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Jimbo 2020: Strangers with Candi

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Neonmoon
Neonmoon

Just to recap Five Star WR and Aggy commit Demond Demas wanted to transfer from North Forest High School to Tomball High School. He stated it was to better his living situation, and not for athle

blacklab
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BurntOrangeCrush
BurntOrangeCrush

Hey everyone, just got back from Baton Rouge. I was taking my stepson there for an orientation (he got his GED and only qualified for Blinn, aggy, and LSU) and got to hang out with some of the local f

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Chopper

Chopper 17,429

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6 minutes ago, texasstrong12 said:

FWK has been hyping the NFL potential of Quartney Davis all year. I will bet he leaves early after this year. 

He looks good. Meanwhile Kendrick Rogers had a good year last year but curiously looks like he's permanently stoned off his ass this year.

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GotThatFire

GotThatFire 166

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6 hours ago, Spider2YBanana said:

Honestly, he can spend all day and it would make me happy. Seeing their sadness and meltdowns is probably better than heroin. After seeing them say Sam I Am, Cart McCry, etc, I want all of those tears they spew. Fuck those pussies. This is what they deserve. The best part? They MIGHT make a bowl game, and that's with FCS schools on their schedule. 

 I only recently learned that Sam I Am is supposed to be an insult. I’d never seen or even heard of the movie.

 I seem to recall during a game last year or his freshman year one of the announcers yelling Sam I Am during a good play.  I’m pretty sure that happened, hopefully somebody else remembers too...?

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Funk Doctor Spock

Funk Doctor Spock 13,120

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4 minutes ago, GotThatFire said:

 I only recently learned that Sam I Am is supposed to be an insult. I’d never seen or even heard of the movie.

 I seem to recall during a game last year or his freshman year one of the announcers yelling Sam I Am during a good play.  I’m pretty sure that happened, hopefully somebody else remembers too...?

I don't remember that, but I know aggys use it as an insult, just like calling Vince "Radio". Hilarious since the guy they think is intellectually disabled has done more in one season than their entire history.

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Sejjr

Sejjr 3,250

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2 minutes ago, GotThatFire said:

 I only recently learned that Sam I Am is supposed to be an insult. I’ve never seen or even heard of the movie.

 I seem to recall during a game last year or his freshman year one of the announcers yelling Sam I Am during a good play.  I’m pretty sure that happened, hopefully somebody else remembers too...?

Yes, that was during OU and it was Gus Johnson. And "Sam I Am" is from Green Eggs and Ham, the Dr Suess book. I have no idea why that is an insult. I AM SAM is a movie where Sean Penn went "full-retard," and is probably what aggy is thinking with their feeble insult.

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lemonandaturd

lemonandaturd 4,289

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Jimbo's post game presser: 

I tell you what man, dang ol' Chad can coach and man did you see the part where that dang ol' Hicks went sllllidin' and dang near about got a first down.  Dang ol' game is dust in the wind man and we won,  I tell you what.   Dang ol' Mond can run man, he was like a butterfly flappin' his wings down that field for a win.  I got a dang ol' big bank balance that will get bigger next week man   I tell you what.  

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texasstrong12

texasstrong12 4,668

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16 minutes ago, Fud said:

Wonder if Ausbon and Rogers would leave too. Not that they should or anytime. 

Rogers is probably the most talented out of the bunch and he's not even going to put up 500 yards this year. Their inability to maximize Rogers talent is kind of insane. 

I think Rogers will transfer or declare. FWK is pretty much telling people on twitter (if you read between the lines) that Davis is gone after this year. No clue on Ausbon. 

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Cairn Horn88

Cairn Horn88 8,500

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5 hours ago, Voluminous Banality said:

He'll be paid $75 million even if he never speaks another word. They may not get their money's worth on the field, but they'll sure as hell get it in the press room and injury reports.

If I was jimbo, I'd stop talking all together and just use emojis and sign language!  Yep, that's what I'd do 👍🤘🤦‍♂️.

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WBT

WBT 20,879

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2 hours ago, texasstrong12 said:

Rogers is probably the most talented out of the bunch and he's not even going to put up 500 yards this year. Their inability to maximize Rogers talent is kind of insane. 

I think Rogers will transfer or declare. FWK is pretty much telling people on twitter (if you read between the lines) that Davis is gone after this year. No clue on Ausbon. 

Luckily Caleb Chapman is waiting in the wings

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Lobwedgephil

Lobwedgephil 1,146

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Spoiler

Cover Story: Bye week coming at the perfect time for the Aggies

By Billy Liucci

September 29, 2019

 

It's not a myth. The 'SEC Grind' is a very real thing. It's a real thing that's very difficult to explain to those who haven't seen it from both inside and out. It's something I've discussed candidly off the record and also on the radio or during interviews with former coaches and even transfers like Trevor Knight, Trevor Wood, Jace Sternberger, Brandon Williams and others. To a man, they'll tell you that navigating your way through three, four, five weeks of what amounts to a physical and mental war of attrition is, year in and year out, the most daunting and taxing gauntlet in college football. Eight conference games be damned, there really is nothing close. Even in a season in which the bottom half of the league is as weak as it's been since the Aggies' first year as members, what the national talking heads who stumble all over themselves to prop up conferences like the Big Ten, ACC and even the Big 12 conveniently fail to point out is that 'top heavy' means that the Southeastern Conference boasts five of the nation's top-10 ranked teams. Four legitimate national title contenders have emerged as the college football season rapidly approaches its halfway point.

Unfortunately, Texas A&M is not a part of that group. At this point in the season, they don't appear close. Instead, the Aggies have taken a temporary step back to the middle of a crowded pack. Rather than jockeying with the likes of Auburn, LSU and Florida for positioning as a challenger to Alabama and Georgia, Jimbo Fisher's group is more likely to battle it out with Mississippi State, South Carolina and Missouri for bowl positioning. 

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas came within a few plays of beating the Aggies at AT&T Stadium.

For as difficult and undeniable as the SEC grind is, playing Arkansas the past couple of seasons in a neutral site game is one of the few outliers. The Hogs went 2-10 last fall and might finish 3-9 this go-round. The Chad Morris experiment is beginning to look like an absolute disaster in Fayetteville; the former SMU head coach has started his Arkansas tenure by going 0-16 in his first two runs through the aforementioned gauntlet. Yet those same Razorbacks – the team that dropped a home game to San Jose State just one week earlier – pushed the Aggies to the brink at Jerryworld yesterday. An overwhelming 23-point favorite coming in, A&M appeared on the ropes right up until Buddy Johnson broke up a fourth-down pass inside the 10-yard line to secure a 31-27 win.

You can look at this one or two ways, of course. The first? Though not always aesthetically pleasing, the Aggies and Razorbacks have always produced thrilling finishes in Arlington. It's hard to believe that A&M has now rattled off eight straight wins versus an SEC foe (and the Hogs certainly weren't terrible under Brett Bielema). But of those eight wins, three have been decided in overtime and five have come down to the final possession. It's been the story of an SEC West rivalry that's been equal parts fun and frustrating, but at the end of the day, very fruitful for the Aggies. Did I say rivalry? Believe me, I know no one – myself included – in Maroon and White sees the Hogs as a rival. I imagine that's probably how LSU felt about Texas A&M prior to last season. However, one thing is clear every time the former SWC foes have met as members of the SEC: The Razorbacks want to beat the Aggies in the worst way imaginable, this year perhaps as much as ever.

All one had to do on Saturday was look across the field. An Aggie as the Hogs' head coach. A former A&M quarterback and tailback in the starting backfield. Former Kevin Sumlin assistants at defensive coordinator and in the secondary. Another assistant who has lobbied multiple times for a job in College Station but was passed over, instead opting to go nuclear on A&M as a Longhorn and Hog recruiter in East Texas. Heck, even the Razorbacks' recruiting coordinator is a former Sumlin staffer. All of that without mentioning how many Texas products are on the UA roster that weren't pursued by the Ags. Combine that with the fact that Arkansas was coming off of a humiliating home loss to San Jose State and you just knew that Fisher's squad was going to get whatever the Hogs' best shot would be on Saturday.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

The Aggies appeared to have all of the momentum after Justin Madubuike came up with a big interception in the first half.

If we knew all of that, then you can bet the guys in the Bright Complex and the A&M locker room knew it too. Yet somehow, someway, the Aggies managed to play poorly enough to let the Hogs hang around. Playing against one of the two worst teams in the SEC, the Ags appeared poised to put Arkansas away early. Justin Madubuike picked off Nick Starkel in the end zone and ran right through the quarterback to punctuate an 18-yard return. With 5:36 remaining in the second quarter, the Ags had all of the momentum, had the ball up 14-3 and had just knocked Arkansas' starting quarterback out of the game. They were also getting the ball to open the third quarter and were looking at a best-case scenario of being up 24-3 or 28-3 early in the second half. That's what a great team would have done. Not even a great team, actually. That's what a team with a true killer instinct would have done. Finish off an inferior (yes, the Razorbacks are still inferior, regardless of how you're feeling about your Aggies today) opponent. Instead, the Ags fumble an exchange on the very next play and UA defensive back De'Jon Harris scoops up the ball and races into the end zone. Suddenly, it's 14-10 and everyone on the opposing sidelines believes.

The Ags then let the Hogs' backup quarterback catch fire and make one mistake after another (including a near-disaster when Kellen Mond threw an end zone interception with the Ags down 24-21 late in the third quarter) and allowed themselves to be pushed to the absolute brink – a fourth-and-five play from the 14-yard line in the final 30 seconds – before earning their first SEC win. Some would say the Ags stumbled their way to breaking even at 1-1 in league play, but the fact of the matter is that one was hard-earned. Anyone who has played in this rivalry in the past decade understands as much.

Still, no matter how physical the teams in the SEC (the West in particular) may be and no matter how tough running through the eight-game schedule is year in and year out, the fact is there is a beauty pageant of sorts being conducted each and every Saturday across the South. Really for all of college football, but because the SEC is so competitive (and how the top-tier seems to chew up and spit out pretenders), we're constantly spending Sunday and Monday trying to decipher 'what we learned' on a given weekend and attempting to evaluate which teams are getting better, which ones are getting worse and if anyone is making a move up or down the ladder.

After watching the Ags lose to Auburn last weekend, the nagging question had to do with whether A&M's struggles were more due to the fact that the Ags simply weren't a good football team at this point in the season or if they had just been measured against two of the best teams in college football. Well, Saturday was a mixed bag, as Clemson came within a failed (but gutsy) two-point conversion call by Mack Brown of losing to unranked (and recently toppled by Appalachian State) North Carolina, yet Auburn suddenly looked like a legitimate title contender. The Tigers absolutely crushed Mississippi State, at one point leading 49-9 early in the third quarter. When trying to pinpoint where the Ags stand in regards to their schedule moving forward, those results plus the fact that Arkansas and A&M always play down to the wire (even last year when the Hogs won all of two games and the Aggies eventually finished the season ranked in the top-15) would seem to paint a pretty cloudy picture. However, if you watched the 11 a.m. game at Jerryworld yesterday, you saw it plain as day. 

I could spend time breaking down the Ags' season-long performance and citing examples, but all you had to do was watch the Ags struggle with an overmatched Arkansas team on Saturday. The tape and numbers speak for themselves.

As we approach the midpoint of the 2019 season, the Aggies are not a very good football team. Too many missed opportunities in the passing game, too many personal fouls and pre-snap penalties, not enough big-play threats on either side of the ball, no pass rush, not near enough toughness in the trenches (by SEC standards) and no running game to speak of. I could spend time breaking down the Ags' season-long performance and citing examples, but all you had to do was watch the Ags struggle with an overmatched Arkansas team on Saturday. The tape and numbers speak for themselves.

Four sacks allowed. Just two sacks on 44 Razorback pass attempts and very little pressure through three-plus quarters of action. A backup quarterback who lost his job and hasn't played in three weeks steps in and goes 15 for 27 for 188 yards in just over a half. One forced turnover against a team that coughed it up five times against San Jose State a week earlier. Minus quarterback scrambles, just 89 rushing yards on 33 attempts against a defense that saw an Ole Miss tailback rumble for 143 yards and a Colorado State back approach 200 on it earlier this month. An inexcusable turnover in each red zone that led to as much as a 14-point swing. That's just off the top of my head. I realize the list is longer, but you get the drift.

Forget the big picture for this week...that's where we would have been forced to go had the Hogs covered that final fourteen yards on Saturday. It wasn't a pleasant thought as the Aggies fought like hell to keep that from happening. Because they did fight to the finish, Fisher and the Aggies avoided a potentially catastrophic setback. Though it may not have felt like it for the Maroon-clad fans walking out of Jerryworld, the guys in the winning locker room were in a celebratory mood (and thank the football gods we don't have to see Morris and his social media blitzers flood us with 'Club Dub' clips today and throughout the week). That doesn't mean the Aggies should waltz into the bye week thinking they've suddenly figured things out. No, it was probably equal parts relief and just a moment to exhale and enjoy an SEC win at the end of what's been a trying opening month of the '19 campaign.

And, folks, that bye week could not have come at a better time. Fisher, his staff and his players are still in the process of trying to put together four good quarters of football, which is something they've yet to do this season. Just as important as that, this is a squad clearly in search of an identity and any sort of confidence or edge. It's something that occurred to me last week when watching the Ags struggle to find answers in a game that they could have hung around in against Auburn, and then it became painfully obvious on Saturday under the big hanging screen. I also thought about it when talking to last year's breakout Aggie star, Jace Sternberger, who was in town to take in the game after his Green Bay Packers played on Thursday night.

Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs

The Aggies lost 10 players to the NFL, including offensive talents Trayveon Williams and Erik McCoy.

The Ags lost ten players to the NFL following last season, and as I stated last week, probably six of their top seven players on defense and their three best players on offense. That happens across the SEC year in and year out, but it's a lot tougher when you're entering year two of a new coach's tenure, doing it with five seniors on the roster and facing the toughest schedule college football has seen in recent memory. In order to overcome, strong leaders must emerge, and it helps to have big personalities in the locker room. Sternberger, Cullen Gillaspia, Erik McCoy, Trayveon Williams, Otaro Alaka, Kingsley Keke...the list goes on. Those are the guys who left, and that void has not been filled.

Fans and SEC/national media alike (we at TexAgs included) clearly missed the mark when assuming the Ags' 2018 finish would lead to a smooth transition into 2019, especially considering the schedule. Fisher entered year two with a very unusual roster void, one that's led to just two seniors starting and a true freshman class that appears to feature more talent than a good chunk of the veteran group. It's a tough situation that the coaches and players are currently having to navigate, and it certainly explains why the Aggies are struggling to put it together.

What it doesn't excuse, however, is the Ags requiring a great escape to avoid losing to the SEC's most downtrodden program. While Jimbo's hands are at least somewhat tied when it comes to things like the personality, leadership and (to some degree) the makeup of his team, he and his staff can control some of what we're seeing on the field. For example, Fisher and Darrell Dickey added a little more in the way of designed runs for Kellen Mond this week, which was effective. Ainias Smith saw legitimate playing time for the first time in an SEC game, and truth be told, the Aggies wouldn’t have won that game without him.

The Ags have a long way to go in terms of 'home improvements' between now and not only Alabama (so much for the Tide looking 'beatable' after watching Tua and his receivers go on an absolute tear the past couple of weeks), but also the rest of the conference schedule. For the head man, it has to start with figuring out how to push through whatever slight changes he and the A&M staff can in hopes that the aggregate result is a noticeably-improved football team. After back-to-back West losses on the road last fall, Fisher pushed all the right buttons and the Aggies finished the season playing their best ball. That was on the strength of a lot of seniors and some draft-eligible juniors who made the leap to the NFL. Because of that and the simple fact that (though the record is the same) the Ags haven't played nearly as well through five games in 2019 as they did last fall, it'll be much tougher for Jimbo in Act II.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

The A&M offensive line has struggled in both run and pass blocking through five games in 2019.

After watching the Ags through a half-season, I think it's fair to say that this team's single-biggest issue may very well be a lack of blocking. Kellen Mond has been far from perfect, but he and the receivers certainly haven't been bad in the Ags' first two SEC games. Defensively, A&M's showing on Saturday left a lot to be desired, but the unit has still allowed just 24 to Clemson, held Auburn under 30 and gave up 20 to Arkansas on Saturday. Mike Elko's unit hasn't been great but has played well enough to give the team a chance to win. Special teams? Not airtight, but a liability only once in five games. Eliminate the unforced penalties (pre-snap and personal fouls) and get better up front and this team looks a hell of a lot different. Easier said than done, I know. That's especially true when you understand that the Ags have six legitimate options along the o-line at this point in time.

On Saturday, a veteran group of blockers was embarrassed by an Arkansas defense that hasn't been overly impressive at any point this season. Mond was sacked four times and the A&M running game was completely shut down. In three games against P5 opposition, the Ags have averaged less than 70 yards per game on the ground. We're talking about an unacceptable lack of production that is essentially choking off every aspect of the A&M offense. Mond is landing in far too many third-and-longs as Fisher continues to hammer away at developing a competent ground game, and the quarterback either doesn't have time to throw or is anticipating the pressure even when it's not there. The lack of establishing anything on the ground is also leading to stretches of quick possessions that are forcing more snaps out of the Aggie defense. Add it all up and what do you get? The system that worked so well for the A&M offense last fall (hell, against Arkansas, Trayveon Williams ran for 159 yards and two TDs on around 30 carries) is broken, and it starts with the front five plus tight ends and the blocking backs. 

Without a significant improvement in that department, the Ags' offensive prospects look bleak. That's why, with two weeks between games, I'd be surprised if we didn't at least see a slight shake-up in the trenches. Not many options, but Kenyon Green has struggled at guard and is probably the team's most gifted tackle, and it's not like the Ags are getting dominant efforts from either Dan Moore (who might be a guard at the next level) or Carson Green on the edges. There's also Ryan McCollum – we saw a lot of the veteran at guard on Saturday, but he can also play center if Fisher and Josh Henson believe improving in the middle is a priority. No matter which direction they go, it's hard to imagine looking at the current product and thinking "this will work."

Again, it's about improving each and every week, and if the Aggies can't run the football against the likes of Arkansas, their chances of beating the better teams on the schedule are zero. Mond's much-needed growth and progress will be stunted and even the games against lesser SEC teams become coin flips at best. It's the single-most glaring issue in need of addressing during the bye week. Another point of emphasis is what has been a largely non-existent pass rush. The Ags have managed just 8 sacks in 5 five games. Perhaps seeing more DeMarvin Leal could help, but outside of that, it's going to take Elko walking that fine line between getting more aggressive with his pressures and putting his back seven at risk.

There are no easy answers for Fisher and Co., which is why the bye is falling at the perfect time.

The goal will always be to win every game, starting two Saturdays from now against the newly minted No. 1 Crimson Tide. However, a look at the remaining schedule and the way the Ags have performed through five games makes going .500 in conference (in what suddenly feels like a rebuilding campaign) and winning a bowl game seem like more realistic expectations. The Aggies will have to make significant strides between now and Thanksgiving to achieve even those far more modest goals, something Fisher and his players clearly realize based on the post-game commentary. Do that, continue to recruit at a top-10 level (which would have been a hell of a lot more challenging with a loss to Arkansas) and return as many as 20 starters in 2020. Those who improve return a year older, wiser and presumably better, and those who don't get passed up by what will be a loaded group of second-year men from the '19 class and perhaps even a true freshman or two. It's the type of experience mixed with competition that seems to be one of the biggest missing pieces today, but how the Aggies get there will be telling.

There are no easy answers for Fisher and Co., which is why the bye is falling at the perfect time. It's also falling after a last-minute win, so yes, the Ags did walk out of AT&T Stadium with something to hang their Cowboy hats on, and they (hopefully) have more to build on than we think.

 

 

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texifornia

texifornia 58,781

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8 minutes ago, Lobwedgephil said:
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Cover Story: Bye week coming at the perfect time for the Aggies

By Billy Liucci

September 29, 2019

 

It's not a myth. The 'SEC Grind' is a very real thing. It's a real thing that's very difficult to explain to those who haven't seen it from both inside and out. It's something I've discussed candidly off the record and also on the radio or during interviews with former coaches and even transfers like Trevor Knight, Trevor Wood, Jace Sternberger, Brandon Williams and others. To a man, they'll tell you that navigating your way through three, four, five weeks of what amounts to a physical and mental war of attrition is, year in and year out, the most daunting and taxing gauntlet in college football. Eight conference games be damned, there really is nothing close. Even in a season in which the bottom half of the league is as weak as it's been since the Aggies' first year as members, what the national talking heads who stumble all over themselves to prop up conferences like the Big Ten, ACC and even the Big 12 conveniently fail to point out is that 'top heavy' means that the Southeastern Conference boasts five of the nation's top-10 ranked teams. Four legitimate national title contenders have emerged as the college football season rapidly approaches its halfway point.

Unfortunately, Texas A&M is not a part of that group. At this point in the season, they don't appear close. Instead, the Aggies have taken a temporary step back to the middle of a crowded pack. Rather than jockeying with the likes of Auburn, LSU and Florida for positioning as a challenger to Alabama and Georgia, Jimbo Fisher's group is more likely to battle it out with Mississippi State, South Carolina and Missouri for bowl positioning. 

 

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas came within a few plays of beating the Aggies at AT&T Stadium.

For as difficult and undeniable as the SEC grind is, playing Arkansas the past couple of seasons in a neutral site game is one of the few outliers. The Hogs went 2-10 last fall and might finish 3-9 this go-round. The Chad Morris experiment is beginning to look like an absolute disaster in Fayetteville; the former SMU head coach has started his Arkansas tenure by going 0-16 in his first two runs through the aforementioned gauntlet. Yet those same Razorbacks – the team that dropped a home game to San Jose State just one week earlier – pushed the Aggies to the brink at Jerryworld yesterday. An overwhelming 23-point favorite coming in, A&M appeared on the ropes right up until Buddy Johnson broke up a fourth-down pass inside the 10-yard line to secure a 31-27 win.

You can look at this one or two ways, of course. The first? Though not always aesthetically pleasing, the Aggies and Razorbacks have always produced thrilling finishes in Arlington. It's hard to believe that A&M has now rattled off eight straight wins versus an SEC foe (and the Hogs certainly weren't terrible under Brett Bielema). But of those eight wins, three have been decided in overtime and five have come down to the final possession. It's been the story of an SEC West rivalry that's been equal parts fun and frustrating, but at the end of the day, very fruitful for the Aggies. Did I say rivalry? Believe me, I know no one – myself included – in Maroon and White sees the Hogs as a rival. I imagine that's probably how LSU felt about Texas A&M prior to last season. However, one thing is clear every time the former SWC foes have met as members of the SEC: The Razorbacks want to beat the Aggies in the worst way imaginable, this year perhaps as much as ever.

All one had to do on Saturday was look across the field. An Aggie as the Hogs' head coach. A former A&M quarterback and tailback in the starting backfield. Former Kevin Sumlin assistants at defensive coordinator and in the secondary. Another assistant who has lobbied multiple times for a job in College Station but was passed over, instead opting to go nuclear on A&M as a Longhorn and Hog recruiter in East Texas. Heck, even the Razorbacks' recruiting coordinator is a former Sumlin staffer. All of that without mentioning how many Texas products are on the UA roster that weren't pursued by the Ags. Combine that with the fact that Arkansas was coming off of a humiliating home loss to San Jose State and you just knew that Fisher's squad was going to get whatever the Hogs' best shot would be on Saturday.

 

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

The Aggies appeared to have all of the momentum after Justin Madubuike came up with a big interception in the first half.

If we knew all of that, then you can bet the guys in the Bright Complex and the A&M locker room knew it too. Yet somehow, someway, the Aggies managed to play poorly enough to let the Hogs hang around. Playing against one of the two worst teams in the SEC, the Ags appeared poised to put Arkansas away early. Justin Madubuike picked off Nick Starkel in the end zone and ran right through the quarterback to punctuate an 18-yard return. With 5:36 remaining in the second quarter, the Ags had all of the momentum, had the ball up 14-3 and had just knocked Arkansas' starting quarterback out of the game. They were also getting the ball to open the third quarter and were looking at a best-case scenario of being up 24-3 or 28-3 early in the second half. That's what a great team would have done. Not even a great team, actually. That's what a team with a true killer instinct would have done. Finish off an inferior (yes, the Razorbacks are still inferior, regardless of how you're feeling about your Aggies today) opponent. Instead, the Ags fumble an exchange on the very next play and UA defensive back De'Jon Harris scoops up the ball and races into the end zone. Suddenly, it's 14-10 and everyone on the opposing sidelines believes.

The Ags then let the Hogs' backup quarterback catch fire and make one mistake after another (including a near-disaster when Kellen Mond threw an end zone interception with the Ags down 24-21 late in the third quarter) and allowed themselves to be pushed to the absolute brink – a fourth-and-five play from the 14-yard line in the final 30 seconds – before earning their first SEC win. Some would say the Ags stumbled their way to breaking even at 1-1 in league play, but the fact of the matter is that one was hard-earned. Anyone who has played in this rivalry in the past decade understands as much.

Still, no matter how physical the teams in the SEC (the West in particular) may be and no matter how tough running through the eight-game schedule is year in and year out, the fact is there is a beauty pageant of sorts being conducted each and every Saturday across the South. Really for all of college football, but because the SEC is so competitive (and how the top-tier seems to chew up and spit out pretenders), we're constantly spending Sunday and Monday trying to decipher 'what we learned' on a given weekend and attempting to evaluate which teams are getting better, which ones are getting worse and if anyone is making a move up or down the ladder.

After watching the Ags lose to Auburn last weekend, the nagging question had to do with whether A&M's struggles were more due to the fact that the Ags simply weren't a good football team at this point in the season or if they had just been measured against two of the best teams in college football. Well, Saturday was a mixed bag, as Clemson came within a failed (but gutsy) two-point conversion call by Mack Brown of losing to unranked (and recently toppled by Appalachian State) North Carolina, yet Auburn suddenly looked like a legitimate title contender. The Tigers absolutely crushed Mississippi State, at one point leading 49-9 early in the third quarter. When trying to pinpoint where the Ags stand in regards to their schedule moving forward, those results plus the fact that Arkansas and A&M always play down to the wire (even last year when the Hogs won all of two games and the Aggies eventually finished the season ranked in the top-15) would seem to paint a pretty cloudy picture. However, if you watched the 11 a.m. game at Jerryworld yesterday, you saw it plain as day. 

I could spend time breaking down the Ags' season-long performance and citing examples, but all you had to do was watch the Ags struggle with an overmatched Arkansas team on Saturday. The tape and numbers speak for themselves.

As we approach the midpoint of the 2019 season, the Aggies are not a very good football team. Too many missed opportunities in the passing game, too many personal fouls and pre-snap penalties, not enough big-play threats on either side of the ball, no pass rush, not near enough toughness in the trenches (by SEC standards) and no running game to speak of. I could spend time breaking down the Ags' season-long performance and citing examples, but all you had to do was watch the Ags struggle with an overmatched Arkansas team on Saturday. The tape and numbers speak for themselves.

Four sacks allowed. Just two sacks on 44 Razorback pass attempts and very little pressure through three-plus quarters of action. A backup quarterback who lost his job and hasn't played in three weeks steps in and goes 15 for 27 for 188 yards in just over a half. One forced turnover against a team that coughed it up five times against San Jose State a week earlier. Minus quarterback scrambles, just 89 rushing yards on 33 attempts against a defense that saw an Ole Miss tailback rumble for 143 yards and a Colorado State back approach 200 on it earlier this month. An inexcusable turnover in each red zone that led to as much as a 14-point swing. That's just off the top of my head. I realize the list is longer, but you get the drift.

Forget the big picture for this week...that's where we would have been forced to go had the Hogs covered that final fourteen yards on Saturday. It wasn't a pleasant thought as the Aggies fought like hell to keep that from happening. Because they did fight to the finish, Fisher and the Aggies avoided a potentially catastrophic setback. Though it may not have felt like it for the Maroon-clad fans walking out of Jerryworld, the guys in the winning locker room were in a celebratory mood (and thank the football gods we don't have to see Morris and his social media blitzers flood us with 'Club Dub' clips today and throughout the week). That doesn't mean the Aggies should waltz into the bye week thinking they've suddenly figured things out. No, it was probably equal parts relief and just a moment to exhale and enjoy an SEC win at the end of what's been a trying opening month of the '19 campaign.

And, folks, that bye week could not have come at a better time. Fisher, his staff and his players are still in the process of trying to put together four good quarters of football, which is something they've yet to do this season. Just as important as that, this is a squad clearly in search of an identity and any sort of confidence or edge. It's something that occurred to me last week when watching the Ags struggle to find answers in a game that they could have hung around in against Auburn, and then it became painfully obvious on Saturday under the big hanging screen. I also thought about it when talking to last year's breakout Aggie star, Jace Sternberger, who was in town to take in the game after his Green Bay Packers played on Thursday night.

 

Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs

The Aggies lost 10 players to the NFL, including offensive talents Trayveon Williams and Erik McCoy.

The Ags lost ten players to the NFL following last season, and as I stated last week, probably six of their top seven players on defense and their three best players on offense. That happens across the SEC year in and year out, but it's a lot tougher when you're entering year two of a new coach's tenure, doing it with five seniors on the roster and facing the toughest schedule college football has seen in recent memory. In order to overcome, strong leaders must emerge, and it helps to have big personalities in the locker room. Sternberger, Cullen Gillaspia, Erik McCoy, Trayveon Williams, Otaro Alaka, Kingsley Keke...the list goes on. Those are the guys who left, and that void has not been filled.

Fans and SEC/national media alike (we at TexAgs included) clearly missed the mark when assuming the Ags' 2018 finish would lead to a smooth transition into 2019, especially considering the schedule. Fisher entered year two with a very unusual roster void, one that's led to just two seniors starting and a true freshman class that appears to feature more talent than a good chunk of the veteran group. It's a tough situation that the coaches and players are currently having to navigate, and it certainly explains why the Aggies are struggling to put it together.

What it doesn't excuse, however, is the Ags requiring a great escape to avoid losing to the SEC's most downtrodden program. While Jimbo's hands are at least somewhat tied when it comes to things like the personality, leadership and (to some degree) the makeup of his team, he and his staff can control some of what we're seeing on the field. For example, Fisher and Darrell Dickey added a little more in the way of designed runs for Kellen Mond this week, which was effective. Ainias Smith saw legitimate playing time for the first time in an SEC game, and truth be told, the Aggies wouldn’t have won that game without him.

The Ags have a long way to go in terms of 'home improvements' between now and not only Alabama (so much for the Tide looking 'beatable' after watching Tua and his receivers go on an absolute tear the past couple of weeks), but also the rest of the conference schedule. For the head man, it has to start with figuring out how to push through whatever slight changes he and the A&M staff can in hopes that the aggregate result is a noticeably-improved football team. After back-to-back West losses on the road last fall, Fisher pushed all the right buttons and the Aggies finished the season playing their best ball. That was on the strength of a lot of seniors and some draft-eligible juniors who made the leap to the NFL. Because of that and the simple fact that (though the record is the same) the Ags haven't played nearly as well through five games in 2019 as they did last fall, it'll be much tougher for Jimbo in Act II.

 

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

The A&M offensive line has struggled in both run and pass blocking through five games in 2019.

After watching the Ags through a half-season, I think it's fair to say that this team's single-biggest issue may very well be a lack of blocking. Kellen Mond has been far from perfect, but he and the receivers certainly haven't been bad in the Ags' first two SEC games. Defensively, A&M's showing on Saturday left a lot to be desired, but the unit has still allowed just 24 to Clemson, held Auburn under 30 and gave up 20 to Arkansas on Saturday. Mike Elko's unit hasn't been great but has played well enough to give the team a chance to win. Special teams? Not airtight, but a liability only once in five games. Eliminate the unforced penalties (pre-snap and personal fouls) and get better up front and this team looks a hell of a lot different. Easier said than done, I know. That's especially true when you understand that the Ags have six legitimate options along the o-line at this point in time.

On Saturday, a veteran group of blockers was embarrassed by an Arkansas defense that hasn't been overly impressive at any point this season. Mond was sacked four times and the A&M running game was completely shut down. In three games against P5 opposition, the Ags have averaged less than 70 yards per game on the ground. We're talking about an unacceptable lack of production that is essentially choking off every aspect of the A&M offense. Mond is landing in far too many third-and-longs as Fisher continues to hammer away at developing a competent ground game, and the quarterback either doesn't have time to throw or is anticipating the pressure even when it's not there. The lack of establishing anything on the ground is also leading to stretches of quick possessions that are forcing more snaps out of the Aggie defense. Add it all up and what do you get? The system that worked so well for the A&M offense last fall (hell, against Arkansas, Trayveon Williams ran for 159 yards and two TDs on around 30 carries) is broken, and it starts with the front five plus tight ends and the blocking backs. 

Without a significant improvement in that department, the Ags' offensive prospects look bleak. That's why, with two weeks between games, I'd be surprised if we didn't at least see a slight shake-up in the trenches. Not many options, but Kenyon Green has struggled at guard and is probably the team's most gifted tackle, and it's not like the Ags are getting dominant efforts from either Dan Moore (who might be a guard at the next level) or Carson Green on the edges. There's also Ryan McCollum – we saw a lot of the veteran at guard on Saturday, but he can also play center if Fisher and Josh Henson believe improving in the middle is a priority. No matter which direction they go, it's hard to imagine looking at the current product and thinking "this will work."

Again, it's about improving each and every week, and if the Aggies can't run the football against the likes of Arkansas, their chances of beating the better teams on the schedule are zero. Mond's much-needed growth and progress will be stunted and even the games against lesser SEC teams become coin flips at best. It's the single-most glaring issue in need of addressing during the bye week. Another point of emphasis is what has been a largely non-existent pass rush. The Ags have managed just 8 sacks in 5 five games. Perhaps seeing more DeMarvin Leal could help, but outside of that, it's going to take Elko walking that fine line between getting more aggressive with his pressures and putting his back seven at risk.

There are no easy answers for Fisher and Co., which is why the bye is falling at the perfect time.

The goal will always be to win every game, starting two Saturdays from now against the newly minted No. 1 Crimson Tide. However, a look at the remaining schedule and the way the Ags have performed through five games makes going .500 in conference (in what suddenly feels like a rebuilding campaign) and winning a bowl game seem like more realistic expectations. The Aggies will have to make significant strides between now and Thanksgiving to achieve even those far more modest goals, something Fisher and his players clearly realize based on the post-game commentary. Do that, continue to recruit at a top-10 level (which would have been a hell of a lot more challenging with a loss to Arkansas) and return as many as 20 starters in 2020. Those who improve return a year older, wiser and presumably better, and those who don't get passed up by what will be a loaded group of second-year men from the '19 class and perhaps even a true freshman or two. It's the type of experience mixed with competition that seems to be one of the biggest missing pieces today, but how the Aggies get there will be telling.

There are no easy answers for Fisher and Co., which is why the bye is falling at the perfect time. It's also falling after a last-minute win, so yes, the Ags did walk out of AT&T Stadium with something to hang their Cowboy hats on, and they (hopefully) have more to build on than we think.

 

 

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Johnny Sack

Johnny Sack 8,397

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28 minutes ago, Lobwedgephil said:
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Cover Story: Bye week coming at the perfect time for the Aggies

By Billy Liucci

September 29, 2019

 

It's not a myth. The 'SEC Grind' is a very real thing. It's a real thing that's very difficult to explain to those who haven't seen it from both inside and out. It's something I've discussed candidly off the record and also on the radio or during interviews with former coaches and even transfers like Trevor Knight, Trevor Wood, Jace Sternberger, Brandon Williams and others. To a man, they'll tell you that navigating your way through three, four, five weeks of what amounts to a physical and mental war of attrition is, year in and year out, the most daunting and taxing gauntlet in college football. Eight conference games be damned, there really is nothing close. Even in a season in which the bottom half of the league is as weak as it's been since the Aggies' first year as members, what the national talking heads who stumble all over themselves to prop up conferences like the Big Ten, ACC and even the Big 12 conveniently fail to point out is that 'top heavy' means that the Southeastern Conference boasts five of the nation's top-10 ranked teams. Four legitimate national title contenders have emerged as the college football season rapidly approaches its halfway point.

Unfortunately, Texas A&M is not a part of that group. At this point in the season, they don't appear close. Instead, the Aggies have taken a temporary step back to the middle of a crowded pack. Rather than jockeying with the likes of Auburn, LSU and Florida for positioning as a challenger to Alabama and Georgia, Jimbo Fisher's group is more likely to battle it out with Mississippi State, South Carolina and Missouri for bowl positioning. 

 

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas came within a few plays of beating the Aggies at AT&T Stadium.

For as difficult and undeniable as the SEC grind is, playing Arkansas the past couple of seasons in a neutral site game is one of the few outliers. The Hogs went 2-10 last fall and might finish 3-9 this go-round. The Chad Morris experiment is beginning to look like an absolute disaster in Fayetteville; the former SMU head coach has started his Arkansas tenure by going 0-16 in his first two runs through the aforementioned gauntlet. Yet those same Razorbacks – the team that dropped a home game to San Jose State just one week earlier – pushed the Aggies to the brink at Jerryworld yesterday. An overwhelming 23-point favorite coming in, A&M appeared on the ropes right up until Buddy Johnson broke up a fourth-down pass inside the 10-yard line to secure a 31-27 win.

You can look at this one or two ways, of course. The first? Though not always aesthetically pleasing, the Aggies and Razorbacks have always produced thrilling finishes in Arlington. It's hard to believe that A&M has now rattled off eight straight wins versus an SEC foe (and the Hogs certainly weren't terrible under Brett Bielema). But of those eight wins, three have been decided in overtime and five have come down to the final possession. It's been the story of an SEC West rivalry that's been equal parts fun and frustrating, but at the end of the day, very fruitful for the Aggies. Did I say rivalry? Believe me, I know no one – myself included – in Maroon and White sees the Hogs as a rival. I imagine that's probably how LSU felt about Texas A&M prior to last season. However, one thing is clear every time the former SWC foes have met as members of the SEC: The Razorbacks want to beat the Aggies in the worst way imaginable, this year perhaps as much as ever.

All one had to do on Saturday was look across the field. An Aggie as the Hogs' head coach. A former A&M quarterback and tailback in the starting backfield. Former Kevin Sumlin assistants at defensive coordinator and in the secondary. Another assistant who has lobbied multiple times for a job in College Station but was passed over, instead opting to go nuclear on A&M as a Longhorn and Hog recruiter in East Texas. Heck, even the Razorbacks' recruiting coordinator is a former Sumlin staffer. All of that without mentioning how many Texas products are on the UA roster that weren't pursued by the Ags. Combine that with the fact that Arkansas was coming off of a humiliating home loss to San Jose State and you just knew that Fisher's squad was going to get whatever the Hogs' best shot would be on Saturday.

 

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

The Aggies appeared to have all of the momentum after Justin Madubuike came up with a big interception in the first half.

If we knew all of that, then you can bet the guys in the Bright Complex and the A&M locker room knew it too. Yet somehow, someway, the Aggies managed to play poorly enough to let the Hogs hang around. Playing against one of the two worst teams in the SEC, the Ags appeared poised to put Arkansas away early. Justin Madubuike picked off Nick Starkel in the end zone and ran right through the quarterback to punctuate an 18-yard return. With 5:36 remaining in the second quarter, the Ags had all of the momentum, had the ball up 14-3 and had just knocked Arkansas' starting quarterback out of the game. They were also getting the ball to open the third quarter and were looking at a best-case scenario of being up 24-3 or 28-3 early in the second half. That's what a great team would have done. Not even a great team, actually. That's what a team with a true killer instinct would have done. Finish off an inferior (yes, the Razorbacks are still inferior, regardless of how you're feeling about your Aggies today) opponent. Instead, the Ags fumble an exchange on the very next play and UA defensive back De'Jon Harris scoops up the ball and races into the end zone. Suddenly, it's 14-10 and everyone on the opposing sidelines believes.

The Ags then let the Hogs' backup quarterback catch fire and make one mistake after another (including a near-disaster when Kellen Mond threw an end zone interception with the Ags down 24-21 late in the third quarter) and allowed themselves to be pushed to the absolute brink – a fourth-and-five play from the 14-yard line in the final 30 seconds – before earning their first SEC win. Some would say the Ags stumbled their way to breaking even at 1-1 in league play, but the fact of the matter is that one was hard-earned. Anyone who has played in this rivalry in the past decade understands as much.

Still, no matter how physical the teams in the SEC (the West in particular) may be and no matter how tough running through the eight-game schedule is year in and year out, the fact is there is a beauty pageant of sorts being conducted each and every Saturday across the South. Really for all of college football, but because the SEC is so competitive (and how the top-tier seems to chew up and spit out pretenders), we're constantly spending Sunday and Monday trying to decipher 'what we learned' on a given weekend and attempting to evaluate which teams are getting better, which ones are getting worse and if anyone is making a move up or down the ladder.

After watching the Ags lose to Auburn last weekend, the nagging question had to do with whether A&M's struggles were more due to the fact that the Ags simply weren't a good football team at this point in the season or if they had just been measured against two of the best teams in college football. Well, Saturday was a mixed bag, as Clemson came within a failed (but gutsy) two-point conversion call by Mack Brown of losing to unranked (and recently toppled by Appalachian State) North Carolina, yet Auburn suddenly looked like a legitimate title contender. The Tigers absolutely crushed Mississippi State, at one point leading 49-9 early in the third quarter. When trying to pinpoint where the Ags stand in regards to their schedule moving forward, those results plus the fact that Arkansas and A&M always play down to the wire (even last year when the Hogs won all of two games and the Aggies eventually finished the season ranked in the top-15) would seem to paint a pretty cloudy picture. However, if you watched the 11 a.m. game at Jerryworld yesterday, you saw it plain as day. 

I could spend time breaking down the Ags' season-long performance and citing examples, but all you had to do was watch the Ags struggle with an overmatched Arkansas team on Saturday. The tape and numbers speak for themselves.

As we approach the midpoint of the 2019 season, the Aggies are not a very good football team. Too many missed opportunities in the passing game, too many personal fouls and pre-snap penalties, not enough big-play threats on either side of the ball, no pass rush, not near enough toughness in the trenches (by SEC standards) and no running game to speak of. I could spend time breaking down the Ags' season-long performance and citing examples, but all you had to do was watch the Ags struggle with an overmatched Arkansas team on Saturday. The tape and numbers speak for themselves.

Four sacks allowed. Just two sacks on 44 Razorback pass attempts and very little pressure through three-plus quarters of action. A backup quarterback who lost his job and hasn't played in three weeks steps in and goes 15 for 27 for 188 yards in just over a half. One forced turnover against a team that coughed it up five times against San Jose State a week earlier. Minus quarterback scrambles, just 89 rushing yards on 33 attempts against a defense that saw an Ole Miss tailback rumble for 143 yards and a Colorado State back approach 200 on it earlier this month. An inexcusable turnover in each red zone that led to as much as a 14-point swing. That's just off the top of my head. I realize the list is longer, but you get the drift.

Forget the big picture for this week...that's where we would have been forced to go had the Hogs covered that final fourteen yards on Saturday. It wasn't a pleasant thought as the Aggies fought like hell to keep that from happening. Because they did fight to the finish, Fisher and the Aggies avoided a potentially catastrophic setback. Though it may not have felt like it for the Maroon-clad fans walking out of Jerryworld, the guys in the winning locker room were in a celebratory mood (and thank the football gods we don't have to see Morris and his social media blitzers flood us with 'Club Dub' clips today and throughout the week). That doesn't mean the Aggies should waltz into the bye week thinking they've suddenly figured things out. No, it was probably equal parts relief and just a moment to exhale and enjoy an SEC win at the end of what's been a trying opening month of the '19 campaign.

And, folks, that bye week could not have come at a better time. Fisher, his staff and his players are still in the process of trying to put together four good quarters of football, which is something they've yet to do this season. Just as important as that, this is a squad clearly in search of an identity and any sort of confidence or edge. It's something that occurred to me last week when watching the Ags struggle to find answers in a game that they could have hung around in against Auburn, and then it became painfully obvious on Saturday under the big hanging screen. I also thought about it when talking to last year's breakout Aggie star, Jace Sternberger, who was in town to take in the game after his Green Bay Packers played on Thursday night.

 

Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs

The Aggies lost 10 players to the NFL, including offensive talents Trayveon Williams and Erik McCoy.

The Ags lost ten players to the NFL following last season, and as I stated last week, probably six of their top seven players on defense and their three best players on offense. That happens across the SEC year in and year out, but it's a lot tougher when you're entering year two of a new coach's tenure, doing it with five seniors on the roster and facing the toughest schedule college football has seen in recent memory. In order to overcome, strong leaders must emerge, and it helps to have big personalities in the locker room. Sternberger, Cullen Gillaspia, Erik McCoy, Trayveon Williams, Otaro Alaka, Kingsley Keke...the list goes on. Those are the guys who left, and that void has not been filled.

Fans and SEC/national media alike (we at TexAgs included) clearly missed the mark when assuming the Ags' 2018 finish would lead to a smooth transition into 2019, especially considering the schedule. Fisher entered year two with a very unusual roster void, one that's led to just two seniors starting and a true freshman class that appears to feature more talent than a good chunk of the veteran group. It's a tough situation that the coaches and players are currently having to navigate, and it certainly explains why the Aggies are struggling to put it together.

What it doesn't excuse, however, is the Ags requiring a great escape to avoid losing to the SEC's most downtrodden program. While Jimbo's hands are at least somewhat tied when it comes to things like the personality, leadership and (to some degree) the makeup of his team, he and his staff can control some of what we're seeing on the field. For example, Fisher and Darrell Dickey added a little more in the way of designed runs for Kellen Mond this week, which was effective. Ainias Smith saw legitimate playing time for the first time in an SEC game, and truth be told, the Aggies wouldn’t have won that game without him.

The Ags have a long way to go in terms of 'home improvements' between now and not only Alabama (so much for the Tide looking 'beatable' after watching Tua and his receivers go on an absolute tear the past couple of weeks), but also the rest of the conference schedule. For the head man, it has to start with figuring out how to push through whatever slight changes he and the A&M staff can in hopes that the aggregate result is a noticeably-improved football team. After back-to-back West losses on the road last fall, Fisher pushed all the right buttons and the Aggies finished the season playing their best ball. That was on the strength of a lot of seniors and some draft-eligible juniors who made the leap to the NFL. Because of that and the simple fact that (though the record is the same) the Ags haven't played nearly as well through five games in 2019 as they did last fall, it'll be much tougher for Jimbo in Act II.

 

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

The A&M offensive line has struggled in both run and pass blocking through five games in 2019.

After watching the Ags through a half-season, I think it's fair to say that this team's single-biggest issue may very well be a lack of blocking. Kellen Mond has been far from perfect, but he and the receivers certainly haven't been bad in the Ags' first two SEC games. Defensively, A&M's showing on Saturday left a lot to be desired, but the unit has still allowed just 24 to Clemson, held Auburn under 30 and gave up 20 to Arkansas on Saturday. Mike Elko's unit hasn't been great but has played well enough to give the team a chance to win. Special teams? Not airtight, but a liability only once in five games. Eliminate the unforced penalties (pre-snap and personal fouls) and get better up front and this team looks a hell of a lot different. Easier said than done, I know. That's especially true when you understand that the Ags have six legitimate options along the o-line at this point in time.

On Saturday, a veteran group of blockers was embarrassed by an Arkansas defense that hasn't been overly impressive at any point this season. Mond was sacked four times and the A&M running game was completely shut down. In three games against P5 opposition, the Ags have averaged less than 70 yards per game on the ground. We're talking about an unacceptable lack of production that is essentially choking off every aspect of the A&M offense. Mond is landing in far too many third-and-longs as Fisher continues to hammer away at developing a competent ground game, and the quarterback either doesn't have time to throw or is anticipating the pressure even when it's not there. The lack of establishing anything on the ground is also leading to stretches of quick possessions that are forcing more snaps out of the Aggie defense. Add it all up and what do you get? The system that worked so well for the A&M offense last fall (hell, against Arkansas, Trayveon Williams ran for 159 yards and two TDs on around 30 carries) is broken, and it starts with the front five plus tight ends and the blocking backs. 

Without a significant improvement in that department, the Ags' offensive prospects look bleak. That's why, with two weeks between games, I'd be surprised if we didn't at least see a slight shake-up in the trenches. Not many options, but Kenyon Green has struggled at guard and is probably the team's most gifted tackle, and it's not like the Ags are getting dominant efforts from either Dan Moore (who might be a guard at the next level) or Carson Green on the edges. There's also Ryan McCollum – we saw a lot of the veteran at guard on Saturday, but he can also play center if Fisher and Josh Henson believe improving in the middle is a priority. No matter which direction they go, it's hard to imagine looking at the current product and thinking "this will work."

Again, it's about improving each and every week, and if the Aggies can't run the football against the likes of Arkansas, their chances of beating the better teams on the schedule are zero. Mond's much-needed growth and progress will be stunted and even the games against lesser SEC teams become coin flips at best. It's the single-most glaring issue in need of addressing during the bye week. Another point of emphasis is what has been a largely non-existent pass rush. The Ags have managed just 8 sacks in 5 five games. Perhaps seeing more DeMarvin Leal could help, but outside of that, it's going to take Elko walking that fine line between getting more aggressive with his pressures and putting his back seven at risk.

There are no easy answers for Fisher and Co., which is why the bye is falling at the perfect time.

The goal will always be to win every game, starting two Saturdays from now against the newly minted No. 1 Crimson Tide. However, a look at the remaining schedule and the way the Ags have performed through five games makes going .500 in conference (in what suddenly feels like a rebuilding campaign) and winning a bowl game seem like more realistic expectations. The Aggies will have to make significant strides between now and Thanksgiving to achieve even those far more modest goals, something Fisher and his players clearly realize based on the post-game commentary. Do that, continue to recruit at a top-10 level (which would have been a hell of a lot more challenging with a loss to Arkansas) and return as many as 20 starters in 2020. Those who improve return a year older, wiser and presumably better, and those who don't get passed up by what will be a loaded group of second-year men from the '19 class and perhaps even a true freshman or two. It's the type of experience mixed with competition that seems to be one of the biggest missing pieces today, but how the Aggies get there will be telling.

There are no easy answers for Fisher and Co., which is why the bye is falling at the perfect time. It's also falling after a last-minute win, so yes, the Ags did walk out of AT&T Stadium with something to hang their Cowboy hats on, and they (hopefully) have more to build on than we think.

 

 

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Goodman

Goodman 3,280

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6 minutes ago, Spider2YBanana said:

That is just enough to keep my high going. Sec grind, not bad under Brett B, perfect bye week, etc. The gift that keeps on giving. 

Don't forget the best, "they want to beat us so bad" vs. just wanting to beat the shit out of any opponent. 

Also, admitting piggy is their new rival. 

Edited by Goodman
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