Negative Recruiting Your Own School: The aggy Screenshot Megathread

RomaVicta · September 1

1 hour ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

They are becoming sentient ...

Billy will invite them to the TexAgs office and beat the sentience right out of them.

BornAndRaised · September 1

Not a Sock · September 1

1 hour ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

Howell and Braun actually have a point here, but in typical aggy fashion fail to see how it fits into the bigger picture of how to turn around a program. They point out that Sark and Texas had disastrous first season, but unlike them Sark and Texas acknowledged that Texas was in a rebuild mode and not ready for the SEC and we got clowned for it. But by admitting that, Sark could be honest about recruiting and the roster and more importantly we could set proper expectations which allowed Texas to show incremental growth. From getting blown out by pig, to taking bama to the wire and then finally beating bama on the road and making the Playoff and getting the kind of praise and recognition the aggies so desperately crave. The irony of Texags making these points when they are the primary driver of the narrative that A&M is just shy of their goals of being an elite program if it weren't for this one missing ingredient is so amusing, when it blows up in their face and they start the cycle all over again.

HoustonHorn · September 1

Also having "your stoner QB be awestruck by a magic trick" entering aggie lore is wild, they really are that meme of Iraqi information minister Liucci. I follow them as close as anyone can without giving them cent and that was never in my Bingo card, it would take me centuries to dream that up.

Even better is that it's because he talks like a black person and black people have a culture of being awestruck by magic tricks (read: dumb). And being stoners. It's fucking amazing to read.

Longhornfrenzy · September 1

Liucci with a lot of words

Saturday's pre-game build-up checked every box imaginable.

The 12th Man and the Fighting Irish.

The return of “Power.”

Johnny f'ing Football and Nick Saban. Sports celebrities dotting the sidelines.

Mike Elko leading the Aggies into battle for the first time.

With 107k packed into Kyle Field under the glare of the national spotlight, the stage was set for an epic night in College Station.

College football, the greatest sport in the country, is the pageantry, the tortuous offseason build-up and the realization that an entire season oftentimes feels like it hinges on a single game.

That's what makes opening a season and, in this case, a new coaching tenure, with a premier opponent equal parts special and stressful.

On Saturday night, as Notre Dame calmly marched 85 yards down the field for the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Aggies and Irish alike felt like the 2024 campaign was hanging in the balance less than sixty minutes into a 12-game season.

Unfortunately, the Aggies weren't quite ready for primetime, as Marcus Freeman, Riley Leonard and a terrific Irish defense proved a little too much during a “gut check” closing stretch.

That, my friends, is why TexAgs and social media were on fire into the wee hours and why Notre Dame fans are likely breaking down what already looks like a clear path to the new 12-team playoff over Sunday brunch in South Bend.

Unfortunately, the Aggies weren't quite ready for primetime, as Marcus Freeman, Riley Leonard and a terrific Irish defense proved a little too much during a “gut check” closing stretch. This should be a tough one for A&M fans — and, more importantly, the coaches and players in Bright — to process on the day after. In talking to folks both last night and already today, the overwhelming sentiment is “same song, different verse” and “here we go again.”

Emotionally speaking, I get it.

The offense and quarterback struggled to move the ball and produce points, and the Aggies dropped a very winnable big game, failing to capitalize on a golden opportunity. Despite losing the turnover battle 2-0 and not being able to generate anything in the passing game, the A&M defense took the field with 6:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, needing a stop to get the ball back and win the game. When the Ags are that close to securing a top-10 win to open not only the season but the Elko Era and can't get it done, every mistake and shortcoming is magnified, and the frustration is understandably much higher than after a run-of-the-mill A&M loss.

We all know what the Ags left on the field last night, and no one understands that as much as the guys in the losing locker room.

Had Conner Weigman hit Noah Thomas for a chunk gain past the A&M 40-yard line instead of sailing a throw that was picked off, do the Ags finish that drive out and go up 13-3 instead of watching the Irish tie it at 6-6? The Aggies were also on the move just before the break, but a second drive stalled in Irish territory following Weigman's uncharacteristic second interception.

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Not entirely impressive, Riley Leonard passed for just 158 yards and no touchdowns. He rushed for 63 yards.

And the play of the game may have come when the Ags had the visitors right where they wanted them.

With the game tied 13-13, Notre Dame took over deep in their own territory with under seven minutes remaining. A quick stop and the Aggie offense would take over in great field position, needing only a field goal to win it. The Irish were staring at a third-and-5 from their own 20-yard line, backed up in the deafening north end zone. The Ags had the defense on the field, needing a third-down stop (Notre Dame was just 2-for-10 on third downs, mind you) with the game hanging in the balance. It's exactly what Elko and everyone in that stadium wanted. And then Leonard converted, and then he hit Beaux Collins for a 20-yard gain on the visiting sideline. Then a few plays later, Jeremiyah Love burst into the end zone from 18 yards out, and the Aggies went from being in an excellent position to win the game to needing a small miracle.

That's how close this one was...but it was also clear that Notre Dame was the better team (albeit very slightly) down the stretch.

For the most part, Saturday night’s tug-of-war went pretty much as planned.

As August drew to a close, this game had all the makings of a 23-20 or 20-17 type of affair, hence the 2.5-point line and O/U sitting somewhere around 43 points. I don't think Elko or Freeman would have offered much disagreement if you had told them the first one to 20 on Saturday would win.

With the strength of both teams weighted heavily towards defense, a new OC on each sideline, one quarterback coming back from a season-ending injury and the other playing his first game in a new program, a 13-13 game in the fourth quarter could have been predicted.

What wasn't expected is what has many wringing their hands while taking a peek at the SEC schedule.

Weigman went just 12-for-30 for a mere 100 yards and two interceptions without a touchdown. The junior gunslinger was inaccurate down the field and looked very flustered by Freeman's man-heavy defense. In addition to turning the ball over, Weigman had a chance to shake off a bad night by leading the Ags down the field to tie the score in the final minutes. Instead, he threw three incompletions on four downs as Notre Dame sealed the win.

That's not the Weigman we expected to see in 2024, nor is it the quarterback so many NFL scouts believed they'd seen on tape.

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

According to Pro Football Focus, Conner Weigman’s passing grade vs. Notre Dame was a lackluster 28.0.

Defensively, the Aggie defensive line played well for most of the game, but some long runs and Leonard knifing through creases on key downs resulted in nearly 200 rushing yards allowed. Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock also called a good game and kept his new quarterback from holding on to the ball too long, which resulted in the Ags not producing a single sack.

Long story short, the Aggies needed a lot to go right to knock off a top-10 opponent in the season-opener, but two things I felt very confident about going in (and for good reason) would've been a strong showing from Weigman and the Aggie defense being stellar against the run while putting real heat on Leonard in his first Irish start. That's certainly something Elko, Klein and Jay Bateman are probably taking a very deep dive into as we speak.

The fact is, if the Aggies are going to win more games than they lose in the SEC this year, it's going to come on the strength of quality play under center and with the Maroon & White fielding one of the better defenses in the league.

You're just not going to win many games by turning the ball over and allowing nearly 200 yards on the ground.

That's especially true when facing a top-10 foe.

Make no mistake about it: The Irish are a legitimate top-10 squad in year three under Freeman. They're also on the fast track to the CFP, thanks to a schedule that looks as easy as any in the country from here on out.

I realize Notre Dame doesn't play in the Southeastern Conference and get the feeling that's adding to the frustration levels following last night's outcome, but there are a couple of points that should be talked about when it comes to the Ags' season-opening combatant.

The first is that Notre Dame is a top-10 squad led by a great defense and an experienced, poised and fleet-footed QB. The second has to do with the fact that the defense that the Aggies faced last night will probably be the best they see all season. Texas could be the only exception in the season finale, but the Longhorns lost a lot of off last year's unit and were generally untested by Colorado State on Saturday. Either way, the Irish are elite on that side of the ball, led by a pair of defensive backs and an interior defender who should probably be preparing for their first NFL action next Sunday. Look, the Irish aren't vintage Alabama or Georgia or any of the vintage LSU defenses (or even Clemson in '18 and '19) that the Ags have faced since joining the SEC, but they're a loaded, veteran-led unit that is going to rank among the nation's very best this fall. The fact that A&M and Weigman struggled against a group that had eventual No. 1 pick and Heisman winner Caleb Williams in virtual hell (sorry, Touchdown Jesus) for four quarters last year isn't shocking, but it was also obvious that Weigman and his receivers have a long way to go.

Klein understands that the Aggies can't simply write this one off to facing a top-tier defense. As Elko said, they'll have to find ways to get Weigman more comfortable within the offense and get more creative when it comes to getting receivers open.

Klein understands that the Aggies can't simply write this one off to facing a top-tier defense. As Elko said, they'll have to find ways to get Weigman more comfortable within the offense and get more creative when it comes to getting receivers open. That's just the reality around here until members of the Aggie pass-catching corps prove they can get separation against higher-level secondaries like Notre Dame. Based on his track record, there's no reason to expect anything less than the first-year A&M offensive coordinator using the next few weeks — against McNeese, a Florida defense that allowed 41 to Miami on Saturday and Bowling Green to begin to sort things out and get the Aggies right.

And just in case anyone didn't notice, the Ags did look much better up front than they have against a solid to great defense at any point since the 2020 season (save maybe the 2021 Alabama or 2022 LSU upsets). If there was a silver lining on Saturday night, that certainly was it.

Am I concerned following the Ags' season-opening setback?

Sure, but the fact of the matter is that the Aggies faced a top-10 team in Elko's first game as Texas A&M's head coach, the first game of a new offense, a new defense and a quarterback who hadn't taken the field in 11 months. The hope was that it would all come together immediately, but the reality is that wasn't going to be the case. That didn't mean the Ags couldn't beat Notre Dame because we all know after watching things play out that they very well could have.

Elko and the Aggies had a chance to make a resounding season-opening statement on Saturday night, but instead, it was Freeman and the Fighting Irish who spoke most loudly when the game was on the line. Scoring a top-10 win in your first game anywhere — including A&M — is a pretty damn tall task.

While we can and should (and will) break down all of the areas that kept that from happening, it's important that Aggie fans understand that the new boss got here tasked with reversing a trend that had the Ags playing below .500 ball over the past two seasons. As much as we want it to, it's not going to happen overnight.

But it almost did, which is where the frustration lies.

It's funny because I spent much of the game watching alongside comedian Shane Gillis. He's as knowledgeable a Notre Dame fan as we are when it comes to our Aggies. For most of the four quarters, we laughed about how much each team needed the win and how both programs have struggled to win the true spotlight games like the one we were watching. He compared it to another game he was at a year ago at this exact time when Freeman's Irish lost a heartbreaker to Ohio State in South Bend. The Irish got better as the season progressed and, this time around, broke through.

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday represented Mike Elko’s first game as the head coach at Texas A&M. He now owns a 16-10 record between his time at Duke and Aggieland.

Turn the corner and breakthrough.

That's the same thing the Aggies did following “marquee” early losses in 1998, 2012 and 2020. I realize those are A&M's three best seasons in the last 30 years, but you could also include a more modest example of which Elko was a part. That was Jimbo Fisher's first season when a gut-wrenching Week 2 loss to Clemson was part of a very solid 9-4 opening act.

Way too many examples from other power programs in recent seasons on both sides, from Brian Kelly winning the SEC West at LSU (despite losing the opener to FSU) to the likes of Steve Sarkisian, Brent Venables and Josh Heupel combining to finish right around .500 in their first years in Austin, Norman and Knoxville.

What does it all mean?

It means this season has only just gotten started, and Elko and his staff now have game tape — good and bad — to examine. The Ags' next chance to “breakthrough” will likely come next month vs. an unbeaten and top-10 Missouri team, but until then, they'll have to improve enough to go win at The Swamp and in Arlington against Arkansas in a couple of have-to-have-it SEC games with McNeese State and Bowling Green as important tune-ups mixed in.

How Elko's first season in Aggieland is ultimately judged isn't going to be based solely on any one game. Not the first and not even that last one.

And had the Aggies won the final five minutes last night at Kyle Field, the same thing would ring true today.

That's how fine the margins can be and probably will be several more times this fall.

What we'd be saying (as would Elko) is there is still plenty of work to be done and weaknesses/flaws to address, but the Ags at least showed they're learning how to win. We'll see if they show the same resilience that last year's Irish and a few memorable A&M teams have shown in the past.

It's a long season, and the safe money is on the Ags showing steady September improvement.

As such, it will be fascinating to see what last night's season-opening result looks like for both teams sometime around late November

Gut Wagon · September 1

11 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

Howell and Braun actually have a point here, but in typical aggy fashion fail to see how it fits into the bigger picture of how to turn around a program. They point out that Sark and Texas had disastrous first season, but unlike them Sark and Texas acknowledged that Texas was in a rebuild mode and not ready for the SEC and we got clowned for it. But by admitting that, Sark could be honest about recruiting and the roster and more importantly we could set proper expectations which allowed Texas to show incremental growth. From getting blown out by pig, to taking bama to the wire and then finally beating bama on the road and making the Playoff and getting the kind of praise and recognition the aggies so desperately crave. The irony of Texags making these points when they are the primary driver of the narrative that A&M is just shy of their goals of being an elite program if it weren't for this one missing ingredient is so amusing, when it blows up in their face and they start the cycle all over again.

Swaying lines of hicks, Third Reich milkmen and autoerotic cadets win no football games. Elite athletic talent and coaching do. Aggy can continue their bizarre madness from now on and it won't win them a single "natty." But let them think they just need to keep squeezing.

Elmer_Fudd · September 1

That's a lot of words from Looch to basically say "moral victory".

billfromlaketravis · September 1

Which surly poster is this?

Doc Daneeka · September 1

“If A&M had made plays, it would’ve been a different game.”

Butch Had Not · September 1

31 minutes ago, BornAndRaised said:

Someone needs to tweet the Umass game photo to this idiot.

Doc Daneeka · September 1

4 minutes ago, Butch Had Not said:

Someone needs to tweet the Umass game photo to this idiot.

Tried. He’s turned off replies.

Edited September 1 by Doc Daneeka

Wishbone · September 1

14 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

“If A&M had made plays, it would’ve been a different game.”

Yeah, “if we were any good it would have been a completely different outcome”

BurntEyes · September 1

15 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

“If A&M had made plays, it would’ve been a different game.”

"there is still plenty of work to be done and weaknesses/flaws to address, but the Ags at least showed they're learning how to win."

by losing to a very mediocre at best ND team.

Let this be a lesson to us all. The best way to "learn" how to win, is by losing.

msucolt45 · September 1

Jimbo is going to end up at WVU, after they only win 6-7 this year, barely bowl eligible.
Jimbo will make the playoffs with WVU before aggy even sniffs it. WVU’s loss to PSU really hurt them after all the hype/build up leading to it. McAfee’s show was on campus Friday and it was electric!

Hook’em!!!

billfromlaketravis · September 1

1 minute ago, msucolt45 said:

Jimbo is going to end up at WVU, after they only win 6-7 this year, barely bowl eligible.
Jimbo will make the playoffs with WVU before aggy even sniffs it.

Hook’em!!!

I think Pitt opens up sooner. Jimbo certainly prefers WVU, but will he wait another year or 2?

Doc Daneeka · September 2

14 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I think Pitt opens up sooner. Jimbo certainly prefers WVU, but will he wait another year or 2?

At $19k a day or whatever it is, I’d wait for the my preference to open up.

billfromlaketravis · September 2

3 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

At $19k a day or whatever it is, I’d wait for the my preference to open up.

Agreed, but Jimbo doesn’t lose a cent if he takes another job.

Slowride91 · September 2

I hope he kills it at either place

Doc Daneeka · September 2

2 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Agreed, but Jimbo doesn’t lose a cent if he takes another job.

A lot of effort just to leave. And if doesn’t plan on leaving, all the more reason to wait for the one you want.

WBT · September 2

1 hour ago, Doc Daneeka said:

“If A&M had made plays, it would’ve been a different game.”

Sums up every looch postloss writeup ever

Longhornfrenzy · September 2

Gil Bang · September 2

1 hour ago, msucolt45 said:

Jimbo is going to end up at WVU, after they only win 6-7 this year, barely bowl eligible.
Jimbo will make the playoffs with WVU before aggy even sniffs it. WVU’s loss to PSU really hurt them after all the hype/build up leading to it. McAfee’s show was on campus Friday and it was electric!

Hook’em!!!

McAfee is a giant cunt.

TotallyLegit · September 2

2 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

College football, the greatest sport in the country

Is Liucci some kind of soccer lovin homo? College football is the greatest sport in the world.

msucolt45 · September 2

McAfee is a giant cunt.

But with his schtick, his show is an entertaining cunt during workday lunchtime. He does get quality call-in and in person guests on his show. Saban did every Thursday around noon last season, as I’m surprised and realized he was about to hang it up. For a guy like him to devote every Thursday for about 30mins was actually quite refreshing IMO of Nick.

Hook’em!!!

Longhornfrenzy · September 2

nnm · September 2

First post-ND loss post to make MBG

derp · September 2

3 hours ago, BornAndRaised said:

Still love the fact aggy played Mo Bamba 😂

BurntEyes · September 2

Good to see the made up story about a guy who I guess volunteers in a soup kitchen. He "had" lived, past tense, in or around Austin. He was a real sip, because the second hand stories he got from is wife are of course 100% accurate, like all wive's tales. I know all real sips, like me, want to talk to an old Ag about football. I'm sure it's unwise so it's good his wife is smart and told him so.

I should really start a company that writes these fictional works and charge aggie for them. They really sucks at it.

Edited September 2 by BurntEyes

MIkeHoncho · September 2

So o/u on when those idiots start saying wiggy actually had a better game than Ewers. I'm calling Weds.

Since QE had 1 pic against CSU, but wigs only had 2 against the second coming of the 85 Bears defense. If tu had played ND, "sewers" would have had 6 pics and been crying by the end of 3rd qtr.

Funk Doctor Spock · September 2

They're becoming sentient. I think they all know Ewers is superior, it's just a matter of who will be the first to admit it.

linux · September 2

Sentience is temporary, if he has a normal game vs mcnesse st they will go back to their usual selves.

futureman · September 2

5 hours ago, BornAndRaised said:

Henry Hill · September 2

5 hours ago, BornAndRaised said:

Hey, what’s one more song about Texas to get hyped to when you aren’t playing us? Turdition.

RomaVicta · September 2

William "star fucker" Liucci cant' help himself:

A comedian compared this game to their game against Ohio State last year. A comedian, William. A comedian.

Now, on to how Aggie losses are the best losses:

William, your mom must so proud when she's washing your t-shirts.

BurntOrange&White · September 2

I’m fairly certain they still think Reggie McNeal is better that Vince

Edited September 2 by BurntOrange&White

Funk Doctor Spock · September 2

1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I’m fairly certain they still think Reggie McNeal is better that Vince

And the RB they recruited when we got Ced.

LTtxfan · September 2

NSIAP 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Longhornfrenzy · September 2

It's lit

JesusSweatDuck · September 2

13 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Which surly poster is this?

JesusSweatDuck · September 2

CDC is on it

Deej · September 2

34 minutes ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

It's lit

Man, they turn on QB's and throw them under the bus faster than any other fanbase. Not just complaining, but actively pushing wishcasting as truth. It's disturbing that the athletic department lets it happen on a board that is essentially an extension of their SID.

Longhornfrenzy · September 2

BigHornedLurker · September 2

5 minutes ago, Deej said:

Man, they turn on QB's and throw them under the bus faster than any other fanbase. Not just complaining, but actively pushing wishcasting as truth. It's disturbing that the athletic department lets it happen on a board that is essentially an extension of their SID.

Not only that but they are basically QBTransferU , as soon as they leave the station and whatever rat poison they drink there they turn out OK.

There are more formers A&M qbs starting elsewhere than any school other other than Texas . But we have have 2 starters and they have 0

Pato del Muerto · September 2

Well if the program was really looking for a way to start reed without backlash from the army of dipshits, they’ve gotten it. The dipshits are done with him after one game.

Longhornfrenzy · September 2

Just a typical Monday on texags

Deej · September 2

Maybe, just maybe, he seems mentally challenged not because of smoking weed, but because of the head injuries?

Voluminous Banality · September 2

14 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

Liucci with a lot of words

Saturday's pre-game build-up checked every box imaginable.

The 12th Man and the Fighting Irish.

The return of “Power.”

Johnny f'ing Football and Nick Saban. Sports celebrities dotting the sidelines.

Mike Elko leading the Aggies into battle for the first time.

With 107k packed into Kyle Field under the glare of the national spotlight, the stage was set for an epic night in College Station.

This will be delivered to Elko's office this week: