Momentum Shifts: Aggies must refocus on themselves during bye week

I think it is safe to say that Aggies – the team and fans alike – did not get what we wanted out of the Arkansas game. We came out with a win, but we expected much more. We wanted to see a team dominate from the first snap and give us hope for the rest of the year, something we never really saw in SEC play last year, either. Going into the bye week with Alabama rolling into town next, the optimism we once had for this season seems to have diminished. Everyone has been waiting for the big jump between year one and year two, and it just hasn’t happened

There are two momentum shifts that I’m going point out that I think can tell us a lot about the rest of the season. The first is the bye week coming at the perfect time. As dumb as it may sound, regardless of how we looked, we still beat Arkansas. That means we have positive momentum going into this off week. Bye weeks are used to turn your focus inward, something I think this team has struggled with so far. Being around Kellen for a year, he was never a vocal guy; he would outwork anybody and people wanted to follow that. That’s the kind of leader he is, but I heard him say that he thinks he got himself a little too excited for the Clemson game because it was Clemson.

That’s just one example of us focusing too much on the opponent and not enough on yourself. Alabama is the model for what every college program wants to look like, and week in and week out, they dominate because they focus on Alabama and not who they are playing. When you watch their film, they are one of the simplest teams you’ll prepare for all year, but they do their job, and they do it the best. I think for this A&M team to have a chance against Alabama and finish the season strong, they have to worry about the name on their chest.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

How Jimbo Fisher and Kellen Mond handle the bye week will be pivotal for the remainder of Texas A&M’s season.

I feel like one of two things will happen: Either the Aggies will spend two whole weeks preparing for Alabama and be so focused on beating them that they over-prepare and leave themselves in a bad spot for the rest of the year. Or they can take this bye week to truly focus on bettering themselves and making sure that they are ready to make a strong run for the rest of the season. A&M wants to be like Alabama. That means making sure the team is running its base stuff to near perfection.

I hope this team chooses the second option and comes out of this week with a new focus and confidence that they are one of the best teams in the country and can compete with anybody.

My second momentum shift is a key moment from the Arkansas game. With 7:35 left in the game on our 26-yard line, Kellen scrambled for 18 yards and a first down. This ultimately helped A&M chew some more clock and kick a field goal that made it a 4-point game. If that play doesn’t happen, Arkansas gets the ball with plenty of time to score and only needs a field goal to take the lead. We all have been asking for Kellen to make a play with his legs, and he finally did. That was a huge takeaway from the game; he didn’t seem hesitant to take off and run. Going into Alabama, I feel like he will be able to trust himself as a runner again. Kellen is a playmaker, and the sooner he realizes it, the sooner this team can take off.

I felt like this play came at a perfect time with the Tide looming. It is pretty well documented that the Alabama defense struggles with one thing consistently: the dual-threat quarterback. It doesn’t happen often, but the rare times that Alabama has been beat, it typically comes against a mobile quarterback. The reason for that is their scheme doesn’t really account for the quarterback being able to run. Their philosophy is that their four-man rush can create enough problems that they can drop seven guys into coverage. When a quarterback can maneuver himself through or around that rush, the guys in coverage have their backs turned to him.

Of course, this is a lot easier said than done, but Kellen has gained enough respect as a passer that the Tide will drop guys to stop the pass. When they do, he is going to need to use his legs in critical moments just like he did against Arkansas. These aren’t designed runs I’m talking about; it’s about a guy standing in the pocket deciding that he’s going to make a play to change the course of the game and give his team every opportunity to win. Kellen’s legs could ultimately be the biggest key in taking down Alabama and finishing the season right. 

MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
American Momentum Bank, with total assets of $1.7 billion, is an independently owned bank headquartered in B/CS. It has 20 full-service banking centers in Texas and Florida. Mr. Donald Adam, CEO, is A&M class of ’57 and Market President Frank Varisco is class of ‘82.