabe Bock: Excellent. All right. Let's see, CattlemanAg, Billy, who do you project to be our next few commitments? When should we expect to get another verbal?

Billy Liucci: I think I'll just wait on that. We'll wait on that answer. There aren't a lot of them lined up right now for anybody. These guys, once they got into the season, they're going to wait and they're going to wait a while. I think the guy I'd be keeping a close eye on would be like Gabe Brownlow-Dindy between A&M and OU. If he's here, as it's scheduled, next weekend, I think I could see him going back and sitting down and comparing his recent OU official with the A&M experience and sitting down with his family, who is actually moving here before too long, and talking things over.

Billy Liucci: A lot of those other guys are so highly regarded and there's so much recruitment left for them. They deliberately waited until the start of the season to go take these visits and do all this. Barring the Aggies winning Saturday and next Saturday and setting up a monster showdown with Bama and pulling off the upset and guys getting caught in the excitement, I think you'll probably be in a slower period in terms of recruiting for several weeks.

Gabe Bock: All right. How many more, Billy?

Billy Liucci: Let's do about five more here. We got to get down at 10:55.

Gabe Bock: You'll like the username, I don't know if you'll hate the question more or the 25 people who started it, because I know you. Gordon Bombay wants to know, why don't you accept my Facebook friend request?

Billy Liucci: I don't know... Is he Gordon Bombay on there? I don't check Facebook very often. It's about once every couple weeks I go get caught up because I'm not 90. I'm more than halfway there but I'm not 90 so I don't do Facebook. That's where like Gabe and my mom frequent.

Gabe Bock: Your mom is huge on Facebook.

Billy Liucci: Oh, yeah. She is. When that happens, that's when you know those outlets have jumped the shark and that's where every once in a while I'll go because you keep up with all your high school buddies on there. That's it. I'm not big on Facebook. And some of those requests get lost over... Re-request it and I will be on the lookout for Gordon Bombay.

Gabe Bock: Yes. Exactly. All right. Maybe you'll score a goal and get Billy to friend you. AnotherOldAgDad, he's got to be on Facebook, how nasty do you expect this game to be? Assuming an Aggie win, who's the likely defensive MVP for this game?

Billy Liucci: It better be nasty because Arkansas is going to be nasty and Jimbo mentioned it because he knows, he knows they're going... He's trying to get his team to embrace that and understand that. Like I said, every team is different. Last year's team, you knew they were going to get nasty. They had four senior nasty O-linemen. Kenyon Green's in there mauling people at guard. You know?

Billy Liucci: Who will be the defensive MVP if A&M... I'll say... I can see it being a Micheal Clemons, Tyree Johnson kind of game. We know certain guys are going to bring it but you look up and those guys have three sacks between them and they're all over Jefferson. If Arkansas' center is injured, does McKinnley Jackson have a field day? Does DeMarvin Leal? We saw him inside more last week than at any point this season. If you got a backup center in there, how much of a problem can Marv be working on the inside?

Billy Liucci: I'll say those two. They get to harass Jefferson and harass him into some mistakes.

Gabe Bock: All right. BarnyardAgg ‘12, will Lincoln Riley test the NFL waters within the next five years?

Billy Liucci: I say no. I think that's a lot of over-hype and I think people are starting to realize that maybe Lincoln Riley himself is over-hyped. I say no. He's got a great gig at OU. They're not running him out any time soon. I guess the one wildcard would be Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones and all that money and that desperation... They've looked good in the first two games but if McCarthy doesn't cut it, does Jerry... Do what?

Gabe Bock: Jason Witten gets that job.

Billy Liucci: Okay. I think that would be a travesty too. I don't think that would work either but whatever. I'll say if they went... Dallas would be the only real threat.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. I think Lincoln will attest when he gets to the SEC and realizes his offense isn't that good. All right...

Billy Liucci: They didn't ask you.

Gabe Bock: No. They didn't.

Billy Liucci: Look, I think he's realizing it right now, Gabe, when he's playing Tulane and Nebraska.

Gabe Bock: Exactly.

Billy Liucci: And Iowa State and K State last year.

Gabe Bock: How many losses did they have this year, two or three?

Billy Liucci: Who?

Gabe Bock: OU.

Billy Liucci: Oh, at the end of the year?

Gabe Bock: Yeah.

Billy Liucci: I don't know, man. That league is not very good either. I'll say just one and then two when they go get humiliated in the bowl in the playoff. They were very lucky last year that they got to play that Florida team.

Gabe Bock: For sure, taylorswift13, thank you, Taylor, how cool would it be if Leal, Clemons, PV, and Johnson were all drafted in the next draft? That could solidify us as D-Line U. The first part of a two-parter.

Billy Liucci: Yeah. I think that would be monstrous. What did you say? Leal, Clemons, PV, and who? Johnson?

Gabe Bock: Tyree.

Billy Liucci: That'd be awesome. I mean, Tyree hasn't popped up there yet. I have had a couple scouts ask me about him and PV's certainly got a shot. I don't know. I could see three of them getting drafted. Get all four? I could see three of them. You got to remember, Clemons is playing like it right now, man. He's playing lights out. If he keeps that up, he's going to steadily climb draft boards.

Gabe Bock: Taylor also says he or she's prediction is three catches or less for Treylon Burks if Jaylon Jones is shadowing him. What's the over/under for receptions for Burks?

Billy Liucci: I think you put the over/under at like four or five, four and a half, five, five and a half. I mean, they're going to try to get him the ball a lot. What do you want to bet on that? I don't know. Doe Elko shadow him with a Jaylon Jones or not? Treylon Burks, I think the question of how many catches Treylon Burks gets is going to have to do with, how many times are you going to swing him the ball where it's just going to be automatic reception? It's just a matter of how good do the Aggies tackle near the line and that's where Jaylon and Myles and even Brian George come in big.

Billy Liucci: The second part of that is down the field, that's what I'm concerned about. If they get pressure on KJ Jefferson, that number goes way down really fast because KJ can hit... He can throw a nice, deep ball and chunk it but a lot of those passes down the field, he's throwing to guys that are wide open. I watched it against Georgia Southern, I watched it against Texas, and, A, it's partially a credit to Kendal Briles but it's also a credit to how Arkansas can get that ground game going. If they can't and A&M can get pressure on Jefferson, then him throwing accurately down the field becomes a coin flip.

Gabe Bock: A good way to end it here, agfan2332, it looks like we finally might get a shake-up in the college football playoff. Ohio State, Clemson, and OU have struggled. How healthy is it for college football for them to not make it and who would you like to see that isn't A&M? In terms of new teams getting in.

Billy Liucci: Say that again, Gabe.

Gabe Bock: He thinks that there's going to be a shakeup with how Ohio State, Clemson and OU struggled. Other than A&M, which new teams would you like to see get a crack at that playoff.

Billy Liucci: It's hard to say because you want it to be A&M. Oregon, just somebody... It's been a while for somebody out west and just to see if they have that juice. Penn State, I've always liked the uniforms, I like the atmosphere, I like the Happy Valley for where they play, and the Nittany Lions. I don't hate James Franklin.

Billy Liucci: I also think Penn State is... I think they're over-hyped and overrated. They beat an Auburn team that might go 3-5 in the SEC this year but they're going to ride that hype now and A&M or somebody has to win some monster game to pass them and they'll have to beat somebody way better than Auburn in order to pass them. I hate that crap. One of those two I guess.

Gabe Bock: Yeah. They won't get any credit when they beat Auburn and then we'll have to go beat somebody better, right?

Billy Liucci: Yup. All right, man. Let's do this. I'll go hit some today, tonight, get some Q&A done tomorrow, and then it's key match-ups. The first time I'm having some fun writing these key match-ups. There are plenty of them to talk about this week. We'll do that. We'll do a lot of radio. We got a podcast this week. Aggies/Razorbacks this weekend. Jerry World should be a bowl game, a New Year six type of bowl game environment in there. Playoff environment because guess what? It's game one of SEC play. It's also game one of the SEC playoffs.

Gabe Bock: Let's do it.

For Darkmode

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

Supposedly Fatheree is starting at RT today and Green got moved back to RG.  What could go wrong?

[Best served cold 159]

2 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Supposedly Fatheree is starting at RT today and Green got moved back to RG.  What could go wrong?

Is that the same Green that everyone here said was a guard at this level, but aggy pissed and moaned that he was the greatest tackle ever? That Green? Can't be. 

[Get ln My Van 934]

Gonna need all the aggy tears 

[Hiphopopotamos 21192]

11 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Supposedly Fatheree is starting at RT today and Green got moved back to RG.  What could go wrong?

Their line looked worse than ours did against that Barry Odom three man front. That is not a good offense in College Station. 

[TexasBeta 1277]

Their line looked worse than ours did against that Barry Odom three man front. That is not a good offense in College Station. 

I’m confused. I thought that hobbit was an offensive genius. Suck it aggy.

[Sal 1108]

2 minutes ago, TexasBeta said:

I’m confused. I thought that hobbit was an offensive genius. Suck it aggy.

Utter mismanagement of the QB room and dinosaur offensive scheme. Congrats to the Ags on extending him for years to come

[Big Woodrows 4217]

1 minute ago, Sal said:

Utter mismanagement of the QB room and dinosaur offensive scheme. Congrats to the Ags on extending him for years to come

Have to wonder if they try to get Stowers snaps at QB in practice. They can't keep going to Calzada while King is injured.

[Hiphopopotamos 21192]

18 minutes ago, Big Woodrows said:

Have to wonder if they try to get Stowers snaps at QB in practice. They can't keep going to Calzada while King is injured.

So you think the answer to their QB problem is to play a TE under center?

[Big Woodrows 4217]

1 minute ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

So you think the answer to their QB problem is to play a TE under center?

Calzada is really bad. They don't have any other options.

[Deej 77856]

35 minutes ago, TexasBeta said:

I’m confused. I thought that hobbit was an offensive genius. Suck it aggy.

His genius is offensive.

[Deej 77856]

Jimbo's offensive schemes:

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

Offensive recruits must be ecstatic.

 

[RomaVicta 30607]

18 minutes ago, Big Woodrows said:

Calzada is really bad. They don't have any other options.

He was being harrassed by a three man rush while trying to figure out what to do against 8 men in coverage. Card struggled with that, too. Card might be great one day.

Calzada isn't very good, but he's strapped into old plane with its wings on fire. The canopy is welded shut and the control tower keeps screaming at him that he's an idiot.

I wonder if Jimbo berates his QBs to deflect blame from the real problem. Anyway, they've got him for ten years at the bargain price of $90MM. 

Going to be fun. And I am anxious for CalTex to harvest the best of the message board melts.

I've already seen Aggies claiming they would have won for sure if King were playing. They also use the excuse that they have true "fish" playing on the OL without exploring why that is the case. 

[NorLa Horns 1458]

Aggy did know to double team that piggie  noseguard. Something we didn't think we needed to do. 

[Deej 77856]

10 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Offensive recruits must be ecstatic.

 

And one of those P5 teams was Colorado.

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

This team would be 2-2 if Karl fucking Dorrell had half a brain.

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

I really hope the Pirate can pull the upset next week, but I think it'll be an ugly win for aggy.  If the Pirate could get the win that locker room would implode and I could see a bunch of the players checking out.

[RGBIII 23020]

1 hour ago, TexasBeta said:

I’m confused. I thought that hobbit was an offensive genius. Suck it aggy.

He is a genius stupid sip! Footballs like golf, low score wins

[Deej 77856]

8 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

He is a genius stupid sip! Footballs like golf, low score wins

Yep. Low scores got them into aggy, so they must be good. 

[Hornlover 8947]

54 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

So you think the answer to their QB problem is to play a TE under center?

Who could have possibly predicted that Haynes King wouldn't last the entire season without getting injured?!? That would take some Nostradamus level foresight. Certainly Jimbo couldn't have predicted that. 

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

Lulz Arky knew aggy OL was trash, laughed when asked a question about then.

 

[BurntOrange&White 41957]

Donovan Green has been awfully quiet. 
 

 

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20939]

11 hours ago, Sal said:

Utter mismanagement of the QB room and dinosaur offensive scheme. Congrats to the Ags on extending him for years to come

 

Ten more years at nine million per year.  It was the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Even the Aggies are saying Jimbo's offense is from the 1930s.  And next year they lose nearly their entire defense.  Jimbo's got Aggie on the Florida State decline just as Sark and Lincoln Riley are joining the SEC. 

Any recruit who is thinking about joining Jimbo should probably consider what's about to go down in College Station.

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

Would be hilarious if Weigman decided he wants no part of Jimbo's offense and bolts for the MLB.

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

Saw King in sidelines yesterday still on crutches.  Do they really think he'll be back this year?  Seems like he wouldn't be able to run at all.

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

I haven't actually seen what was said, but posters on SEC Rant are talking about in Jimbo's PC after the game that he threw Elko and the D' under the bus because they never set them up in good field position.

[Pato del Muerto 53556]

3 hours ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

Even the Aggies are saying Jimbo's offense is from the 1930s.

Most aggy wish it was the 1930s again so the offense is a cultural fit. 

[NoName 17164]

14 hours ago, Big Woodrows said:

Have to wonder if they try to get Stowers snaps at QB in practice. They can't keep going to Calzada while King is injured.

Was he listed on the depth chart at TE or QB for yesterday's game?

[kevwun 16444]

That defense is the only thing that's going to give them a chance against teams with a pulse because ATM is going to struggle to score 20 points in most of their remaining games.  Jimbo did us a solid and royally fucked up his qb recruiting.

[HenryJames 67427]

4 minutes ago, NoName said:

Was he listed on the depth chart at TE or QB for yesterday's game?

Yes.

[Message Board User 12409]

2 minutes ago, kevwun said:

That defense is the only thing that's going to give them a chance against teams with a pulse because ATM is going to struggle to score 20 points in most of their remaining games.  Jimbo did us a solid and royally fucked up his qb recruiting.

I'm still laughing that the same 3 man rush Arky used for the entire game completely befuddled offensive genius Jimbo.

[Pato del Muerto 53556]

4 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

I'm still laughing that the same 3 man rush Arky used for the entire game completely befuddled offensive genius Jimbo.

And offensive genius sark

[SarkAfterDark 1751]

3 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

And offensive genius sark

Sark was just playing the wrong QB

[Ashley Schaeffer 193]

15 minutes ago, SarkAfterDark said:

Sark was just playing the wrong QB

Odom had his number that night to be fair.

[closetojumping 65480]

This was very strong from @RomaVicta:

”Calzada isn't very good, but he's strapped into old plane with its wings on fire. The canopy is welded shut and the control tower keeps screaming at him that he's an idiot.”

[Elmer_Fudd 23027]

So LSU ran for only 63 yards on 27 attempts (2.3 avg) against Miss State.  Can we really expect aggy to do much better?