Have you seen the list of current BCS Top 10 teams that Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame have beaten, combined? There isn’t one. Why not? It’s zilch, nada, but probably just a scheduling snafu, right? Because of this, I see a devious scenario brewing that will blow the lid off whatever lids sit on. Wouldn’t it be explosive if Texas knocked off No. 1 Kansas State, assuming Baylor doesn’t accomplish this feat themselves on Saturday? I reckon A&M and either Texas or Baylor BOTH beating a No. 1 team in the same season would be some kind of all-time record, don’t you? I’ll check out the 2002 season for these results and get back to you, but I’m fairly confident it’ll be a record. Think about it: Baylor is the “Maxwell Smart” of college football — “Missed it by that much.” Remember those great comebacks engineered by RG3 last season? Well, Baylor’s senior QB, Nick Florence, leads the Nation AND Johnny Manziel in Total Offense (only by 15 yards per game — Johnny’s gonna catch him, but that’s beside the point). Then Texas has the next clean shot at the Wildcats, which will matter only if Baylor fails in its attempt. Just for fun, let’s pull for Texas. Go ‘Horns! And all that stuff. Hey, I’m not done yet. Easy, partner; follow me on this. It gets better. Southern California has been rather disappointing but could make GREAT spoilers. How? Let’s say they beat UCLA this weekend to assure themselves a spot in the PAC-12 Championship game and THEN beat Notre Dame at home the following week. THEN, if Oregon gets by Stanford on Saturday, the Ducks could still fall to ranked rival Oregon State, or in the PAC-12 Championship game to a very hot USC team coming off two big wins and on a roll. Oregon, my gosh, they’re due for an off day, right? Remember West Virginia having things locked up a few years ago before PITT strode in and knocked them off their high horse? How about a little closer to home, like when Iowa State unseated Okie State just this past season? That’s right. It happens. So what happens to the Smart Money then? Do they start eying the sidewalk from 20 floors up? I mean, Kansas State is now out of the picture, Oregon is a goner and Notre Dame goes “poof.” THEN, guess what. Florida State is still kicking themselves in the butt for losing one game this year by one point to N.C. State. They’re really still pretty angry, right? They knock off Florida in Seminole Country. Ouch, that hurt! Alabama beats Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Sure, we can all buy that. The Crimson Tide will be favored by eight or so in that one. They RARELY lose when favored. We’ll chalk this one up for the old rivals. Winner. Now, LSU will CRUSH Arkansas, just for fun. We know this. The Tigers have them where they want them, and if Louisiana Monroe can beat the Hogs, you gotta figure Louisiana State will slaughter them. No disrespect intended, of course, Hogs. (Jimmy Johnson says go back to Petrino, by the way.) Sorry, Ole Miss. We certainly don’t want to overlook your chances this weekend, intentionally. Now, the Aggies will do the due diligence thing on Sam Houston State and then make up for two straight home losses to Mizzu in pretty mean-spirited fashion as the 12th Man rids itself of all home jinxes in the process. . .See ya, Tigers!! So…who plays Alabama in the National Championship game? Will it be LSU or Texas A&M? Zach Mettenberger or Johnny “Front-Runner” Manziel, who by this time will be a mature 20 year-old holding a big ol’ trophy? Hmm. Figure it out, VOTERS!! Oh, man, I wouldn’t want to have YOUR job! Yep, I’d say it’s going to be a very interesting couple of weekends. This season is really shaping up! Alabama’s BCS fate lies in the hands of Baylor or Texas, USC, Stanford, perhaps Oregon State and possibly UCLA. And so does LSU’s and A&M’s, with FSU also mixed in. Ain’t that a kick in the head!!? And we all thought there wasn’t gonna be no rematch. Keep a’gunnin’, Coach Sumlin. The fat lady isn’t even warming up the vocals yet. College Football. You gotta love it. “I read it here first.”
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Amidst another big come-from-behind win by someone other than the Texas Aggies, I was reminded of 2011’s pre-season speaking tour starring A&M head coach, Mike Sherman. To each of the hosting A&M Clubs in cities including San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, etc., Coach Sherman spoke reverently regarding the LSU Tigers and the Cotton Bowl, the post-season classic to which his streaking Aggies had been invited to participate in at the conclusion of the previous season. Sherman spoke about how he and his staff realized this was a high profile game against a quality SEC opponent. He then interjected that he had nothing to do with A&M’s (unpopular) decision to turn down the SEC’s offer of membership the previous spring, and would only concentrate his energies and attention on the teams that showed up each week on the current A&M schedule.
Coach Sherman contended the Aggies’ mere participation in this “prestigious matchup” in the Cotton Bowl could easily be the huge stepping stone the program needed to continue its climb for national prominence and continued growth on the recruiting trail. He elaborated further that a victory over this recent national champion and former natural rival would do wonders for A&M’s rising status. Sherman summed up the Cotton Bowl game by telling the engaging crowds that the Aggies, after claiming a quick 10-point lead over the Tigers, thought they were once again headed for another big win. After all, they’d handily won their six previous games with some great defense and their lone adjustment made on offense, the insertion of Ryan Tannehill at starting quarterback. What gave me so much confidence, personally, was the fact that these Aggies had recreated the exact replica of our 1976 team’s formula. This team culminated its season by destroying the University of Florida in the Sun Bowl. We completed that season with a dominating seven-game winning streak and an overall 10-2 record, earning us a Number 3 ranking in the Sporting News Final Poll. In a FOX Sports interview prior to the Cotton Bowl, I alluded to the ’74 LSU game that set the course for the future of Aggie football — the game which you’ll recall I referred to in my last article. I also spoke of the huge turnaround in ’76 that was so reminiscent of this particular 2010 season and the irony of playing an SEC school in our bowl game just as we had. LSU always seems to be in the mix when pivotal occurrences take place in Aggie World. Here’s another instance. Sherman’s next quip in his speech will forever burn in my memory, and this is the heart of the story. It’s as though his words magically created an all-new Aggie tradition to be bestowed upon the humble subjects of Aggieland, exactly at the point and time when they would least expect it. His words and a hauntingly new tradition now follow the 12th Man crowd like a black cloud wherever they may gather to watch their team play. I call it “Double-Digit Fever.” Sherman’s words would easily become college football’s most prime example of the all-too-familiar “self-fulfilling prophecy.” “And after we jumped out to our 10-point lead on LSU,” he smiled, “it just pissed them off.” Loud laughter erupted from the crowd at each venue. Things were loose with no worries. Even the loss to LSU couldn’t undermine the great finish and all the quality performers who would be returning for the Aggies’2011 season. One blemish in Jerry’s House, with still so much to look forward to, would in no way deter the boisterousness of these spirited, well-heeled Aggies who were so anxious to hear how wonderful the upcoming season would be. Who wouldn’t be excited? That LSU team had lost but two games in 2010, one by a touchdown to the National Champion Auburn Tigers and the other by 8 to Arkansas in its last regular season game when hope for another National Crown had already been extinguished. “It just pissed them off.” Burn, baby, burn. Yes, this 2011 Cotton Bowl set the stage for the immediate future, and LSU initiated the script we would soon follow. With its 10-0 lead whirling face-down into a 14-10 deficit, the Aggies made one last desperate stab at the scowling Bayou Bengals, taking their final lead of the night, 17-14. Before the fans’ “kissing while scoring” tradition had even climaxed, the gavel slammed downward and the Aggies were sentenced with a tentative length still today proving rather probationary. In the final five minutes of the first half, the LSU Tigers permanently laid out the star-gazing Farmers, 28-17. The second half was but a formality with the final score posted forever as 41-24. LSU, only a one point favorite before kickoff, never flinched. Texas A&M most certainly did. Tannehill, the flawless one during the six-game winning streak, uncharacteristically was snuffed out by three interceptions erratically tossed into the hands and chests of the Golden Bandits. “It just pissed them off.” Once the talking was done at the A&M Clubs and the games began in 2011, it seemed as though every team the Aggies played was falling behind and getting “pissed off.” Of the thirteen games the Aggies played, they were favored in twelve, with the lone exception coming on a trip to Oklahoma. The Aggies in Oklahoma proved the handicappers absolutely correct, yet a 12-1 record (as predicted by these same handicappers) would have certainly been considered an outstanding season in anyone’s book. Perhaps it would have been sufficient to even get the Aggies into the BCS championship game. As you recall, it turned out to be once-beaten Alabama that got the call to instant replay LSU when Oklahoma State fell unexpectedly to Iowa State. If all went as predicted, please insert Texas A&M here. Unfortunately, the Aggies weren’t up to the task in five of the twelve games they were favored in. Astonishingly, all five losses came in the same manner as the aforementioned Cotton Bowl/LSU game. The Aggies lost leads of 17 (Oklahoma State at the Home of the 12th Man), 18 (Arkansas, inside Cowboys Stadium), 14 (Missouri at the Home of the 12th Man), 14 (at Kansas State) and 13 (Texas at the Home of the 12th Man), respectively. These five incredibly disappointing games accounted for A&M’s 2011 losses, combined with the very predictable 41-25 loss at Oklahoma. These results have corresponding odds attached of astronomical proportions. They’re not something one is accustomed to seeing in the course of 13 games. Including the Cotton Bowl vs. LSU, A&M lost six times in 14 games after holding double-digit leads. In the previous three years combined, Sherman’s Aggies had blown double-digit leads a total of six times, so to drop five in this manner in a single season was remarkably disturbing. Rather haunting, aren’t they, these “self-fulfilling prophecies?” “It just pissed them off.” If you’re interested in a little more coaching foreshadowing, one of the double-digit-leads-gone-sour losses was in Mike Sherman’s opener as the head football coach. Yes, in ’08 the Aggies fell to Arkansas State, an 18-point underdog, by an 18-14 score after leading 14-3 in the second quarter. I know, it’s hard to fathom any A&M team getting shut out for a whole second half at home in front of the 12th Man, but these Aggies didn’t score for the final 40 minutes or so. This was called at the time “somewhat inexplicable.” Texas A&M Aggies fans yell against the LSU Tigers during the third quarter at Kyle Field. (Thomas Campbell) Then in the very next game, A&M blew a 21-7 second quarter lead and actually trailed 22-21 before finally winning, 28-22. This is the only time since 2008 A&M has lost a double-digit lead and still managed to come back for the win. This game wasn’t even played in 12th Man Stadium, but in New Mexico. Double-digit leads were lost for good in two other games in 2008, two more in 2009 and twice again in 2010, including the bowl game. Texas A&M lost 10 games in which they held any kind of lead during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons, with half of those losses occurring inside the once-formidable confines of the Home of the 12th Man. On the other hand, the Aggies have overcome their own double-digit deficits on only four occasions since the 2008 season began, with the most recent taking place several weeks ago in Oxford, Mississippi. Unfortunately, the Double-Digit Fever continues. This is the elephant in the room. The Aggies have lost 8 times in their last 21 contests when they led by at least 10 points. Five of the eight were at home. Texas A&M has squandered double-digit leads in both of its losses this season and both were at home (LSU and Florida). And now, the last opponent to turn the double-digit trick after getting “pissed off” also happens to be the first; LSU. LSU has proven once again to be this school’s trend-setter, for better or worse. Yes, of the eight games we initially were very confident we would win at the outset, but eventually somehow lost, the Tigers are the bookends. Somehow this bugaboo needs to get hullaballoo’d right out of existence, or things here in the Brazos Valley will never change. The highlights? First downs were won by the Aggies 26-18. Third down efficiency was 6/16 for the Aggies compared to LSU’s 2/16. Total yards were 410 for the Aggies and 316 for LSU. Penalties were 6/65 for the Aggies and 13/102 for the Tigers. That’s just for hullabaloo sake. The Bugaboo starts here. Aggies: 4.7 yards per pass attempt. Aggies: 3.5 yards per running attempt. Aggies: 3 interceptions (sound familiar?). Aggies: 2 lost fumbles. Tigers: 2/2 on fourth down conversions. The rest of the story? The Tigers used two turnovers late in the second quarter to turn the momentum after falling behind 12-0. Redshirt Freshman phenom Johnny Manziel’s first interception set up Michael Ford’s 20-yard touchdown run to make it 12-7 and, after a Ben Malena fumble, Zach Mettenberger hit Kadron Boone versus Man coverage for a 29-yard touchdown play to give LSU a 14-12 lead with only 11 seconds left in the half. Déjà vu had busted the Aggies right square in the chops out of nowhere. Aggies traditionally don’t do so well after surrendering double-digit leads. In fact, once one is attained, that’s when things get worrisome for the Maroon and White. For many in the crowd of 87,429, it would only be a matter of watching the clock tick down to nothing and then heading out. We’ve all been here before. “It just pissed them off.” It’s tradition apparently, even at home. And very unfortunate. With the victory the Tigers improved to 2-7-1 all-time in College Station, posting their first win at Kyle Field since 1987. LSU also improved to 31-2 under coach Les Miles when it has a 100-yard rusher (freshman Jeremy Hill: 18 carries for 127 yards and one score.) A missed extra-point and two missed field goals could have been the difference, but there’s no guarantee the Aggies would have scored their final touchdown since LSU went to a soft prevent defense in a two-score game. Otherwise, they may not have done so. Now we do what we must do; clear our heads, regroup and get ready for three road games in a row. I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that A&M hasn’t played three in a row on the road since 1979. That season the Ags opened in Houston to play BYU and then traveled the next four weekends. In 1977, my final season with the Aggies, we had five straight games on the road, winning four. Two of the teams we played back-to-back were ranked; Texas Tech and Michigan, respectively. The only team to win three consecutive games on the road in the modern era was the 1975 team, which beat three unranked opponents. Although the only national ranking you’ll find Auburn in is the Bottom 2 or 3 offensively, this weekend’s SEC matchup between Mississippi State and Alabama will leave two ranked teams for us to play in the second and third games of this trifecta. Each is 7-0 overall and the loser most assuredly will remain in the Top 25 when this one is over. First things first, though, thankfully. Auburn is off to its worst start in 60 years and ranks 121st nationally in scoring (15.7) and 122nd in total offense (276.7). Auburn is surrendering 411 yards defensively (77th) and 25.1 points (56th). They will probably start at least a dozen freshmen and sophomores. The buyout for coach Gene Chizik is $7.5 million and there are a lot of fans who are okay with paying it. As my high school coach used to say, “It ain’t far from the penthouse to the outhouse.” Of course, he wasn’t making $7.5 million. Meanwhile, A&M defensive end Damontre Moore is averaging 1.36 sacks, which are more than 24 teams are averaging. He leads the nation with 2.43 tackles for loss per game and leads all defensive linemen with 8.9 tackles per game. There’s your Heisman Trophy winner! And finally, this Auburn game, A&M’s first visit to Jordan-Hare Stadium, should mark Coach Sumlin’s 10th straight win on the road including his last season with Houston. With a streak going like this, maybe we CAN be the first team in 35 years to win three straight on the road. Now THAT would piss them off. If you’ve been following my weekly posts on Gamedayr (and who hasn’t?), you may
recall the final thought in my most recent article preceding the A&M-Ole Miss game; It suggested that “the great thing now is, we’re not in that Aggie Wishbone!” Even though I personally ran the Wishbone’s triple-option version for five years at Texas A&M University, I’ve always felt the offensive scheme imposed upon us was the sole reason A&M didn’t add three or four more “legitimate” national championship signs to its walls at Kyle Field. Lord knows we certainly had the players and staff to do it. Seriously, can you imagine being behind by 10 points with six minutes to play and stuck in a full-house backfield with only one wide receiver in Oxford, Mississippi? Me either. Can you imagine a less favorable outcome? Yeah, me too. I have patiently waited for this 2012 offense to arrive at A&M for almost forty years, so please pardon my giddiness. I recall my hopes flickering once during the 2008 season when A&M and Mike Sherman were hosting the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Not once during the first half did a tight end step onto the field. We stayed in the “spread” throughout, and QB Jerrod Johnson had an excellent half of football, leading the Aggies to a 23-20 halftime lead. I was ecstatic about the future of A&M football while employing the preeminent Big 12 offense. Unfortunately, after getting shut down in the second half by Mike Leach’s defensive staff, Sherman returned to his multiple sets and myriad of personnel packages for the remainder of his tenure at A&M, fooling no one. Conversely, Coach Sumlin’s predator-styled “stun gun offense” performed precisely and to perfection in the latter minutes of Saturday’s game with Ole Miss. It discovered the flaws of the defense and the mismatches in alignment and personnel. It was relentless in its precision. This offense and the confidence it instills both revived and reinvigorated the Aggies, springing them up off the canvas in as far-fetched of a fashion as you’ll ever see on any movie screen. Suddenly these down-and outers were coming from nowhere, throwing haymakers like Sugar Ray Leonard did when he hammered poor Roberto “No Mas”Duran into surrendering his dignity. The Aggies “Rope-a-Doped” the 3-2 Rebels for a vast majority of the ball game just prior to air-raiding and bombarding these visibly shaken, head-spinning opponents into silent submission, just as cool and calculating as Ali had been in downing the seemingly indomitable George Foreman back in ’74. The Rumble in the Jungle transformed into the Groove at the Grove. In fact, the fighters’ own handlers were the only ones who saw the impending dooms looming for the opposing corners, just as the coaches and players comprising this A&M team did. The national TV audience and the paying crowd wildly celebrating in the stands beforehand certainly didn’t. Aggies watching around the world didn’t either. They were too accustomed to seeing the Aggies fall behind and remain stuck in neutral in previous decades. The Aggies simply lost too many games in which they were favored. Many began wondering if the Aggies had ever come back from such a deficit this late in a ball game. “Nope, can’t think of one,” they concluded. “Once we’re beat, we’re pretty much beat. Same ol,’ same old. OLE MISS, BY DAMN!” Rumor has it that many Aggie supporters kicking back in their homes were so bent out of shape that they switched channels after the fourth quarter interception thrown by the Aggies ended all hope. Just imagine their surprise when opening the Sunday paper the next morning–hey, this is real stuff here. The word “surreal”doesn’t even begin to cover it, as astonishing as this most unlikely of A&M comebacks was. As much as the coaching staff had to reevaluate after faltering offensively against Florida (now the No. 4 team in the country according to this week’s AP poll), it must feel a huge amount of satisfaction for this win over Mississippi. All it took was calculated desperation to get the rally started and the execution of just a few well-called, pre-snap reads to finish the deal. Though there was definitely no quit in this Rebels team throughout, there certainly was the sweet smell of victory nipping at its collective nose. Hey, when you’ve got a team crouched in its own bunkers 99 yards away from the end zone you’re defending, a third and 19 situation with 6 minutes left on the clock and holding a 10-point lead no less, well, your chances are looking pretty darned good. You’ve already totally exasperated your opponents offensively and in your mind you’ve beat the hell out of ‘em defensively, so you quietly hear the braggadocio within you whispering, “Give it up, guys. Can’t you see you’re done here?” This juncture of the game is when you pull out all the stops, swarm the poor defenseless quarterback and at the very least get the ball back in your own territory where you do what you want with it. Victory does smell sweet when you’re finally realizing you’ve played well enough for so long that you just can’t lose, and with it comes the naturally-occurring big sigh of relief. It’s party time for the first time in awhile here at the Grove. And this was the precise situation Ole Miss found itself in, with everything soundly secured, excitedly waiting to see the white flag rising from the overwhelmed newbie camp of Old Army. Actually, the Maroon and White hadn’t been as tough as Ole Miss expected. They weren’t nearly as consistent or worthy as the films had suggested. The Aggies on this night had been predictably reduced to nothing more than an irresponsible, pass-happy bunch of pretty boys who apparently had no real guts or poise when needed most. “I mean, just look at‘em all,” they exclaimed. “They’re good as finished. They’ve succumbed to the real pressure of SEC home cookin’. They played more like Texas Patsies than Texas Aggies and can’t seem to even be able to hold on to the football. They just folded, even against the worst team in the league. Hey, it’s tough on the road here in THE Southeastern Conference. Hotty Toddy, Gosh almighty, who the hell are we! Hey! Flim Flam, Bim Bam, OLE MISS BY DAMN!’” And just as the Rebels were about to stick the proverbial fork in the Aggies’ rear ends, they got hit with the “bomb,” a perfectly lofted spiral deep down the right sideline into heavy coverage, promptly snapping the Rebs back to their senses. Having not won an SEC game in over 765 days and counting, the Rebels were, however, still certain of victory. Their lead was too big and they’d played too well to have this game slip away. Surely these newcomers from Texas didn’t have the courage or wherewithal to challenge them on their own home turf with so many opportunities already blundered. After all, this 2012 team had already given the ball away six times in a variety of ways. Not since 1974 when the Wishbone Aggies lost five of eight fumbles to a weak TCU team, had any A&M team been victorious while committing so many turnovers. In fact, it was that same year when A&M opened its season with a 7-0 victory over Ole Miss, a narrow victory in which the Aggies defense accounted for eleven Ole Miss Quarterback sacks. These two schools hadn’t even met since 1980. No, nothing that happened so long ago would have any bearing on this game. The tradition starts here, and the Aggies were still too far down with too little time left. “Yes,” the Ole Miss folks thought, “that was a just lucky play that will only delay the inevitable. Hang in there, defense!” Former SEC Offensive Player of the Week, Johnny “No Fail” Manziel, hadn’t shown the Midas touch for the first 3 and a half quarters. Sure, he’d broken a few nice runs and hit a few throws, but Ole Miss was proving too quick and forceful up front for the“Who Dat’ Kid” to rise above this particular fray. He hadn’t been around long enough in this league to know it isn’t far from the penthouse to the outhouse. Heck, this “Johnny Come Lately” hadn’t even played outside of the state of Texas in his entire life! No worries here. Running back Ben Malena then slipped through the line for a run of 36 yards to the Ole Miss 29. From there, Manziel found another opening, and on a run that resembled a playground “two below” game, he ran somewhat untouched the necessary 29 yards for a touchdown. This culminated an official 88-yard drive that was actually one of 99.7 yards, technically speaking. Somehow the whale had spewed Johnny out of its mouth, for no particular reason; perhaps just to tease the visitors and their supporters. What fun this would be! The extra-point kick was missed, of course, and Aggies everywhere began reminding themselves once again of who they were, and once again sunk deeper into depths of despair.“Well, we are the Aggies, now aren’t we?” The only thing that could save them now was a near miracle, loosely referred to something vaguely known around Aggieland as, ahem, “defense.” This ‘wannabe’ of a mirage always brings a little chortle and a wink in quiet conversations around the water coolers, presumably because it had gone totally extinct in the Valley decades ago. “Wait. This defense? Our defense? A STOP here when it counts? Get real.” (LOL to follow.) Sure enough, the Aggies gave up a first down, as expected from most of the A&M crowd. Then they gave up another six yards, then two, and then only ONE! Suddenly it’s fourth down with the ball on the Mississippi 39 yard line and only 3 and a half minutes remaining. A punt from here could put the Aggies maybe 80 yards away and needing to get into the end zone to win the game. It was an obvious decision for the Ole Miss coaching staff. The Ole Miss defense had played extremely well overall. It was a no-brainer. Inexplicably, Ole Miss kept its offense on the field, then got in the shotgun and tried to run for it. It wasn’t even close. That was OUR DEFENSE out there, high-stepping and high-fiving it off the field to the cheers of everyone on that sideline and springing from their La-Z-Boys. Hey, this just doesn’t happen for Aggies, but it had! Still hope! One minute and 16 seconds later, Ryan Swope was waving the football in the air in the end zone after he and Manziel had caught the Ole Miss secondary playing man coverage and lining up beat. Swope’s perfect corner route was complimented by the perfect throw as A&M kept its two wide receivers decoying short inside routes while sending Swope deep behind them. It was great execution at a pivotal point in the drive – and in the game. Five minutes earlier the Rebels and their fans had been reveling in their presumed victory but it was far from over. Coach Sumlin’s stun gun offense had them moaning and writhing in pain when least expected. With a three-point lead and a very improbable victory within sight, the Aggie defense, ahem, would need to keep the Rebels out of field-goal range and definitely out of the end zone to wrap this game up in regulation. Mississippi quarterback Bo Wallace calmly hit Donte Moncrief for 32 yards down to the A&M 32 yard line. Suddenly, the field-goal possibility was looking very realistic with just over a minute to play. A&M defensive back Toney Hurd, Jr. then jumped a short option route and came up with a huge interception that sealed the fate of the once-rousing Rebels. The celebration that ensued was indeed spontaneous, well-deserved and well worth every one of the 15 ‘unsportsmanlike’ penalty yards assessed. By remaining poised, alert and confident, Manziel now trails only Alabama’s AJ McCarron in the NCAA Quarterback Rating among SEC quarterbacks and is 12th nationally. Meanwhile, the Aggies are celebrating their first top 25 ranking as a member of the SEC, coming in at No. 23 in the A.P. and 21st in the USA Today. Seven teams from the conference are now represented in the polls. Interestingly, A&M and its next opponent, the LA Tech Bulldogs, rank 22nd and 23rd in the ESPN Power Rankings, respectively. Tech will be the first of two consecutive big games against teams from the neighboring state of Louisiana. The second will be the LSU Tigers, a great team obviously still smarting from its loss to Florida while priming this week for SEC-East co-leader, South Carolina. Favored at home by a field goal over the undefeated Gamecocks, an LSU victory will mean a showdown for SEC-West survival next week in College Station. While it will be difficult not to look ahead to hosting the Tigers, the Aggies must be prepared to play their best defensive game of the year this week in Shreveport. D-Lineman Demontre Moore is fourth in the nation in sacks and second in the nation in tackles for a loss. He’ll need plenty of help against this explosive offense that surrenders sacks quite infrequently. The comeback win in Oxford was a tremendous carryover from the rout of the Razorbacks a week earlier, and with the season currently exceeding expectations in many quarters, this is not the week for an upset. Bulldog QB Colby Cameron has won 10 of his last 11 starts and also started three games during his sophomore year, with his first being against Texas A&M. Cameron hasn’t been intercepted yet this season and has thrown 13 TD passes, hitting 72.5 percent of his passes at home. Last season Cameron beat out the second-youngest quarterback in college football history, Nick Isham, who then transferred to Arizona and is red-shirting this season. The Bulldogs have won their last 12 regular season games. Tech’s only loss in the interim was to TCU last December in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl by the score of 31-24. TCU had an excellent 11-2 record in 2011 and trailed the Bulldogs 24-17 entering the fourth quarter. The defending WAC champions are accustomed to winning close, high-scoring games. Thus far this season, they’ve beaten Houston 56-49, Virginia 44-38 and three others by an average of 55-31, ranking third in the country while scoring 53 points per game. Louisiana Tech has also racked up the eleventh most yards per game (523.4), barely edging out the SEC-leading Aggies (516.8). Very few teams are capable of scoring one point for every ten yards gained, but Louisiana Tech is hitting the mark. A&M’s 44.6 points per game are eighth in the NCAA and also lead the SEC. The Aggies’ are surrendering 14.8 points per game, ranking sixth in the defensive-minded SEC and 14th in the country. Louisiana Tech gives up almost 36 points per game, ranking 109th among 124 D-1 schools. All things being equal, the Aggies should maintain or perhaps gain some ground offensively this coming Saturday, provided they get in enough game-time possessions. No one has slowed the Bulldogs down yet, and there’s only 22 seconds difference in each team’s time of possession this season with each hovering near the 27-minute mark. Unfortunately, this will be the final game of the season where victory is expected right in step with offensive stats that will continue to be padded. The levels of competition, philosophies and game faces will change dramatically after the Tech game, when wins and losses become the only gauge of success and stats become secondary. The term “field position” will come back into play in huge quantities. I look forward to the tests these outstanding opportunities will present for our strategies and personnel. We’re looking forward to a hard-fought, thrilling football game this weekend. The experts predict an Aggie victory by the score of 40-32, which certainly sounds reasonable. All kinds of Texas A&M records could fall. Let’s just hope they’re all on the offensive side of the ball — stun-gun style. |
David Walker
College football's youngest starting QB and Aggie great, the first 4-year starting QB ever at Texas A&M. Archives
September 2013
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