Jimbo 2023: Watch.The.Tape.

[Tex Pete 20177]

10 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

It's his 3rd year in the program. If he hasn't adjusted by now he's not going to.

Well, he has almost no game reps. That’s what he needs. And they play lots of crappy competition.
 

I’m not saying he gets there, but he can. His injury last year really screwed up his development. But aggy isn’t known for patience with their QBs or rational assessment of who and where they are. 

Edited September 4, 2022 by Tex Pete

[SHOOTER12 8789]

7 hours ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

King's biggest issue is he visually checks his receiver progression presnap in such an obvious way he tells who he's going to throw to as he's already decided at that time.

This.  Kyler would do the same thing.  The last 2 times we played blowu, if the camera was on his face pre-snap, I could tell you every time which way the pass/play was going to go just like King.  They'd both cut their eyes that way while keeping their head straight or turned slightly in the opposite direction of where the play was going. 

Edited September 4, 2022 by SHOOTER12

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

Spoiler

Throughout much of what seemed like the longest offseason on record, Texas A&M football was in the spotlight.

The highest-ranked recruiting class of all-time, the fallout, the feud.

Then came the preseason rankings, which placed the Ags in the thick of the late-summer “contender or pretender” conversation.

For the past eight months, Jimbo Fisher and his program were at the center of countless “hot take” debates.

Interestingly enough, that wasn't the case on Saturday afternoon, when the Aggies took on an FCS opponent from just down the road at 11 a.m. on the SEC Network.

Fisher's squad opened the season ranked No. 6, but there were far bigger games on the SEC slate — namely Georgia-Oregon and Utah-Florida — plus a top-10 tilt pitting Ohio State and Notre Dame at the Horseshoe.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The official attendance at Kyle Field on Saturday was 97,946, but many of those did not stick around for an almost three-hour weather delay.

Mix in a three-hour weather delay at halftime, and the Ags' season-opener generated far less buzz than could be found around the conference and the country.

Perhaps that was a good thing, as it was clear as the Aggies didn't necessarily struggle but were only able to gradually pull away from FCS power Sam Houston, eventually claiming a five-score, shutout victory over the Bearkats, 31-0.

While there was plenty of good to talk about coming out of the season-opener — a pretty damn dominant defensive effort and what could end up being an elite set of wideouts — the Aggies clearly have a lot of work to do and some things to iron out before they're ready to live up to preseason billing.

Look, teams play games like the one the Aggies did on Saturday for that very reason.

Still, the whole “teams show the most significant improvement from game one to game two of the season” thing had better be true for the Maroon & White because it appears the Ags were granted all of one week outside of the spotlight.

Beginning this coming Saturday — when A&M plays host to a very dangerous and explosive Appalachian State squad fresh off of a 40-point fourth quarter vs. North Carolina — the Aggies dive into the deep end for an absolutely brutal five-game stretch.

Nothing comes easy for Fisher's squad from now until the bye week.

Appalachian State followed by what should be a College Gameday showdown against Miami. Win those two, and you set up what would probably be a Game-of-the-Week SEC opener with Arkansas. Then comes a daunting road trip to Starkville to visit Mike Leach and Will Rogers, followed by, well, you all know what comes after that.

For as much as Fisher and his staff (and all of us) would love to have walked away from a six-hour day at Kyle Field with all of the answers on Saturday, the opener was too small a sample size to know if the Aggies are going to have what it takes to make it out of the next few weeks unscathed.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

While the Ags comfortably won on Saturday, it’s still too early to tell what the Maroon & White will look like vs. its SEC schedule.

Frankly, there's just no way to tell whether A&M will be the freight train or the car on the tracks for the remainder of September.

It's just too early to tell if the positives on display against SHSU will turn out to be fool's gold and to what (if any) degree wringing your hands too tightly over the negatives is premature.

That said, what we saw on Saturday and in previous seasons from the Aggie veterans are all we really have to go on.

It's natural as a fan or even media member to evaluate Saturday's 31-0 win — a game that the Ags led just 10-0 until just before a (very) extended halftime, take a look at the upcoming schedule and begin walking back any SEC title contending New Year's Six predictions.

Just like that, I've noticed optimism and hope have turned into concern and, for many, expecting the worst.

Tap the brakes.

It would be fair to say the same thing had the Aggies steamrolled a team that, despite Sam's wildly successful recent run at the FCS level, they overmatched at every position. While I'd love to see A&M do to the Bearkats what most true championship contenders to inferior opposition in September, I also remember how far out in front of our skis we all got after watching the Aggies roll Arizona State in Houston, knocking off a top-15 UCLA at home and storm South Carolina to open the 2014 campaign to usher in the post-Johnny Manziel era.

On the flip side, I wouldn't dare revisit the boards in the days following A&M’s 17-12 win over Vanderbilt to open one of the Ags' best seasons of all time in 2020.

As I sit here on Sunday evening rewatching the game and trying to decipher where the Ags can and should improve and how quickly, I'm also wondering if Florida is as good as they looked en route to knocking off a top-10 Utah team at home and are LSU and South Carolina in for very long seasons?

Also, how impressed should I be with wins by Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State? Then I realize it's all still a waste of time.

Just like that, I've noticed optimism and hope have turned into concern and, for many, expecting the worst.

Tap the brakes.

For example, do we worry about Appalachian State lighting up North Carolina for 40 fourth-quarter points, or should the Ags be excited about facing a Mountaineer defense that surrendered 63 to a UNC offense working without all-world receiver Josh Downs?

Rather than waste too much time, I advise focusing on what we know.

First, the Aggies will have to play much better football against Appalachian State and continue to improve from there. Anything short of steady week-to-week improvement will doom A&M to repeat what we saw last season, dropping multiple games before facing Alabama around mid-season.

Considering the opponents and where programs such as Miami, Arkansas and Mississippi State currently reside, the Aggies need to be better than that.

Even after watching it take the Ags roughly two full quarters to start pulling away from the 2020 FCS champs, I still believe that's the case.

For starters, the Aggies may have a defense so good that the unit could carry the Maroon & White to some big early-season wins while the offense finds its footing. D.J. Durkin's debut as the A&M defensive coordinator couldn't have gone any better. The Aggies not only pitched a shutout but also kept what has typically been an explosive Sam Houston offense from getting anything at all established.

Sam's longest play of the game was an 18-yard fake punt. The Bearkats didn't crack 200 yards of total offense, penetrated the red zone just once and were a miserable 1-of-12 on third down. The Aggies choked off the run, generally blanketed Sam Houston receivers and didn't allow a single big play. Durkin's crew managed to do all that despite playing without one if not two starting corners (Myles and Jaylon Jones), starting defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson and playing about seven or eight true freshmen extensively.

Guys like Shemar Stewart, Walter Nolen, L.T. Overton, Enai White, Anthony Lucas, Denver Harris and Smoke Bouie were all on the field early and often. With so many five-star youths likely to make big strides every time they step on the field and multi-year starters set to return to action, the Aggie defense has a chance to be one of the country's best.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Evan Stewart shined with the ball in his hands, finishing his collegiate debut with five catches for 57 yards.

Did I say, true freshmen? How about #1 and #10 on the offensive side of the ball?

Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall — A&M's two five-star signees — combined to catch nine passes for 98 yards. Both looked pretty sensational in their college debuts, and Stewart was a couple of misfires away from having about a 130- or 140-yard introduction to college football. However, the passing game, in general, looked a hell of a lot different than what we've seen under Jimbo Fisher thus far.

To be honest, it looked more like what Fisher did during a remarkable run at Florida State. I know it was only Sam Houston and Haynes King threw a couple of picks, but King also threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns in his second complete game as a starter. The A&M offense attacked the field vertically and pushed it down the field, producing three touchdown passes covering more than 40 yards, surpassing last year's season total in one game.

Two of those plays came via the King-to-Ainias Smith connection. The senior wideout led all pass-catchers with six catches for 164 yards. Second-year speedster Yulkeith Brown also got into the act, opening the scoring with a 66-yard catch and run.

Suppose Ainias, Evan, Chris & Co. are as good (and probably better as the true freshmen continue to get comfortable) as they looked on Saturday. In that case, Fisher is working with more skill and talent than he's had on a team since arriving in College Station five years ago. Opponent aside, that much was very obvious on Saturday.

Of course, none of that will matter moving forward if the Aggies don't do a much better job of blocking. So that leads us to the part about serious concerns as the Aggies continue to wade into the deep end.

Simply put, A&M was pretty bad up front against a Sam Houston defensive front that will likely be the least talented unit the Ags face all season. The Ags produced 110 yards on the ground and averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. Darkhorse Heisman contender Devon Achane averaged a paltry 2.3 yards per tote on 18 carries.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Running behind a mix-and-match line that featured plenty of rotation, Devon Achane amassed just 42 yards on the ground to go along with one reception for nine yards.

We're talking about the same Achane who averaged over seven yards per carry a season ago. Unfortunately, Achane was gobbled up virtually every time he touched the football, and King didn't generate much in the designed QB run game, either.

That's because what turned out to be a very young Aggie offensive line looked nervous and confused, especially in the first half. That is understandable when you consider that by halftime, the starting five featured four players with a combined four starts coming into the game, with Trey Zuhn, Matthew Wykoff and Jordan Moko seeing the first meaningful action of their careers.

These guys are talented, and it may be as simple as settling in, getting the nerves out of the way and eliminating mental mistakes. Whatever the reason, Steve Addazio knows the A&M schedule doesn't afford this unit time to figure things out gradually. However, if they can do so in a hurry, the downfield passing attack plus Achane with running room would equate to a high-powered and high-scoring Aggie offense.

We all know what happens when you have offensive line issues in the Southeastern Conference.

It never ends well.

As for the quarterback, it was a mixed bag for King, with a lot more good than bad, if we're being honest. However, Haynes did throw a couple of interceptions where it didn't look like he read the safety correctly and/or didn't put the ball where it needed to be on a couple of downfield shots. Either way, that's five picks in two full games for the third-year man from Longview. Not an encouraging statistic when considering those games were against Kent State and Sam Houston State.

We're also talking about two of the QB's first three starts. King showed he can locate open receivers deep and did connect on about four out of six legitimate long ball attempts, something we haven't seen nearly enough of in College Station. Give #13 some better protection and a running game to keep the Ags ahead of the chains, and let's see how much different things look.

The bottom line for the offense after Saturday? Block better, run the damn ball and don't give the ball away. Three things that the Aggies can do and will need to do against an Appalachian State squad that can and will produce points (yes, even against a stout Texas A&M defense).

The Ags now shift their focus from the 2020 FCS champs to one of the more respected Group of 5 programs in the country and a team that narrowly missed upsetting the Miami Hurricanes at this time last year.

As you all know, the schedule only gets tougher from there for the Aggies.

The spotlight missed Texas A&M for the first time in what felt like months on Saturday, and the Ags' challenge is to improve enough from game one to game two that folks around the country aren't overly interested in checking in on another one-sided SEC non-conference win.

In a perfect world, the national attention can wait another week, and Fisher's squad improves and indeed proves ready for prime time.

 

 

 

[Duane Moore 5236]

4 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Throughout much of what seemed like the longest offseason on record, Texas A&M football was in the spotlight.

The highest-ranked recruiting class of all-time, the fallout, the feud.

Then came the preseason rankings, which placed the Ags in the thick of the late-summer “contender or pretender” conversation.

For the past eight months, Jimbo Fisher and his program were at the center of countless “hot take” debates.

Interestingly enough, that wasn't the case on Saturday afternoon, when the Aggies took on an FCS opponent from just down the road at 11 a.m. on the SEC Network.

Fisher's squad opened the season ranked No. 6, but there were far bigger games on the SEC slate — namely Georgia-Oregon and Utah-Florida — plus a top-10 tilt pitting Ohio State and Notre Dame at the Horseshoe.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The official attendance at Kyle Field on Saturday was 97,946, but many of those did not stick around for an almost three-hour weather delay.

Mix in a three-hour weather delay at halftime, and the Ags' season-opener generated far less buzz than could be found around the conference and the country.

Perhaps that was a good thing, as it was clear as the Aggies didn't necessarily struggle but were only able to gradually pull away from FCS power Sam Houston, eventually claiming a five-score, shutout victory over the Bearkats, 31-0.

While there was plenty of good to talk about coming out of the season-opener — a pretty damn dominant defensive effort and what could end up being an elite set of wideouts — the Aggies clearly have a lot of work to do and some things to iron out before they're ready to live up to preseason billing.

Look, teams play games like the one the Aggies did on Saturday for that very reason.

Still, the whole “teams show the most significant improvement from game one to game two of the season” thing had better be true for the Maroon & White because it appears the Ags were granted all of one week outside of the spotlight.

Beginning this coming Saturday — when A&M plays host to a very dangerous and explosive Appalachian State squad fresh off of a 40-point fourth quarter vs. North Carolina — the Aggies dive into the deep end for an absolutely brutal five-game stretch.

Nothing comes easy for Fisher's squad from now until the bye week.

Appalachian State followed by what should be a College Gameday showdown against Miami. Win those two, and you set up what would probably be a Game-of-the-Week SEC opener with Arkansas. Then comes a daunting road trip to Starkville to visit Mike Leach and Will Rogers, followed by, well, you all know what comes after that.

For as much as Fisher and his staff (and all of us) would love to have walked away from a six-hour day at Kyle Field with all of the answers on Saturday, the opener was too small a sample size to know if the Aggies are going to have what it takes to make it out of the next few weeks unscathed.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

While the Ags comfortably won on Saturday, it’s still too early to tell what the Maroon & White will look like vs. its SEC schedule.

Frankly, there's just no way to tell whether A&M will be the freight train or the car on the tracks for the remainder of September.

It's just too early to tell if the positives on display against SHSU will turn out to be fool's gold and to what (if any) degree wringing your hands too tightly over the negatives is premature.

That said, what we saw on Saturday and in previous seasons from the Aggie veterans are all we really have to go on.

It's natural as a fan or even media member to evaluate Saturday's 31-0 win — a game that the Ags led just 10-0 until just before a (very) extended halftime, take a look at the upcoming schedule and begin walking back any SEC title contending New Year's Six predictions.

Just like that, I've noticed optimism and hope have turned into concern and, for many, expecting the worst.

Tap the brakes.

It would be fair to say the same thing had the Aggies steamrolled a team that, despite Sam's wildly successful recent run at the FCS level, they overmatched at every position. While I'd love to see A&M do to the Bearkats what most true championship contenders to inferior opposition in September, I also remember how far out in front of our skis we all got after watching the Aggies roll Arizona State in Houston, knocking off a top-15 UCLA at home and storm South Carolina to open the 2014 campaign to usher in the post-Johnny Manziel era.

On the flip side, I wouldn't dare revisit the boards in the days following A&M’s 17-12 win over Vanderbilt to open one of the Ags' best seasons of all time in 2020.

As I sit here on Sunday evening rewatching the game and trying to decipher where the Ags can and should improve and how quickly, I'm also wondering if Florida is as good as they looked en route to knocking off a top-10 Utah team at home and are LSU and South Carolina in for very long seasons?

Also, how impressed should I be with wins by Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State? Then I realize it's all still a waste of time.

Just like that, I've noticed optimism and hope have turned into concern and, for many, expecting the worst.

Tap the brakes.

For example, do we worry about Appalachian State lighting up North Carolina for 40 fourth-quarter points, or should the Ags be excited about facing a Mountaineer defense that surrendered 63 to a UNC offense working without all-world receiver Josh Downs?

Rather than waste too much time, I advise focusing on what we know.

First, the Aggies will have to play much better football against Appalachian State and continue to improve from there. Anything short of steady week-to-week improvement will doom A&M to repeat what we saw last season, dropping multiple games before facing Alabama around mid-season.

Considering the opponents and where programs such as Miami, Arkansas and Mississippi State currently reside, the Aggies need to be better than that.

Even after watching it take the Ags roughly two full quarters to start pulling away from the 2020 FCS champs, I still believe that's the case.

For starters, the Aggies may have a defense so good that the unit could carry the Maroon & White to some big early-season wins while the offense finds its footing. D.J. Durkin's debut as the A&M defensive coordinator couldn't have gone any better. The Aggies not only pitched a shutout but also kept what has typically been an explosive Sam Houston offense from getting anything at all established.

Sam's longest play of the game was an 18-yard fake punt. The Bearkats didn't crack 200 yards of total offense, penetrated the red zone just once and were a miserable 1-of-12 on third down. The Aggies choked off the run, generally blanketed Sam Houston receivers and didn't allow a single big play. Durkin's crew managed to do all that despite playing without one if not two starting corners (Myles and Jaylon Jones), starting defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson and playing about seven or eight true freshmen extensively.

Guys like Shemar Stewart, Walter Nolen, L.T. Overton, Enai White, Anthony Lucas, Denver Harris and Smoke Bouie were all on the field early and often. With so many five-star youths likely to make big strides every time they step on the field and multi-year starters set to return to action, the Aggie defense has a chance to be one of the country's best.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Evan Stewart shined with the ball in his hands, finishing his collegiate debut with five catches for 57 yards.

Did I say, true freshmen? How about #1 and #10 on the offensive side of the ball?

Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall — A&M's two five-star signees — combined to catch nine passes for 98 yards. Both looked pretty sensational in their college debuts, and Stewart was a couple of misfires away from having about a 130- or 140-yard introduction to college football. However, the passing game, in general, looked a hell of a lot different than what we've seen under Jimbo Fisher thus far.

To be honest, it looked more like what Fisher did during a remarkable run at Florida State. I know it was only Sam Houston and Haynes King threw a couple of picks, but King also threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns in his second complete game as a starter. The A&M offense attacked the field vertically and pushed it down the field, producing three touchdown passes covering more than 40 yards, surpassing last year's season total in one game.

Two of those plays came via the King-to-Ainias Smith connection. The senior wideout led all pass-catchers with six catches for 164 yards. Second-year speedster Yulkeith Brown also got into the act, opening the scoring with a 66-yard catch and run.

Suppose Ainias, Evan, Chris & Co. are as good (and probably better as the true freshmen continue to get comfortable) as they looked on Saturday. In that case, Fisher is working with more skill and talent than he's had on a team since arriving in College Station five years ago. Opponent aside, that much was very obvious on Saturday.

Of course, none of that will matter moving forward if the Aggies don't do a much better job of blocking. So that leads us to the part about serious concerns as the Aggies continue to wade into the deep end.

Simply put, A&M was pretty bad up front against a Sam Houston defensive front that will likely be the least talented unit the Ags face all season. The Ags produced 110 yards on the ground and averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. Darkhorse Heisman contender Devon Achane averaged a paltry 2.3 yards per tote on 18 carries.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Running behind a mix-and-match line that featured plenty of rotation, Devon Achane amassed just 42 yards on the ground to go along with one reception for nine yards.

We're talking about the same Achane who averaged over seven yards per carry a season ago. Unfortunately, Achane was gobbled up virtually every time he touched the football, and King didn't generate much in the designed QB run game, either.

That's because what turned out to be a very young Aggie offensive line looked nervous and confused, especially in the first half. That is understandable when you consider that by halftime, the starting five featured four players with a combined four starts coming into the game, with Trey Zuhn, Matthew Wykoff and Jordan Moko seeing the first meaningful action of their careers.

These guys are talented, and it may be as simple as settling in, getting the nerves out of the way and eliminating mental mistakes. Whatever the reason, Steve Addazio knows the A&M schedule doesn't afford this unit time to figure things out gradually. However, if they can do so in a hurry, the downfield passing attack plus Achane with running room would equate to a high-powered and high-scoring Aggie offense.

We all know what happens when you have offensive line issues in the Southeastern Conference.

It never ends well.

As for the quarterback, it was a mixed bag for King, with a lot more good than bad, if we're being honest. However, Haynes did throw a couple of interceptions where it didn't look like he read the safety correctly and/or didn't put the ball where it needed to be on a couple of downfield shots. Either way, that's five picks in two full games for the third-year man from Longview. Not an encouraging statistic when considering those games were against Kent State and Sam Houston State.

We're also talking about two of the QB's first three starts. King showed he can locate open receivers deep and did connect on about four out of six legitimate long ball attempts, something we haven't seen nearly enough of in College Station. Give #13 some better protection and a running game to keep the Ags ahead of the chains, and let's see how much different things look.

The bottom line for the offense after Saturday? Block better, run the damn ball and don't give the ball away. Three things that the Aggies can do and will need to do against an Appalachian State squad that can and will produce points (yes, even against a stout Texas A&M defense).

The Ags now shift their focus from the 2020 FCS champs to one of the more respected Group of 5 programs in the country and a team that narrowly missed upsetting the Miami Hurricanes at this time last year.

As you all know, the schedule only gets tougher from there for the Aggies.

The spotlight missed Texas A&M for the first time in what felt like months on Saturday, and the Ags' challenge is to improve enough from game one to game two that folks around the country aren't overly interested in checking in on another one-sided SEC non-conference win.

In a perfect world, the national attention can wait another week, and Fisher's squad improves and indeed proves ready for prime time.

 

 

 

Is that Liucci? He’s longer-winded than Ian Boyd. 

[Elmer_Fudd 22108]

Bravion Rodgers got a future cast pick on Rivals back to aggy from Nick Harris.

[HenryJames 65889]

8 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

Darkhorse Heisman contender Devon Achane

[totallynotabuttpirate 5342]

24 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Bravion Rodgers got a future cast pick on Rivals back to aggy from Nick Harris.

I guess he decommited to recommit? 

[HtownHorn 14485]

20 minutes ago, totallynotabuttpirate said:

I guess he decommited to recommit? 

Nah, he watched LSU like the rest of us and said fuck no.

[NoName 16293]

15 hours ago, Duane Moore said:

Is that Liucci? He’s longer-winded than Ian Boyd. 

11 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

Nah, he watched LSU like the rest of us and said fuck no.

wondering if we see current players negatively recruiting the team like Texas had under Herman

[DigglerontheHoof 21060]

20 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Throughout much of what seemed like the longest offseason on record, Texas A&M football was in the spotlight.

The highest-ranked recruiting class of all-time, the fallout, the feud.

Then came the preseason rankings, which placed the Ags in the thick of the late-summer “contender or pretender” conversation.

For the past eight months, Jimbo Fisher and his program were at the center of countless “hot take” debates.

Interestingly enough, that wasn't the case on Saturday afternoon, when the Aggies took on an FCS opponent from just down the road at 11 a.m. on the SEC Network.

Fisher's squad opened the season ranked No. 6, but there were far bigger games on the SEC slate — namely Georgia-Oregon and Utah-Florida — plus a top-10 tilt pitting Ohio State and Notre Dame at the Horseshoe.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The official attendance at Kyle Field on Saturday was 97,946, but many of those did not stick around for an almost three-hour weather delay.

Mix in a three-hour weather delay at halftime, and the Ags' season-opener generated far less buzz than could be found around the conference and the country.

Perhaps that was a good thing, as it was clear as the Aggies didn't necessarily struggle but were only able to gradually pull away from FCS power Sam Houston, eventually claiming a five-score, shutout victory over the Bearkats, 31-0.

While there was plenty of good to talk about coming out of the season-opener — a pretty damn dominant defensive effort and what could end up being an elite set of wideouts — the Aggies clearly have a lot of work to do and some things to iron out before they're ready to live up to preseason billing.

Look, teams play games like the one the Aggies did on Saturday for that very reason.

Still, the whole “teams show the most significant improvement from game one to game two of the season” thing had better be true for the Maroon & White because it appears the Ags were granted all of one week outside of the spotlight.

Beginning this coming Saturday — when A&M plays host to a very dangerous and explosive Appalachian State squad fresh off of a 40-point fourth quarter vs. North Carolina — the Aggies dive into the deep end for an absolutely brutal five-game stretch.

Nothing comes easy for Fisher's squad from now until the bye week.

Appalachian State followed by what should be a College Gameday showdown against Miami. Win those two, and you set up what would probably be a Game-of-the-Week SEC opener with Arkansas. Then comes a daunting road trip to Starkville to visit Mike Leach and Will Rogers, followed by, well, you all know what comes after that.

For as much as Fisher and his staff (and all of us) would love to have walked away from a six-hour day at Kyle Field with all of the answers on Saturday, the opener was too small a sample size to know if the Aggies are going to have what it takes to make it out of the next few weeks unscathed.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

While the Ags comfortably won on Saturday, it’s still too early to tell what the Maroon & White will look like vs. its SEC schedule.

Frankly, there's just no way to tell whether A&M will be the freight train or the car on the tracks for the remainder of September.

It's just too early to tell if the positives on display against SHSU will turn out to be fool's gold and to what (if any) degree wringing your hands too tightly over the negatives is premature.

That said, what we saw on Saturday and in previous seasons from the Aggie veterans are all we really have to go on.

It's natural as a fan or even media member to evaluate Saturday's 31-0 win — a game that the Ags led just 10-0 until just before a (very) extended halftime, take a look at the upcoming schedule and begin walking back any SEC title contending New Year's Six predictions.

Just like that, I've noticed optimism and hope have turned into concern and, for many, expecting the worst.

Tap the brakes.

It would be fair to say the same thing had the Aggies steamrolled a team that, despite Sam's wildly successful recent run at the FCS level, they overmatched at every position. While I'd love to see A&M do to the Bearkats what most true championship contenders to inferior opposition in September, I also remember how far out in front of our skis we all got after watching the Aggies roll Arizona State in Houston, knocking off a top-15 UCLA at home and storm South Carolina to open the 2014 campaign to usher in the post-Johnny Manziel era.

On the flip side, I wouldn't dare revisit the boards in the days following A&M’s 17-12 win over Vanderbilt to open one of the Ags' best seasons of all time in 2020.

As I sit here on Sunday evening rewatching the game and trying to decipher where the Ags can and should improve and how quickly, I'm also wondering if Florida is as good as they looked en route to knocking off a top-10 Utah team at home and are LSU and South Carolina in for very long seasons?

Also, how impressed should I be with wins by Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State? Then I realize it's all still a waste of time.

Just like that, I've noticed optimism and hope have turned into concern and, for many, expecting the worst.

Tap the brakes.

For example, do we worry about Appalachian State lighting up North Carolina for 40 fourth-quarter points, or should the Ags be excited about facing a Mountaineer defense that surrendered 63 to a UNC offense working without all-world receiver Josh Downs?

Rather than waste too much time, I advise focusing on what we know.

First, the Aggies will have to play much better football against Appalachian State and continue to improve from there. Anything short of steady week-to-week improvement will doom A&M to repeat what we saw last season, dropping multiple games before facing Alabama around mid-season.

Considering the opponents and where programs such as Miami, Arkansas and Mississippi State currently reside, the Aggies need to be better than that.

Even after watching it take the Ags roughly two full quarters to start pulling away from the 2020 FCS champs, I still believe that's the case.

For starters, the Aggies may have a defense so good that the unit could carry the Maroon & White to some big early-season wins while the offense finds its footing. D.J. Durkin's debut as the A&M defensive coordinator couldn't have gone any better. The Aggies not only pitched a shutout but also kept what has typically been an explosive Sam Houston offense from getting anything at all established.

Sam's longest play of the game was an 18-yard fake punt. The Bearkats didn't crack 200 yards of total offense, penetrated the red zone just once and were a miserable 1-of-12 on third down. The Aggies choked off the run, generally blanketed Sam Houston receivers and didn't allow a single big play. Durkin's crew managed to do all that despite playing without one if not two starting corners (Myles and Jaylon Jones), starting defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson and playing about seven or eight true freshmen extensively.

Guys like Shemar Stewart, Walter Nolen, L.T. Overton, Enai White, Anthony Lucas, Denver Harris and Smoke Bouie were all on the field early and often. With so many five-star youths likely to make big strides every time they step on the field and multi-year starters set to return to action, the Aggie defense has a chance to be one of the country's best.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Evan Stewart shined with the ball in his hands, finishing his collegiate debut with five catches for 57 yards.

Did I say, true freshmen? How about #1 and #10 on the offensive side of the ball?

Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall — A&M's two five-star signees — combined to catch nine passes for 98 yards. Both looked pretty sensational in their college debuts, and Stewart was a couple of misfires away from having about a 130- or 140-yard introduction to college football. However, the passing game, in general, looked a hell of a lot different than what we've seen under Jimbo Fisher thus far.

To be honest, it looked more like what Fisher did during a remarkable run at Florida State. I know it was only Sam Houston and Haynes King threw a couple of picks, but King also threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns in his second complete game as a starter. The A&M offense attacked the field vertically and pushed it down the field, producing three touchdown passes covering more than 40 yards, surpassing last year's season total in one game.

Two of those plays came via the King-to-Ainias Smith connection. The senior wideout led all pass-catchers with six catches for 164 yards. Second-year speedster Yulkeith Brown also got into the act, opening the scoring with a 66-yard catch and run.

Suppose Ainias, Evan, Chris & Co. are as good (and probably better as the true freshmen continue to get comfortable) as they looked on Saturday. In that case, Fisher is working with more skill and talent than he's had on a team since arriving in College Station five years ago. Opponent aside, that much was very obvious on Saturday.

Of course, none of that will matter moving forward if the Aggies don't do a much better job of blocking. So that leads us to the part about serious concerns as the Aggies continue to wade into the deep end.

Simply put, A&M was pretty bad up front against a Sam Houston defensive front that will likely be the least talented unit the Ags face all season. The Ags produced 110 yards on the ground and averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. Darkhorse Heisman contender Devon Achane averaged a paltry 2.3 yards per tote on 18 carries.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Running behind a mix-and-match line that featured plenty of rotation, Devon Achane amassed just 42 yards on the ground to go along with one reception for nine yards.

We're talking about the same Achane who averaged over seven yards per carry a season ago. Unfortunately, Achane was gobbled up virtually every time he touched the football, and King didn't generate much in the designed QB run game, either.

That's because what turned out to be a very young Aggie offensive line looked nervous and confused, especially in the first half. That is understandable when you consider that by halftime, the starting five featured four players with a combined four starts coming into the game, with Trey Zuhn, Matthew Wykoff and Jordan Moko seeing the first meaningful action of their careers.

These guys are talented, and it may be as simple as settling in, getting the nerves out of the way and eliminating mental mistakes. Whatever the reason, Steve Addazio knows the A&M schedule doesn't afford this unit time to figure things out gradually. However, if they can do so in a hurry, the downfield passing attack plus Achane with running room would equate to a high-powered and high-scoring Aggie offense.

We all know what happens when you have offensive line issues in the Southeastern Conference.

It never ends well.

As for the quarterback, it was a mixed bag for King, with a lot more good than bad, if we're being honest. However, Haynes did throw a couple of interceptions where it didn't look like he read the safety correctly and/or didn't put the ball where it needed to be on a couple of downfield shots. Either way, that's five picks in two full games for the third-year man from Longview. Not an encouraging statistic when considering those games were against Kent State and Sam Houston State.

We're also talking about two of the QB's first three starts. King showed he can locate open receivers deep and did connect on about four out of six legitimate long ball attempts, something we haven't seen nearly enough of in College Station. Give #13 some better protection and a running game to keep the Ags ahead of the chains, and let's see how much different things look.

The bottom line for the offense after Saturday? Block better, run the damn ball and don't give the ball away. Three things that the Aggies can do and will need to do against an Appalachian State squad that can and will produce points (yes, even against a stout Texas A&M defense).

The Ags now shift their focus from the 2020 FCS champs to one of the more respected Group of 5 programs in the country and a team that narrowly missed upsetting the Miami Hurricanes at this time last year.

As you all know, the schedule only gets tougher from there for the Aggies.

The spotlight missed Texas A&M for the first time in what felt like months on Saturday, and the Ags' challenge is to improve enough from game one to game two that folks around the country aren't overly interested in checking in on another one-sided SEC non-conference win.

In a perfect world, the national attention can wait another week, and Fisher's squad improves and indeed proves ready for prime time.

 

 

 

[Hozz 1012]

Holy shit that was way too long to be the work of someone convinced of their message.

[Big Woodrows 4195]

lol 

 

[Dr. Teeth 5832]

Can’t give up the opportunity to catch that many interceptions in practice. 

[Pato del Muerto 52342]

Boards are going to need a little scrubbing of posts from posters that did not respect his decision  

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

Spoiler

Ryan Brauninger

4:58p 

Staff

As I stated in the stickied article and on Twitter, it was important to get Bravion Rogers back into the class, regardless of how it all went down. This is still a national 100 prospect and a kid that possesses the requisite skill set to be an early impact player at the collegiate level. He was a kid that felt like a must-get at the start of this recruiting calendar, and the Aggies needed to land him. 

Shortly after his abrupt exit from the class back in early August, I spoke with multiple sources in the area who were confident that the LSU overtures would be short lived and that he'd be back with the Maroon & White rather soon. They were right. 

Kudos should go to TJ Rushing and Jimbo Fisher. Much like the Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy pursuit last year, the A&M coaches didn't overreact or burn any bridges when Bravion backed away from his verbal pledge. They stayed consistent with their communication and messaging. This staff is full of really talented recruiters who understand the importance of 1) establishing connections and building relationships and 2) playing the long game. It's why you don't panic in the recruitments like this one, or Johnny Bowens, or even David Hicks in the face of OU's momentum. 

September could wind up being the most impactful month of the calendar for A&M's recruiting efforts. It started with today's recommitment, but there is so much more on the table. Now holding 10 verbal commitments, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that the Aggies add to that number by nearly a handful by the end of the month. 

It goes without saying that the Miami weekend is big. We anticipate that it's going to rival last year's Alabama weekend in terms of both quality and quantity in the visitor's list. What kind of impact could an electric atmosphere for a night game at Kyle have on a specific kid or two?

Standout WR Hykeem Williams is expected make a decision later this month, and we still maintain Austin Westlake OL TJ Shanahan's recruitment could come to an end in short order even though he's not set a specific day/time for an announcement. 

I know y'all hate hearing it, but there's still very much a chance this 2023 recruiting class, while being smaller in number, can still deliver a similar impact to last year's historic group. Now, I'm not saying A&M will finish number one overall, but I am saying they could close on a class that continues their ascent up the elite talent ranks in college football. 

Just look at the list of players that the Aggies are still in contention for. They won't land all these, but you get the idea. 

QB Malachi Nelson 
RB Roderick Robinson 
RB Jeremiyah Love 
RB Rueben Owens 
RB Cedric Baxter Jr. 
WR Zachariah Branch 
WR Hykeem Williams 
WR Andy Jean 
WR Anthony Evans 
WR Micah Tease 
OL TJ Shanahan 
OL Caden Jones 

DL David Hicks 
DL Johnny Bowens 
LB Derion Gullette 
LB Tausili Akana 
DB Peyton Bowen 
DB Javien Toviano 
DB Tony Mitchell 

Finally, as we've stated numerous times, we are hearing enough to make us believe a couple of key 2024s could be ready to come off the board in relative short order. 

 

 

 

[Deej 76560]

3 hours ago, Big Woodrows said:

lol 

 

The check finally cleared?

[ClubWhatever 12087]

How many is “nearly a handful”?

[texifornia 56512]

13 minutes ago, Deej said:

The check finally cleared?

He watched the LSU game and figured the raise wasn't worth it

[billfromlaketravis 11359]

I’d say LSU recruiting has hit rock bottom. 

[Deej 76560]

Why just rub up against Brian Kelly when you can fuck Jimbo's wife. 

[Dr. Teeth 5832]

Are Texags writers required to discuss the coaches’ recruiting prowess every other sentence? 

[Deej 76560]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Teeth said:

Are Texags writers required to discuss the coaches’ recruiting prowess every other sentence? 

The Athletic Department requires it. They have to justify those ridiculous salaries. 

[AugieBall 233]

1 hour ago, texifornia said:

He watched the LSU game and figured the raise wasn't worth it

Sounds like the LSU boosters watched the LSU game and put away their "NIL" checkbooks.  

[Elmer_Fudd 22108]

Who are the 24's they think they may be getting?  The QB Lagway?

[UDontKnow 10439]

1 minute ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Who are the 24's they think they may be getting?  The QB Lagway?

They mentioned a QB from one of the Cypress area schools is visiting for the Bama game. His name escapes me, but IT feels that he is the only in-state QB getting attention from the Texas staff. So no, not Lagway who is from Willis.

[Treefidy 1463]

It sure feels like jimbo is reverting back to FSU recruiting at OL

[texifornia 56512]

22 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

They mentioned a QB from one of the Cypress area schools is visiting for the Bama game. His name escapes me, but IT feels that he is the only in-state QB getting attention from the Texas staff. So no, not Lagway who is from Willis.

This is the aggy thread

[UDontKnow 10439]

2 minutes ago, texifornia said:

This is the aggy thread

[kevwun 15643]

Lots of great quarterbacks started their career off by throwing 5 interceptions in their first 2 starts.  When you have the arm strength of a Case McCoy, you’re bound to force a few throws because you have a completely justified faith in your ability to complete passes in tight windows.

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

 

[Chopper 17154]

17 hours ago, Dr. Teeth said:

Are Texags writers required to discuss the coaches’ recruiting prowess every other sentence? 

The TAMU staff is world-renown for their ability to not panic 3 or even 4 months before signing day. It should be on a banner in their hall of champs.

[ClubWhatever 12087]

Best lineman in the country.  Fight me.

[RomaVicta 29781]

Another player arriving with an eye to the portal. Great stuff for that locker room. If he succeeds at all, he's outta there.

[NoName 16293]

got to love the narrative TheNaritiv that TJ Shanahan was "stolen" out of the Texas back yard.

speaking of TheNaritiv, this is Hamm's latest tweet if you want a laugh.

didn't he already steal a bunch of people from 247, ESPN and Rivals? technically including himself?

Maisel was at ESPN forever, they hired a guy who was a senior writer for AL.com, Chad Simmons was at both Rivals and Scout. I think the A&M writer for on3 used to work at 247 and Rivals. Hayes Fawcett used to do stuff for 247. Spiegelman used to be a national analyst for Rivals. Gerry Hamilton was at ESPN. the director of scouting and rankings for on3 was a national analyst for 247 (Charles Power.) I think the Ole Miss or the Miss St 247 site totally flipped to On3 from 247, same for one of the tOSU sites. Shea Dixon left 247 for On3.

edit: i didn't even post the saddest thing about this tweet...it has been up for almost 24 full hours and has exactly 1 like (from a private account? or from Hamm's own account?), no RTs, no responses.

Edited September 7, 2022 by NoName

[Shaggyhorn 641]

Best lineman in the country.  Fight me.

No. Really, you can have him.

[RollLeft 5040]

8 hours ago, ClubWhatever said:

Best lineman in the country.  Fight me.

Yes he is.  Belize is a fine country, indeed.

[Napoleon 8600]

16 hours ago, NoName said:

...Maisel was at ESPN forever...

Like many national sports talking heads,

Ivan Maisel was at The Dallas Morning News first, where he established his reputation and then ESPN swooped him up.

[SydneyCarton 47874]

17 hours ago, NoName said:

got to love the narrative TheNaritiv that TJ Shanahan was "stolen" out of the Texas back yard.

speaking of TheNaritiv, this is Hamm's latest tweet if you want a laugh.

didn't he already steal a bunch of people from 247, ESPN and Rivals? technically including himself?

Maisel was at ESPN forever, they hired a guy who was a senior writer for AL.com, Chad Simmons was at both Rivals and Scout. I think the A&M writer for on3 used to work at 247 and Rivals. Hayes Fawcett used to do stuff for 247. Spiegelman used to be a national analyst for Rivals. Gerry Hamilton was at ESPN. the director of scouting and rankings for on3 was a national analyst for 247 (Charles Power.) I think the Ole Miss or the Miss St 247 site totally flipped to On3 from 247, same for one of the tOSU sites. Shea Dixon left 247 for On3.

edit: i didn't even post the saddest thing about this tweet...it has been up for almost 24 full hours and has exactly 1 like (from a private account? or from Hamm's own account?), no RTs, no responses.

I mean, I read that as 24/7 sucks, which Hamm has obviously had a vendetta against since they unceremoniously fire his ass years ago, and that of course everyone would follow Terry to on3. Of course, we'll ignore the fact that Terry might have still been at on3 when Hamm was fired, but I don't know the timeline there. But lets not forget that Hamm is...calling him stupid would be generous. 

[Chopper 17154]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

I mean, I read that as 24/7 sucks, which Hamm has obviously had a vendetta against since they unceremoniously fire his ass years ago, and that of course everyone would follow Terry to on3. Of course, we'll ignore the fact that Terry might have still been at on3 when Hamm was fired, but I don't know the timeline there. But lets not forget that Hamm is...calling him stupid would be generous. 

I don't know the entire history but i think it was Shannon who recently leveled hamm after On3 named their tamu coverage aggiescoop, which was what hammster used to call his bit, but hamm never trademarked it and allowed his ownership of the domain name to expire. Hamm issued a cease and desist on twitter and I am pretty sure it was Shannon who responded with a strong metaphorical upper cut to the jaw.

[BurntOrange&White 39651]

Just now, Chopper said:

I don't know the entire history but i think it was Shannon who recently leveled hamm after On3 named their tamu coverage aggiescoop, which was what hammster used to call his bit, but hamm never trademarked it and allowed his ownership of the domain name to expire. Hamm issued a cease and desist on twitter and I am pretty sure it was Shannon who responded with a strong metaphorical upper cut to the jaw.

Didn't Hamm get fired from 247 because the school threatened to revoke their credentials if they didn't do something about him? 

[SydneyCarton 47874]

7 minutes ago, Chopper said:

I don't know the entire history but i think it was Shannon who recently leveled hamm after On3 named their tamu coverage aggiescoop, which was what hammster used to call his bit, but hamm never trademarked it and allowed his ownership of the domain name to expire. Hamm issued a cease and desist on twitter and I am pretty sure it was Shannon who responded with a strong metaphorical upper cut to the jaw.

Which is why I included the last line of my post. 

[RomaVicta 29781]

The perils of being the best in the business.

[Ghost of Stevie Ray 1577]

Yeah, but has Terry Shannon ever splish splashed on a water slide with Colten Blanton?

....Didn't think so. 

[bizzle 1138]

On 9/4/2022 at 12:43 AM, Hank_Hill said:

There’s no way he said that…is there?

no, but reading comprehension has never been the banana's forte. 

i only really pay attention to two guys when it comes to oline thoughts, as it generally seems the unwashed masses have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to the intricacies of blocking schemes, etc. one of the guys says it's game one under a new coach with a bunch of new guys and to give it time, the other guy thinks we're beyond fucked, so who knows. 

app st's defense kind of sucks, so will be an interesting measuring stick heading into miami et al. 

unrelated, walter nolan is just a freak. is immediately the best 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 tech on the line, hell, might be the best linebacker too. all the young dline guys are about to get plenty of snaps if the offense can't get its head out of its ass. 

 

 

[Vertigo 20266]

13 minutes ago, bizzle said:

no, but reading comprehension has never been the banana's forte. 

i only really pay attention to two guys when it comes to oline thoughts, as it generally seems the unwashed masses have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to the intricacies of blocking schemes, etc. one of the guys says it's game one under a new coach with a bunch of new guys and to give it time, the other guy thinks we're beyond fucked, so who knows. 

app st's defense kind of sucks, so will be an interesting measuring stick heading into miami et al. 

unrelated, walter nolan is just a freak. is immediately the best 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 tech on the line, hell, might be the best linebacker too. all the young dline guys are about to get plenty of snaps if the offense can't get its head out of its ass. 

 

 

I will give you that regarding Nolan. That guy is legit, but he is also a mercenary to the highest order. I am sure aggy will pony up to keep him from going elsewhere, but you can expect him to hold a hostage negotiation in the portal at least once. Once he smells what Hill got, he is probably going to be angling for that or more. 

[fattyflattie 4636]

33 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

I am sure aggy will pony up to keep him from going elsewhere, but you can expect him to hold a hostage negotiation in the portal at least once.

Thought that was the rumblings earlier this summer. 

And if I must remind you, he doesn't care about any of the money.  He could have went to Tenn if that was the case...remember? lulz

Edited September 8, 2022 by fattyflattie

[Burt Macklin 18997]

46 minutes ago, bizzle said:

one of the guys says it's game one under a new coach with a bunch of new guys and to give it time, the other guy thinks we're beyond fucked, so who knows. 

 

 

 

The second guy. The second guy knows. 
 

Going from Henson to Addazio is like going from Google Fiber in the States to the internet in Vancouver. 

[Johnny Sack 8397]

Pretty sure the OL is plug and play.

[NoName 16293]

2 hours ago, bizzle said:

app st's defense kind of sucks, so will be an interesting measuring stick heading into miami et al.

unrelated, walter nolan is just a freak. is immediately the best 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 tech on the line, hell, might be the best linebacker too. all the young dline guys are about to get plenty of snaps if the offense can't get its head out of its ass.

North Carolina is a good offense (#8 in OFEI right now and #114 DFEI lol) and App St currently has the #28 offense and #49 defense

also, no. walter nolan is not the best linebacker on the team. he may be a monster, for sure, but no. he isn't. this isn't Texas last year when Luke Brockermeyer is playing LB. if he is the best LB on the A&M team (or even the 2nd best) you guys are going to get railed at that second level. 

[bizzle 1138]

8 minutes ago, NoName said:

North Carolina is a good offense (#8 in OFEI right now and #114 DFEI lol) and App St currently has the #28 offense and #49 defense

also, no. walter nolan is not the best linebacker on the team. he may be a monster, for sure, but no. he isn't. this isn't Texas last year when Luke Brockermeyer is playing LB. if he is the best LB on the A&M team (or even the 2nd best) you guys are going to get railed at that second level. 

you may want to relax when the hyperbole gets going.

1 hour ago, Johnny Sack said:

Pretty sure the OL is plug and play.

i challenge you to find an example of kenny hill, jake spavital or kevin sumlin not exceeding expectations in any form.