What a roller coaster of a season for Texas A&M. There were some lofty highs and some deep lows. The 2014 Aggies kept everyone guessing en route to an 8-5 finish. Let’s grade out how they did:
Offense -- B-minus: By the standards set in head coach Kevin Sumlin's first two seasons at Texas A&M, this season was a down one for the offense. The Aggies are used to ranking in the top five or top 10 nationally in offense; this season they were 26th in scoring (35.2 points per game), 30th in yards per game (455.4), and the running game left much to be desired (149.9 yards per game, 82nd nationally). There were flashes of greatness in the season-opening win at South Carolina, the upset at Auburn, and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl victory against West Virginia. There were other times when the unit sputtered or just stopped (Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama come to mind). Some of that is to be expected with first-year starters at quarterback (sophomore Kenny Hill, then true freshman Kyle Allen) so it’s forgivable.
Defense -- F: Finishing last in the SEC in yards allowed per game and rushing isn’t going to cut it. That’s what Texas A&M did for a second straight season, and it cost former defensive coordinator Mark Snyder his job. There were some bright spots, especially from the Aggies’ young players like freshman defensive end Myles Garrett, freshman safety Armani Watts, and freshmen linebackers Otaro Alaka and Josh Walker to name a few. There were also times when the defense shined (at South Carolina, and against West Virginia) or kept the Aggies in a game while the offense sputtered. Ultimately, allowing 280-plus rushing yards, which the Aggies did six times this season, is unacceptable.
Special teams -- A-minus: This season was a good one for the Texas A&M special teams. For the first time in the Sumlin era, the placekicking was solid and without issue (Josh Lambo was 13-of-15 on field goals and perfect on 59 point-after-touchdown kick attempts). The Aggies allowed fewer than 20 yards per kickoff return. The team was 14th nationally in net punting (40.48 net yards per punt). The Aggies were in the top 25 nationally in both yards per kickoff return (22.9) and yards per punt return (12.4). Also, one of the biggest plays of the season came via special teams: the Garrett blocked field goal that was returned by Deshazor Everett for a touchdown in the 41-38 upset win against Auburn.
Coaching -- B: Considering the preseason expectations and everything the Aggies lost off their 2013 team, they finished with a win total many likely expected, going 8-5. It’s how they got there that makes things interesting. The first five games of the season gave fans visions of the College Football Playoff; the next three were a nightmare. The Aggies finished by winning three of their final five. Getting hammered during the midseason three-game losing streak looked bad, but the way the Sumlin and his coaching staff addressed the problems, via personnel and game-plan changes, turned out to be effective, and produced the huge win at Auburn. The season could have easily spiraled out of control and didn’t, and the staff ended the year on a positive note with the Liberty Bowl win.
Overall -- C-plus: The three-game losing streak in the middle of the year is hard to ignore, and finishing sixth in the SEC West is not what this team was looking for -- especially after a 5-0 start. It was a transitional year without a ton of preseason expectations, but it still could have been better. Sumlin hired defensive coordinator John Chavis away from LSU to address the defensive issues, and with a returning quarterback (Allen) the future looks bright in Aggieland.