Of all the Aggie traditions, Disappointment is probably the tradition that stands out during football season. We start out with high expectations, and then we are quickly brought down to earth by a lackluster performance in the first game, followed by inconsistent performance in the subsequent games.Those early season mistakes never seem to go away, and we spend the rest of the season wondering if the next game will be the one where the team finally pulls it all together. Probably not.
This season started out the same way it always has, so a lot of of us resigned ourselves to honoring the oldest of Aggie traditions: Disappointment. But things are different this year, almost imperceptibly so, but definitely different. All those stupid little mistakes and misplays that frustrate us all are slowly disappearing. Not all at one time, but according to a pattern. Coaches are getting more inventive. Players are more disciplined. Momentum is building. This team and these coaches are building something, and it's not an accident. Every week, the product is one step closer to the goal visualized by Coach Elko when he first took the job. All according to plan.
When I looked at the replay of the Missouri game, I didn't focus on all the things the team did right. I noticed the things they did wrong, and the fact that there were fewer of those mistakes than the week before. And looking back on it, I realized that this has been the case with every game: a slow but steady build toward the team that Elko envisions. I do not recall an Aggie season when I was so confident that the team that took the field for the next game would be better than the one that played the week before. It's fun to watch.
This season started out the same way it always has, so a lot of of us resigned ourselves to honoring the oldest of Aggie traditions: Disappointment. But things are different this year, almost imperceptibly so, but definitely different. All those stupid little mistakes and misplays that frustrate us all are slowly disappearing. Not all at one time, but according to a pattern. Coaches are getting more inventive. Players are more disciplined. Momentum is building. This team and these coaches are building something, and it's not an accident. Every week, the product is one step closer to the goal visualized by Coach Elko when he first took the job. All according to plan.
When I looked at the replay of the Missouri game, I didn't focus on all the things the team did right. I noticed the things they did wrong, and the fact that there were fewer of those mistakes than the week before. And looking back on it, I realized that this has been the case with every game: a slow but steady build toward the team that Elko envisions. I do not recall an Aggie season when I was so confident that the team that took the field for the next game would be better than the one that played the week before. It's fun to watch.