An 'irate' Aggie offensive line motivated to turn anger into success

Turn your anger into motivation and your motivation into success.

I’m not sure who offered that inspirational line. But it’s a line that could inspire Texas A&M’s offensive line.

The guys up front have heard the noise. They know they’re doubted. They’re aware some view them as the weak link in A&M’s 2024 football season.

They’re angry about it.

“It pisses us off,” offensive tackle Trey Zuhn III said last week. “It makes us work harder. We want to be the best offensive line to protect whoever is in the backfield and win games for us this season.”

Everybody who follows A&M football wants that, too.

Perhaps that starts with anger. A line that’s furious is often glorious. Indeed, I rate an irate line as dangerous.

Frankly, A&M needs some anger management. With an angry line, the Aggies should manage more than 136.1 rushing yards per game and less than 30 sacks.

Those were the numbers A&M posted in 2023. Ten SEC teams averaged more rushing yards. Eight allowed fewer sacks.

Therefore, the anger is understandable.

“Kids have pride,” A&M coach Mike Elko said. “It’s not lost on them that maybe we haven’t been what we want to be or what we’re capable of.

“I think you pull on those strings. They’ve all worked extremely hard. We’ve made big strides in the weight room. That was important and needed. I think they’re in better shape physically than they’ve been in at this point maybe in previous years.”

Ah, yes, the previous years. Remember when A&M fielded strong offensive lines?

The Aggies averaged 242 rushing yards behind its greatest offensive line in 2012. They went 11-2.

They averaged 219 rushing yards in 2018. They went 9-4.

They averaged 205.1 rushing yards in 2020. They went 9-1.

That doesn’t happen without stellar blocking.

Stellar blocking is imperative, especially this season. The Aggies face three opponents that were ranked among the nation’s top 32 in rushing defense last season — No. 3 Texas, No. 28 Notre Dame and No. 32 Missouri. Those games could be the difference between a good year and a great one.

Last season, the Aggies couldn’t be counted on to pick up a first down on third- or fourth-and-short.

There are several reasons they could be much better in 2024.

New offensive line coach Adam Cushing is one.

“He’s really very detail-oriented,” Zuhn said. “He makes sure you do your job right. Even if you get the results you want, he wants it to be perfect because that’s what matters on the field. Doing it right every single time.”

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

Collin Klein’s 2023 Kansas State offense averaged 204.1 rushing yards per game to rank No. 12 nationally.

Other reasons include new offensive coordinator Collin Klein and new strength & conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt.

Klein is expected to provide a better scheme. Moffitt has made the linemen stronger.

Also, Zuhn is healthier. He has fully recovered from a knee injury and a torn labrum. Tackle Reuben Fatheree II, who was injured most of last season, is expected back.

Sophomore Chase Bisontis figures to move from tackle to guard, which some consider a more natural position for him.

Help is arriving from the transfer portal in the form of Ar’maj Reed-Adams and Kolinu’u Faaiu.

Further, last year, center Mark Nabou Jr. and tackle Dametrious Crownover got significant playing time. As a redshirt freshman last season, Nabou made 11 starts at center and another at guard.

“We’ve got a lot of experience going into this year, so I’m really excited for that,” Zuhn said. “We’ve had a lot of time to gel together and get our connection strong between each other.

“We’re going to be fighting for each other. We know each other now, so we’ll be able to play together a lot better.”

That would make Aggies a lot happier.