That may have been the most depressing win I’ve ever witnessed at Kyle Field. Not because I wanted the Aggies to lose. It’s the exact opposite of that. I want the Aggies to be great.

What I saw on Saturday was depressing because it was more of the same Jimbo Fisher. I fully expected that game to play out exactly how it did.

However, I had hope coming off the bye week with a record of 4-3 there would be a sense of urgency and some wrinkles we hadn’t seen in 6 years of Jimbo as the head coach. I knew better but I still had hope.

The only wrinkle we say was Jimbo using his timeouts before the end of the first half. That decision resulted in a touchdown thanks to an amazing play by Ainias Smith. That was the only thing different we’ve seen from Jimbo this season.

Everything else was the same with 7 games under our belt and an extra week to prepare. Jimbo doing the same thing that hasn’t been effective in almost 3 seasons of football.

We saw an offense come out flat and struggle to do anything on its first three drives.

I suppose this game was better than last year’s South Carolina game coming off a bye where we had two big turnovers on our first two offensive drives. I suppose punting on your first three possessions is better than two turnovers so that’s a positive. Even if our punter is still struggling like before the bye.

It’s still depressing we couldn’t come out and dictate our will to an inferior defense right from the start.

What we saw is a stubborn head coach who refuses to admit his way is an inferior way. Defenses know how to defend what they’re going up against.

Jimbo firmly believes his way is the best and it’s just about player execution. He’ll be damned if he admits his way needs to be adapted.

I’m going to write a longer piece on what to do with Jimbo Fisher later this week. I have some massive concerns like most Aggies and this game didn’t change anything despite the win.

Let’s talk about the South Carolina game.

Offense:

Quarterback:

Max Johnson didn’t have a bad day from a statistical standpoint. He was 20 for 30 which is a 67% completion percentage. He threw for one touchdown and no interceptions. He was sacked three times on our second drive and under pressure for much of the first three offensive possessions.

Max looked like Max for much of his career in Aggieland. A pretty solid but not spectacular quarterback.

I think at this point we can just accept Max Johnson as who he is as a player. He’s very capable of manning the helm but he’s not going to carry the team by himself.

I think he’s limited by the scheme and the play calls but he’s going to need the help of the other 10 offensive players along with the coaching staff.

Offensive Line:

Like I’ve talked about all season the real key to this offense is the offensive line. At least the way Jimbo wants to run his offense. He still thinks it’s 2020.

Jimbo refuses to adapt to whatever issues this unit has. I don’t believe it to be one main issue and believe the issues are multiple.

Part of it is scheme, part of it is talent, and part of it is just overall attitude.

For whatever reason, the scheme is confusing this unit. Time and time again this unit is confused on who to block based on what the defense shows before and immediately after the snap. It’s not that complicated but they seem to focus on a single defender before the snap and don’t adjust at all when the ball is snapped. I don’t understand why this keeps happening. We’re eight games into this season and it keeps happening.

There are way too many instances of defenders running wide-open into the backfield because an offensive lineman didn’t pick them up. I suppose you could call this an execution issue which it is but when someone repeatedly fails at execution you have to look at the scheme.

From a talent standpoint, there’s decent enough talent but nobody is dominating. None of these guys are getting drafted based on their current play. I don’t get that because Kam Dewberry, Bryce Foster, and Layden Robinson all have NFL talent. I have no clue why these guys aren’t playing up to their talent but they’re not.

Despite their supposed raw natural talent, I don’t see any of these guys regularly just hammering their opponent. At least if you’re making execution issues go block the hell out of someone. Nobody is even doing that.

Their overall attitude seems to lack confidence. I think they’re so confused schematically they can’t just focus on physically beating their opponent. At some point, you just have to beat up the guy on the other side of the line. When you’re hesitant because of your assignment it’s going to contribute to your lack of physical domination.

Eight games in and this whole unit is struggling. So much so that we’re rotating guys at right tackle and left guard. That’s not something you want to be doing eight games into the season and totally on coaching.

As for the game itself, this unit seemed to improve as the game went on. Sadly, it was going from getting dominated to a stalemate but they did improve. That’s a positive.

They certainly never imposed their will on a defense they could have physically dominated. Two-thirds through the season and we’re just happy with a stalemate.

Yikes.

Running Back:

Le’Veon Moss was a late scratch due to a hamstring issue he suffered in the Tennessee game. I think that was a pretty big loss for us in the running game.

Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens split carries and were decent but not spectacular. They wound up gaining 108 yards on 31 carries which is a 3.5 yard per carry. Those numbers are elevated thanks to a 29-yard carry by Daniels in the 4th quarter.

That run increased the yards per carry by a yard. These two running backs aren’t haven’t been ripping off big runs this season which is why they’re running behind Moss.

Much of that is the offensive line but a good portion is the running backs themselves. Rueben Owens has all the talent in the world but he’s slow to the hole and doesn’t seem to be able to shake defenders.

Daniels is a nice change of pace back but he’s not an every-down back.

It’s just frustrating we have a noticeable drop-off at running back from our main guy. It shouldn’t be this way with the way football is played now. You should be able to plug in a running back with no issues.

Wide Receiver:

There’s no doubt that Ainias Smith is the most talented and dynamic player on the Aggie offense. He certainly showed it on Saturday. His touchdown catch before the end of the half was all him. At one point he was surrounded by three defenders and he somehow wiggled his way to a score.

You can’t coach that. However, what you can do as a coach is figure out a way to get this guy in space and then get him the ball. We probably still win on Saturday without Ainias but he certainly made it a much easier win.

Evan Stewart had a decent game but I expect more out of him. He’s not struggling to do more because of him as a player. It’s because of the coaches and the scheme.

I think the scheme that’s being used isn’t maximizing the talent of Stewart and Ainias. I have to imagine every defensive coordinator goes into each game worried about numbers 1 and 0 on offense. Yet the offensive coaches aren’t maximizing their talent.

I just don’t get it. This could be the best receiving tandem in the SEC but their talent isn’t being used like that. It’s all coaching.

Max Wright got HOSED on a non-touchdown call. It looked pretty clear he did an amazing job of dragging his back foot but he didn’t get the call.

I’m sure in Jimbo’s eyes that ended the narrative the Aggies haven’t scored a touchdown in the second half of four straight games. It’s all on the refs and not Jimbo.

Defense:

Here’s the craziest thing about the Jimbo Fisher era at A&M – while Jimbo has struggled to win games at A&M it hasn’t been because of the defense for the most part. Sure, there’s been hiccups here and there but by and large the defense has been the most consistent unit in almost six seasons of football.

Without this defense, we’re struggling for wins even more than we are. It’s crazy to think Jimbo’s calling card during his six years as the Aggie head coach is his defense. Other than recruiting, Jimbo has had ZERO to do with the defensive performance but it’s his best unit.

Think about that a little more if you will.

Defensive Line:

This is still the heart and soul of the defense. This unit kept South Carolina corralled all game long for the most part.

They forced Spencer Rattler to have three intentional groundings on three consecutive series. I’ve never seen that before. Rattler didn’t want to get hit and was chucking the ball out of bounds. It’s not a bad strategy as if there’s a receiver in the area you can potentially avoid a sack. You also don’t get pounded by fellas bigger and stronger than you. I don’t blame Rattler for trying but it’s a testament to a defense when the quarterback is so quick to give up on a play he’s just throwing the ball away between the tackles due to pressure.

If I have one complaint about this unit it’s that South Carolina’s lead back rushed 16 times for 72 yards. That’s a 4.5-yard-per-carry average.

I think part of this is due to a change in strategy by Durkin. Ever since getting burned by Miami and Alabama through the air while shutting down the run, Durkin is a little more willing to give up yards on the ground while limiting yards through the air.

It would have worked against Tennessee with a little bit of offense and special teams. It might have worked against Bama and Miami. At least one coach can make in-season adjustments.

It makes sense even if that 3-man front is frustrating to see. I care more about limiting points on the scoreboard and the defense has done a good job of that other than Miami and Alabama.

We’ll find out this Saturday against Ole Miss if Durkin can adjust back to stop the running run. Ole Miss is going to run the ball early and often. I’ll be curious to see if Durkin goes back to more 4-man fronts to shut down Ole Miss’ running attack. If he doesn’t it’s going to be a looooooooooong day as Quinshon Judkins will chew up yards against that 3-man front.

Linebacker:

I don’t need to write this as you know it but Edge Cooper is playing like a man possessed. I don’t think we’ve seen this linebacker player since Dat Nguyen. The dude is simply making play after play.

The best was the screen play where Cooper was surrounded by three South Carolina blockers. There wasn’t another Aggie defender in the area. Cooper somehow fought through all three blockers and was able to trip up the ball carrier. It was an amazing play.

Beyond Cooper, Taurean York and Chris Russell, Jr. are playing solid ball.

I don’t have any issues with this unit at all.

Secondary:

This unit seemed to be a hodge podge of players other than Demani Richardson, Bryce Anderson, and Jarred Kerr.

That’s not a bad thing as it worked.

Josh DeBerry seems to be playing more nickel than cornerback which I’m okay with. He doesn’t need to be covering elite outside receivers.

Tyreek Chappell and Deuce Harmon started at corner but rotated quite a bit with Sam McCall and Jayvon Thomas. Chappell appears to be a little banged up which contributed to the rotation at corner it sounds like. Either way, everyone played pretty decent on Saturday keeping Xavier Legette in check.

None of these guys stood out in this game but that’s okay. Give me a unit that’s playing great as a unit over a couple of guys standing out while other guys are blowing assignments.

Your secondary is only as strong as its weakest part. Let’s minimize the weakest parts.

Special Teams:

Nik Constantinou still struggles to punt averaging 34 yards per punt with a long of 37. I don’t know what’s going on but this kid is struggling big time. I have no idea how this kid has regressed so much. Apparently, neither does Jimbo or anyone on his coaching staff.

He came out of the bye week doing the same thing he’s done all year.

Randy Bond finally hit a field goal over 45 yards hitting a 52-yarder. He had another field goal attempt blocked. I don’t put that on Bond but just more of the same when it comes to our kicking game.

Maybe, just maybe, Jimbo could hire a special teams coach…

Looking Forward:

The Aggies have a chance to salvage their season by winning out which would put them at 9-3. Win a bowl game and you’ve got a 10-win season and a Top 25 finish. The Aggies would also be the second-best team in the SEC West with wins over Ole Miss and LSU. That’s a damn good season all things considered.

I just don’t see it happening. I firmly believe this to be a 7-5 finish with losses to Ole Miss and LSU on the road.

I’m going to write a much longer piece on what the Aggies should do with Jimbo Fisher assuming he does what I think he’s going to do.

I hope I’m wrong.

Just win, Jimbo.

I said at the beginning of this season we wouldn’t know what we truly had for the 2023 season until after the Tennessee game.

Well, here we are. We’re 4-3 and on an 8-game road losing streak. We still have Ole Miss and LSU on the road this season. That doesn’t seem ideal to change the streak.

We have South Carolina in a couple of weeks at Kyle which we should win but it’s not a gimme by any stretch. We could easily lose that game if Rattler gets hot. Shane Beamer is up against the wall at 2-4 right now so he’s going to come in ready to gamble. That usually doesn’t work in our favor but I do think we win this game.

I do believe Mississippi State and Abilene Christian are wins so we’re staring down something between 6-6 and 8-4.

7-5 seems like the most likely outcome at this point. We’ll win at Kyle and lose on the road.

In year 6 of Jimbo Fisher with Top 10 recruiting classes we’re likely going to finish 7-5.

If only we had executed better in 3 of those losses we could be 7-0 right now. That’s what Jimbo will tell you. Execute, execute, execute. It’s all about the lack of execution by the players according to Jimbo.

It’s the same excuse over and over and over and over. Lack of execution.

What if Jimbo had coached differently rather than doing the same thing over and over again? Is that not possible? Maybe when your team isn’t executing you should try something different.

We hired Bobby Petrino to run the offense and make things better. You sure as hell wouldn’t know it. Does anything look different about this offense 7 games in? Not to me.

Sure, we’ve been more productive at times this year than last year. I think that’s simply a factor of talent over competition more than the actual scheme. We have better quarterback and receiver play this year than last year.

I don’t think anything about the actual scheme is that much different.

This offense looks exactly the same as the previous two years. There are a few wrinkles like more motion but at the end of the day, it’s the same.

It still takes forever to get plays in and lined up. There’s never any urgency. Players don’t always know assignments. It looks like the same damn offense even though we have an offensive coordinator.

The offensive line is a massive question mark letting defenders through like an amusement park turnstile.

The offense was supposed to be different this year but it’s not. If you’re an opposing defensive coordinator you can take film of any of the Aggie losses going back to 2021 to devise a winning scheme.

Just send pressure off the edges and mix in the occasional blitz in the middle of the line. Don’t even get cute on the edge pressure. Just have your defensive end or outside linebacker run a straight line through the tackle to get to the quarterback. They’ll get there.

If the Aggies need a yard then put a man head up on the center and as soon as the ball is snapped fire straight ahead as fast as possible. You’ll blow the center up.

It’s not a hard offense to defend and Jimbo refuses to admit it making adjustments to cover those deficiencies.

There are no quick passes and very few screens. Motion Ainias into the backfield and do a quick toss to see if he can get outside the edge rusher and juke a second-level defender. At least try and scare the defense they may not know what play is coming.

We don’t pressure the edge at all. It’s all about trying to get downfield with slow-developing plays.

Our motions are terrible as they never set up any plays. It’s like we just put players in motion because someone said it’s a good idea. We don’t use motion to our benefit it seems like.

Either way, Jimbo, just try SOMETHING different than the last 3 years. It’s mind-boggling he keeps running the same offense out there that’s not working.

Even more maddening is his lack of adjustment in the second half. Just the same thing the defense learned to shut down after the first couple of series and Jimbo keeps thinking it’s going to break loose.

We haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in the second half of our last three games against Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee. Three straight games and not a single offensive touchdown in the second half. Jimbo is supposed to be an offensive coach. Bobby Petrino is supposed to be a great offensive mind. The Aggie offense has been kept out of the end zone in the second half for three straight games.

If only we executed better…

That’s garbage. That’s not on player execution. It’s on a coaching staff not adapting to what the defense is doing.

Do you want to know what Jimbo REALLY thinks of his offense? For two weeks in a row, he refused to take timeouts to give his offense more snaps at the end of the first half.

That’s a CRYSTAL CLEAR sign he’s more worried about his offense making a mistake than making a play. A coach confident in his offense to take more snaps. A coach with no confidence in his offense wants to limit the snaps.

He can say what he wants but for two games in a row, he didn’t want his offense to take more snaps than necessary to end the first half. That’s a problem.

That’s just the offense. I haven’t got to special teams yet.

I suppose I should talk about the Tennessee game in a little more detail before I rant too much.

OFFENSE:

Offensive Line:

My greatest concern with this offense has been the offensive line. It’s looked decent at times until defensive coordinators remember the cheat code.

Apply pressure to our tackles. Our right tackle situation is terrible. Neither Bisontis nor Crownover have looked good against better opponents. They both routinely get pushed around or just whiff on slowing down a defender.

This has been a known problem for a couple of seasons now and it’s not been addressed. I know trying to start a true freshman in the SEC is not ideal but that’s what we’re doing. We’re in a bad way if there’s no other tackle on the roster that’s better than what we’re running out there. Just this last week Jimbo was talking about Crownover playing in the NFL. The dude got destroyed in 2 plays against Tennessee and didn’t see another snap. What the hell does Jimbo see?

I get building players up but game film matters more than anything else. I swear Jimbo sees stuff happen in games and just denies it’s happening because he sees it differently in practice.

I know Fatheree is hurt but he wasn’t exactly stellar last season. I’m not sure he’s the answer if he does get healthy.

I just can’t believe Jimbo, Petrino, and Addazio can watch GAME film, and believe those two guys are the absolute two best options. Apparently, they are which speaks to Jimbo’s roster management and player development. It’s year 6 and we don’t have a serviceable right tackle. We have a MASSIVE liability.

I don’t know what’s up with Bryce Foster but this guy has regressed from the 2021 season. He struggles to snap the ball and gets no push when we need it most. He routinely gets blown up when it’s clear we’re trying to run inside for a yard or two.

Same thing – is he truly the best option we have at center right now? I know he looks and talks the part. He probably practices great. His actual game film against better opponents is pretty bad.

I think our guard play is fine. At least relative to right tackle and center. Trey Zuhn has improved from last year but I certainly wouldn’t call him dominant. He struggles from time to time letting pressure get through. He’s not a concern relative to the other glaring issues though.

This offensive line is far and away the greatest liability of this team. Yet Jimbo won’t admit it with his play calling. He thinks this line can hold up giving the quarterback the needed seconds for plays to develop downfield. It’s just not happening.

Wide Receiver:

The use of our receivers is probably the most frustrating thing for me. We have serious talent with Evan, Ainias, Moose, and Noah Thomas.

Noah Thomas made some great catches against Tennessee but the other guys were non-existent for the most part. It’s not their fault.

To me, it’s the scheme. They just line them up and let them run normal routes. There are no bunch formations or bubble screens to see if they can break something loose.

The scheme is to just run them downfield in normal routes hoping they can break open while Max has enough time to get the ball off.

We’ve got some serious horses at receiver that are limited by the offensive line. Rather than give these guys a chance to make plays Jimbo just keeps hoping the offensive line can figure itself out and give the quarterback time.

Running Back:

Unfortunately, there’s not much to say here. Le’Veon Moss does as much as he can considering the offensive line issues. Jimbo seems content to ride him for good reason.

Rueben Owens is still a little green with hesitation in his game at times. Amari Daniels didn’t even see a snap due to his struggles with blocking I believe.

I would like to see more production out of this group but until the offensive line starts to exert any influence at the line of scrimmage there’s not much this unit can do.

Quarterback:

I read a stat that Max was pressured 65% of the plays on Saturday.

That’s 2/3. I don’t know how a quarterback can be successful with that pressure. Even on the 1/3, he’s not pressured he’s bracing himself for it.

Max isn’t perfect and he’s not without fault but he’s tasked with waiting on routes to develop in a pocket that’s routinely collapsing. It also doesn’t help he’s having to deal with an errant snap from time to time.

The fact the right tackle situation is his blind side only compounds the problem.

I’m not sure we’d have beaten Bama or Tennessee with Weigman under center. Weigman is more mobile but he didn’t light up Auburn before he got hurt. Max seems more apt to run than Weigman did. I think we’d have seen the same results if Weigman hadn’t gotten hurt.

I think no matter who’s under center is going to have a tall order in waiting on routes to develop while the pocket quickly disintegrates to nothing. We’ve got a scheme problem and not a talent problem.

Until the scheme changes to allow quicker routes or more rollouts whoever is quarterbacking will struggle.

Defense:

These guys flat-out played their asses off on Saturday.

I think the Tennessee passing game is pretty anemic for the most part so it’s not a dominant offense but this unit only gave up one touchdown and got a crucial turnover.

We went into the game missing Bryce Anderson and lost Edge Cooper at the half. We lost Walter Nolen in the fourth quarter. That’s three MASSIVE talent losses.

Still, the guys who took their spots stepped up in a big way not letting Tennessee make a big play, and got off the field without giving up a touchdown in the final three quarters.

I was a little frustrated by Durkin daring Tennessee to run but after the game it made sense. Milton is a streaky passer but he has a great arm. Our secondary is suspect. We moved DeBerry to a safety position due to the loss of Anderson and put Deuce Harmon in his spot at the corner.

Durkin knew his secondary was a massive man down so he didn’t want a repeat of Bama. He smartly dared Tennessee to run the ball hoping we could get them into stoppable third downs. The plan worked as the defense routinely stuffed the Tennessee offense on 3rd down forcing punts and field goal attempts.

We were even perfect on fourth-down attempts.

I had a bad feeling when Edge Cooper didn’t come out of the locker room after half we would lose. I was correct about us losing but I was wrong the defense would be the reason. Cooper certainly would have improved our defense maybe limiting a field goal or even two but we were always destined to lose that game.

I can’t say enough good things about this defensive unit. Since getting their pants pulled down against Miami this group has played four outstanding games. Certainly good enough for the Aggies to win.

Sure, the Bama game had issues but a better offensive performance in the second half and we probably win that game. Especially considering the defense got crucial turnovers in the second half of the Bama game and the offense did exactly zero with them.

As long as this unit doesn’t fall apart we’ll have a chance to win our remaining games. If for some reason this unit regresses we may struggle to make a bowl game.

I don’t see them regressing though.

Special Teams:

Oh boy. If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know I’ve been worried about our special teams all year.

Well, it killed us on Saturday. In a game where field position mattered, we couldn’t flip the field thanks to our punter.

He had a miserable game. It was pretty windy in the stadium but it was a weird wind. Depending on where you looked the wind was doing different things.

On the field, the flags on the goalposts weren’t going crazy and showed opposite directions at times. I don’t think wind on the field was a factor.

Constantinou averaged 32 yards a kick and his longest was only 38 yards Tennessee’s punter averaged 40 yards a kick with a long of 49. I don’t think you can just blame the wind if the other guy is finding better success.

The dagger was his punt from the end zone. When we got the ball on the goal line I was convinced they’d get a blocked punt for a touchdown. I knew Jimbo wasn’t going to be aggressive offensively so I knew we would likely be punting with as little space as possible.

I was right about where we’d be punting from. I just assumed Tennessee had a punt block dialed up. What I didn’t realize was Tennessee has an elite punt returner. He got the ball with a short field and took it to the house.

Randy Bond missed another field goal attempt over 45 yards. He continues to be perfect at missing field goal attempts longer than 45 yards this season. It could have mattered if the punting and offensive line struggles hadn’t mattered more.

How Jimbo doesn’t have a dedicated special teams coach is beyond me. Our special teams have been a massive liability under Jimbo his entire time at A&M.

The only bright spots have been Achane returning kicks and Ainias returning punts. Just raw talent excelling and not scheme or coaching.

Along the way, our special teams issues have contributed to losses against App State, South Carolina, Miami, and now Tennessee in just the last two years. There’s probably a couple I’m forgetting.

They certainly didn’t help against Alabama with the blocked field goal last week.

I can’t figure out if Jimbo can’t see this or just doesn’t care. The Aggie special teams are costing us games. It’s an absolute liability and Jimbo isn’t doing anything about it.

I assume hiring a dedicated special teams coach would help but who knows? The hire of Petrino hasn’t changed anything about our offense.

It’s extremely frustrating special teams have been a massive liability under Jimbo for two seasons and nothing has changed.

Just add it to the frustration list.

Looking Forward:

I hope that Jimbo takes the bye week to correct some of these issues. History says he won’t.

He’ll just focus on fundamentals and “executing better.” He won’t introduce any wrinkles or take advantage of an extra week to fix the glaring issues. He didn’t do it last season and didn’t do it this offseason. Why would this bye week be any different? It won’t.

Let’s be clear – He still has a path to win 10 games. Bama and Tennessee were the toughest tests for me. There’s ZERO margin for error but as of right now, Jimbo Fisher can still win 10 games this season including a bowl win. What a massive season it would be to close out with 6 straight wins.

Even though it could happen it won’t.

We’ll come out sluggish against South Carolina at home and likely eke out a somewhat convincing win.

Jimbo will think we’re back on track. We’ll march into Oxford and get punked by Lane Kiffin in a close game where Lane has a couple of offensive wrinkles that make the difference for his team.

We’ll come back home and beat Mississippi State convincingly. We’ll follow that up with a snooze win over Abilene Christian.

We’ll go to Baton Rouge the Saturday after Thanksgiving and get clocked by LSU where our defense just finally falls apart and their defense has their best performance of the year.

We’ll be 7-5 gassing up the buses for the drive down to Houston for the Texas Bowl. Ironically the same stadium where the national title game will be held.

It’ll be a fitting ending playing in the same stadium as the national championship game. An obvious reminder of how far we really are from the ultimate goal.

Jimbo will say we just have to work on fundamentals and execute better. We’re that close.

Whatever. It’s a tired act.

Just win, Jimbo.