It has been a frustrating month for Aggie football, but the Maroon & White look to get back in the win column when they face Auburn on Saturday. Former A&M wide receiver Ryan Swope offered his thoughts on the losing streak and shared who he'll be watching this weekend.
Key notes from Ryan Swope interview
- I'm ready to talk about the positives. I'm ready to talk about a win, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem like that's going to happen anytime soon.
- We have to have a full roster of guys show up. That would help. Hopefully, there are no more suspensions. Hopefully, there is no more flu rolling around the locker room. Hopefully, these guys are ready to throw on the shoulder pads, strap them up and go play football. Hopefully, we can put the off-field problems to rest. I want to see these guys go play football. There are some internal problems and locker room issues that we will never know about. I feel for some of these kids, like Devon Achane, who give it all they have, day in and day out. I feel for him because he wants to win, but they just don't have a team that is reaching the standards. We have struggled as a team from a leadership standpoint. I want to see it get better, but it's not looking that way.
- Evan Stewart and Moose Muhammad have a chance to be one of the best duos in college football. We just have to find the guy that can get them the football and protect our quarterback. Stewart and Muhammad have already proven their caliber. They have the ability to get open and catch the ball at the highest point.
- Muhammad is a smart football player. He spends a lot of time in the film room and gets extra work at practice. It shows. You can tell he loves the game. He is a competitor. He wants to be there and wants to win. You can see that he wants to win a championship. He has strong hands and runs great routes. All of that comes from the extra stuff he is doing off the field. He has a feel for the game and is intelligent. He knows what he's doing and can read coverages to get open. That's huge in this day and age.
- It's tough to figure out our run defense. Tackling is an issue, and it goes back to fundamentals. We're not wrapping up, and we're not swarming to the football. That's one of those things you have to work on. I hope they had a physical week of practice, and I hope the coaches are flipping the switch. Look at Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. I know those guys practice at a high-level week in and week out. I hope we're doing that, too, because it transfers to the game. I hope we're not thudding at practice. You have to be physical in practice because when you stop that, it transfers to the game.
- This is a big game. I sense that there are some internal problems. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what is going on, but all you can do is rally and execute. I think we will get it done this weekend. I say that every week. I do think we have an opportunity to win this week. They are still playing for a lot. I'd love to see this team win out, and it would say a lot about the character of this team and the ability to take nothing and turn it into something. There is a lot to be played for, including pride. I just hope we can get it done, and it would be great to come back to Kyle Field with a win under our belt. There is still a lot on the line.
- Florida got it done this weekend. It's hard to hand out ribbons when you're losing, and I don't like doing it. Achane gets it done every week. He is the most consistent guy. I heard he was even playing through flu symptoms. That's a guy that wants to win. I've had the flu and played through it, so I know he could have easily hung it up. He has way more pride, and he balled out. I respect that.
- Our A&M defense did not get it done this week. We've given up nearly 700 rushing yards over the last two weeks, so it clearly needs improvement.
- I think the Aggies get it done this weekend, but I think it will be a close game. At the start of the year, we hadn't started games really fast. Now, I think we have a problem finishing games. I would love to see this team play a four-quarter football game and execute on all cylinders. If we do that, we'd win by two or three touchdowns. It's just a matter of doing it.
