Alright, here's the deal: it's time to stop pretending like we're okay with the "close but no cigar" BS against Texas. 2025 is our time to end the streak of disappointment. Mike Elko has our defense looking better than the past, but there are a few other things that need serious work if we're going to show Texas that it's no longer their state. So, here's the straight-up, no-bs guide on what we need to do to beat Texas next year.

1. Quarterback Play: Figure It Out or Get the *****Out
At this point, we've seen enough QB drama to make a soap opera look like a documentary. Every year, we go through who's starting? like it's some kind of reality show. "Will the real quarterback please stand up?" No. We need someone to step up and stop giving us these "close, but no cigar" moments. We need a guy who's not throwing interceptions on 3rd and 8, who can actually make a throw when it matters. Whoever startswhether it's Reed or someone we're not even thinking about right nowneeds to be the guy. No more rotating, no more half-assed decisions. Just win.

If we get this wrong again, it's bad news. Texas' defense is good enough to eat our lunch if we don't have a QB who can actually make them work. Get it together, or you'll find yourself on the bench faster than a kid who forgot to clean his room. Simple as that.

2. Offensive Line: Block Like Your Life Depends on It
Let's be real: the O-line has been about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. If you're part of the O-line and you're reading this, you know what's coming… you've been pretty bad. You've let QBs get pummeled, running backs hit the backfield before they even touch the ball, and quarterbacks looking like they're playing tag with the defensive line. And Texas? They've got some hungry pass rushers who will eat you alive if you don't get your sh*t together.

Here's the deal: You need to play like it's your last game on earth. Protect the damn quarterback. You're not there to look pretty; you're there to keep defenders out of the backfield. Block like your NIL depend on itbecause they do. If you think you can half-ass it against Texas, you're dead wrong. Get mean, get nasty, and do your damn job.

3. Defense: Make Texas Question Every Life Choice They've Ever Made
Elko's defense has promise, but this isn't about promiseit's about results. Texas has the skill to be dangerous if you let them sit back, relax, and make plays. But if you bring the pressure, hit the QB every chance you get, and make every wide receiver feel like they're running through a minefield, that's when the magic happens. The Texas offense is solid, but they're not invincible. Make their quarterback uncomfortable. Make their wide receivers look over their shoulder every time they run a route.

Don't just play good defense…destroy their rhythm. Hit them like it's a grudge match, like they've been talking smack about your mama. No mercy. Force turnovers. Don't give up big plays. Disrupt their offense from the first snap to the last. If we get in their face and make them question every decision, Texas is going to crumble under the pressure.

Conclusion:
It's honestly not that complicated. If we're going to beat Texas, we need a quarterback who can actually throw the ball and keep it in Aggie hands. We need an offensive line that blocks like it's their job (because it is). And we need a defense that doesn't just show up but goes after Texas like a damn wolf pack. No more excuses, no more "we almost had them." 2025 is our year to show Texas that the king of the state has been dethroned, and it's not them.

10% NIL surcharge on every ticket. Tired of the scalpers getting rich.

We don't have student-athletes. We have paid professionals who go where they get the most money.
That is exactly what I would have done at 18 years old.

We need four - 5 star athletes each recruiting cycle.

I like it

Holy *****

You must really be upset.

We're not good. We're an average team that has had one good decade or so.

Outside of having a once in a lifetime player we haven't accomplished anything in a quarter of a century. Nothing this past season suggests that is going to change.

And the Horns success is going to make it more so , with their success only breeding more success, like Spurrier and Florida, Fulmer and Tennessee, Saban lifting LSU and then with Bama, Smart and Georgia, they will be the next preeminent SEC program.

We're like the Mississippi schools. No amount of money, variety of coaches, and highly ranked players has changed that.

The sooner you accept that the better.

NIL is changing the landscape.

SMU is proving it.

Maroon Flash said:

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10% NIL surcharge on every ticket. Tired of the scalpers getting rich.

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Like this from a passive-revenue standpoint. But how would it be enforced on third-party ticket broker sites? Could it?

Because that would be huge.

Just for the Texas game:
10% of average ticket price StubHub is about $110.
With an attendance of 109,000 that amounts to just under $12 million.*

*inflated because not everyone is buying via 3rd party.

I thought so too.

But did we not have the highest ranked class in history, and not just our history but all of college football? What happened?

And regardless, with all things being equal kids still want to play for winning teams (you know doing better than 7-5, 8-4 every year), something we simply can't do let alone sustain.

Someone made a good point earlier today that we haven't had a history of scouting internally well at all.

It's clear Jimbo was attracted to stars, and we know those stars don't always translate on the field.

Forget the dumbass who transferred to LSU, the one who was speeding in the garage in CS. Lots of examples.

Our talent development has been garbage ever since Sumlin arrived. It's clear Elko has started addressing that.

The regression doesn't make a lot of sense, but gotta think that has something to do with lack of depth and wear and tear

It's been 26 years to be exact.

Whatever the problem is, for me at least, appears endemic to certain other schools, like Michigan State, where coincidentally the GOAT had one good year out of five, which was significantly different compared to his five years in Baton Rouge where he went 10-3, 13-1 and a national championship, and 9-3 in his last year. In East Lansing for three years he didn't win more than 6 games.

Now that we've had a couple years with NIL I don't see much changing.

It's Aggie football.

Now baseball on the other hand...