14-in-14 2023: Texas A&M Aggies
Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in 2022. A nightmare season on and off the field for A&M that ended with a 5-7 record. It’s put up or shut up time in Aggieland.
By: Hammer
This is a difficult program to judge heading into 2023. It’s been a complete roller coaster for the last few years in Aggieland and I don’t think anyone truly knows what to expect this coming year. Here’s your broken record: The potential for greatness is there but they have to figure it out and actually show it.
State of the Program: 7/12 Biscuits. Ascending...the program has hope and momentum and has a shot to take a step up; There’s not much fast food around, so Burger King will have to do. It strives for the best, and with a few tweaks, it can compete with the best.
Ascending is the wrong word here. Descending would be more apt in the case of the Aggies who have gone from 9-1 to 8-4 to 5-7 in their last three seasons. After the 9-1 Covid year, morale was at an all-time high in College Station, Jimbo got a big contract extension and A&M looked poised to challenge Alabama for SEC West supremacy. Since then, it's been disappointment after disappointment and A&M has not threatened to win the SEC West, or even come close. The only reason this team is not getting six biscuits and being labeled a team right in the middle is the talent. According to 247Sports blue chip ratio, Texas A&M has the fourth most talented roster in the country only trailing Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia. That talent earns them an additional biscuit since it's possible they could have a real jump in 2023.
What went right in 2022?
Not a whole lot went right for the Aggies in 2022. Going 5-7 with the talent on that roster is a crime against college football. Most of the issues in 2022 took place on offense as the defense played a bend don’t break style that kept A&M in nearly every game, leading to the Aggies losing five one-possession games. The defense only allowed 21.2 points per game which was good enough for fourth in the SEC. They had the best pass defense in the conference at just 156 yards per game. The run defense was another story that we will get into later. Overall though, the defense did their part in 2023, especially when you consider how often they were put into horrendous situations thanks to the inept offense. The Aggie defense was on the field constantly (some of that due to their 3rd down issues on defense) and did a pretty dang good job given the circumstances.
Some other things that went right if you are trying to project forward, were individual performances from young players. Wide receiver Evan Stewart had a great freshman season with 53 catches, 649 yards, and 2 TDs. Moose Muhammed also emerged as a playmaker on the outside with 28 catches for 610 yards and 4 TDs. Devon Achane of course balled out and was the entire offense for several games, when Jimbo didn’t inexplicably abandon him. Lastly, Connor Weigman showed promise in his brief time at QB. The true freshman had ups and downs but finished the year with 896 yards, 8 touchdowns, and no interceptions on 73/132 (55%) pass attempts. Keep in mind none of these stat lines are all-conference caliber by a long shot, but given how inept this offense was and how poor the coaching was on that side of the ball last year, it’s almost as if these players showed out in spite of the circumstances. If Bobby Petrino can run a competent offense this year, these are the kinds of players who can really benefit and put up big numbers.
What went wrong in 2022?
What didn't? Everything that could have gone wrong in 2022 for A&M went wrong, and that is not an exaggeration. First, the team was not disciplined on or off the field. The Aggies averaged 6.4 penalties per game, which was 79th in the nation. Off the field, they had countless issues. Several freshmen, including Evan Stewart, were suspended for the Miami game for breaking curfew. Later in the year, several more freshmen, this time not including Stewart were suspended indefinitely after the South Carolina game and ultimately all of those players were not welcomed back and hit the transfer portal, several of which have already been dismissed from their transfer destination.
Next up, injuries. Texas A&M was crippled by injuries in 2022. They were not a good football team even when healthy so this is not an excuse to try and explain how they went 5-7, but the injury numbers are staggering and deserve mentioning. According to 247Sports, the Aggies had 29 players suffer injuries that resulted in 105 games missed. Starters like Ainias Smith, Devon Achane, Max Wright, Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, Bryce Foster, Aki Ogunbiyi, McKinnley Jackson, Fadil Diggs, Jaylon Jones, and Antonio Johnson all missed multiple games. Each of the three QBs who started games missed at least one game due to injury. In short, everyone got injured in 2022. As of the Auburn game in Week 11, the Aggies had started 45 different players on the year.
I’m trying to keep this as short as possible but the amount of things that went wrong in 2022 is forcing me to be long-winded. The main issue defensively was the lack of run defense. A&M was dead last in the SEC in rush defense, allowing 208 yards per game. Pathetic. And now to the offense. God bless you if you sat through every A&M game in 2022 because that offense was an insult to football. It was abysmal. The offensive line was incredibly inconsistent, the quarterbacks were bad for most of the year and generally looked like they had no idea what was actually supposed to happen once the ball was snapped. The play calling was questionable at best, and I don’t simply mean the plays did not work. The play calls never even got into the QB until at least half of the play clock had expired. The entire system was a mess as Jimbo rifled through his 800-page call sheet for 25 seconds before getting a play in. With all the weapons on that offense, the Aggies only managed 22.8 points per game, which was 13th in the SEC.
What the Aggies need in 2023
The Aggies need Bobby Petrino to work his magic on the offense. For as bad as the run defense was, the defense overall was not the main issue. Allowing 21.2 points per game gives you a chance to win almost every Saturday. I think the defense will be improved in 2023, but even if it isn’t, the Aggies can win more games if the offense simply improves to average. They need consistent QB and offensive line play. The talent at skill positions is there, but for the last two years, it's been nothing but a revolving door at both QB and offensive line. A&M desperately needs those positions to have consistency and stay healthy.
Hopefully, Petrino can make the necessary adjustments and call a better game than what we saw with Jimbo a year ago. The Aggies have studs all over the place on offense, it’s just a matter of getting them the ball on time and in advantageous positions so they can make plays. Connor Weigman was named the starter earlier this week, and if he can live up to his five-star hype, this team could be dangerous.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
Texas A&M needs to win more than 9 games to earn more biscuits. It’s put up or shut up time for Jimbo and the Aggies. Really, it’s past that time, but his contract is going to keep him around for at least another year most likely. If A&M can only muster 8 wins, they don’t deserve more biscuits. This roster is elite and anything less than 9 or 10 wins in Jimbo’s sixth year on campus is simply not good enough (and 9 is being lenient).
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