Texas A&M looks to establish new frame of mind against Nicholls State

At no time is the Texas A&M football motto “It’s all about us” more relevant than now.

Sure, one can warn that Saturday’s opponent Nicholls State (1-0) scared the heck out of Georgia in a 26-24 loss last year. 

One can remind that Nicholls quarterback Chase Fourcade, then a freshman, threw two touchdown passes in the game.

It can be pointed out that the Colonels scored 37 points in a victory over McNeese State last week and they’ll be especially motivated to play a “power five” opponent.

“Offensively, Nicholls State is similar to us,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. “It's a zone-read, RPO scheme. They're really balanced. They have a couple receivers that can really go. Their quarterback is effective. Defensively, they keep things in front of them. They're patient on defense. They made strides last year. They won't be intimidated coming in here. They played at Georgia last year. They'll come in here excited, and we have to be ready to play.”

But that really doesn’t matter. What really matters is the Aggies’ frame of mind after squandering a big lead in last week’s 45-44 loss to UCLA.

The Aggies at least are saying they’re in the right frame of mind.

“Great teams have to bounce back,” running back Trayveon Williams said. “That’s what we’re going to do.”

Receiver Christian Kirk echoed that.

“I’m confident we’re going to bounce back,” he said. “We still have a long season ahead of us. There’s no time to dwell.

“A lot of people forget what we looked like in the first half. I was really impressed with how we came out and we were firing on all cylinders and how we executed. That’s still the same team and still have the same guys. We just have to be able to maintain that the entire game.”

Of course, it’s well known that A&M 286 yards rushing at halftime on the way to taking a 44-10 lead late in the third quarter.

Then, starting quarterback Nick Starkel was injured. True freshman Kellen Mond came on and the passing game struggled with questionable reads, errant passes and drops.

The inability to thrown consistently enabled UCLA’s defense then crowded the line of scrimmage to slow down A&M’s running game.

Williams, who rushed for 188 yards in the first half, was limited to 15 in the second half. The Aggies realize for the remainder of the season they will see similar defensive strategies employed by opponents, beginning with Nicholls.

“We're going to be forced to throw the rest of the year,” Sumlin said. “They'll make Kellen be a complete quarterback. We have to address that. It's on tape. It's the same on offense, defense and special teams. You have to address those issues before moving on, whether it's a player or scheme.”

The Aggies may address the passing game issue by giving senior Jake Hubenak more playing time.

Hubenak did not play against UCLA, but did pass for 884 yards in a backup role last season.

Whether it comes via Hubenak’s experience or Mond’s improvement, the Aggies must force opponents to at least respect the passing game, so the running backs aren’t constantly running against eight- or nine-man fronts.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” Williams said. “In that situation I’m going to have to lean on my quarterback and my receiving corps to get it done. And I think they will.”