Disaster in College Station
Jimbo has some serious explaining to do as A&M falls 17-14 to Appalachian State.
By: The Hammer
Photo via Meredith Seaver, The Eagle
I can’t believe what we saw Saturday at Kyle Field. As a lifelong Aggie fan, I’ve seen some really embarrassing performances and heart breaking collapses. Perhaps its recency bias, but this might be the worst of them all. Jimbo Fisher is in his 5th year at Texas A&M and he has compiled one of the most talented teams the Aggies have ever had. Yet, Fisher managed to lose to Appalachian State at home, in a game where his offense only managed 7 points.
Before we dive into the unbelievably anemic performance from the Aggies, credit is due to App State. The Mountaineers had a spectacular game plan and executed it to perfection. They played as well as they could have, and really dominated this contest. They kept grinding out possessions with the run game, converted numerous key 3rd and 4th downs, and completely shut down A&M on offense. This was no fluke upset. The Mountaineers were the better team from start to finish on Saturday. The coaching staff and players at App State deserve a ton of credit for taking it to A&M in Kyle Field and walking away with $1.5 million in their pockets.
Now back to the Aggies. Ahem, SEVEN POINTS. Yeah, you read that right, seven points against the same Mountaineer defense that gave up 63 points and 567 yards of offense to North Carolina in week one. Jimbo Fisher’s offense did not rush or pass for 100 yards, and totaled just 186 yards of offense and 9 first downs. This was the worst performance I have seen from A&M offensively in my entire life. Offensive line is inconsistent, play calling is vanilla, and the QB is uncomfortable and inconsistent. There is no rhythm, no urgency. The fact that Jimbo Fisher cannot scheme his playmakers open in his 5th year as head coach and play caller is inexcusable. It’s been this way most of his tenure, with the exception of 2020, and it needs to stop. No more excuses about talent, inexperience, execution, players, injuries, etc. It’s bad coaching and he’s not putting this team in position for success. The only QB who has looked remotely comfortable in Jimbo’s offense was Kellen Mond in 2020, which was his third year in Jimbo’s system and 4th year starting overall. That is not a realistic timeline in modern college football. You need to simplify this system and put your players in position to succeed. End of story.
I’m not here to bash players, and I put most of this on coaching. Sure, execution needs to be better. But every program watches the film after a game and can point out where they need to execute better. If the execution is this poor in year five, it's the coaching staff’s fault. Plain and simple. Whether they aren’t recruiting the right guys (I don't think this is the case) or the staff is not putting the players in a position to succeed, it has to be fixed immediately or this season will be over before it even really begins. The Aggies play Miami, Arkansas and then at Mississippi State and at Alabama in the next 4 weeks. All guaranteed losses if this offense looks anything like it did Saturday so figure it out, Jimbo. His inability to adjust is truly mind blowing and if he can’t let go of his pride, this train could be heading off the tracks.
One more thing worth pointing out regarding A&M under Jimbo Fisher is the slow starts. Holy smokes, we start slow in almost every game and it keeps coming back to bite us in the ass. I’m sure I’m forgetting plenty, but the only big game I can recall a A&M starting fast in recent memory is Alabama in 2021. Now think of all the painfully slow starts we’ve seen in the last few seasons: Ole Miss 2021, Miss State 2021, Arkansas 2021, Kent State 2021, Colorado 2021, Vandy 2020, etc. It happens all the time, and I don’t know what else to draw from this trend aside from the staff not adequately preparing the players. It’s so sloppy and sluggish.
I’m not a hot take kind of guy, and I’m not calling for Jimbo’s dismissal. Given his buyout, that isn't even realistic. Jimbo has done a lot of good while at A&M. He’s won big games and the program is in a better spot than we were when he took over, despite all the comparisons thrown out on social media comparing Jimbo to Sumlin that ignore any context. However, the guy has to adjust offensively. He hasn’t been above average in what is supposed to be his specialty for the majority of his tenure. Just let it go, man. Continue recruiting, leading the team, and be the CEO of the program, but hiring an offensive coordinator and giving up play calling has to happen.
That’s about all I have to say on this horrific performance. It’s just one game and the show goes on. Hopefully the team and this staff learn from it and come back with some vengeance against Miami. It’s a must win. With the talent on this team, they are capable of beating anyone. We saw that with Alabama last year. But until Jimbo gets out of his own way, we will continue to lose games that we have no business losing. Outside of talent, there is no reason for optimism right now. Maybe they figure it out and salvage this season, but I’m not holding my breath at the moment. I will, however, be holding my breath again Saturday as I cheer wildly for the Aggies. Gig em.