McGee & Swope share what they hope to see from A&M's offense in November

Texas A&M did not play clean football during its road test at South Carolina. Our favorite former player duo of Stephen McGee and Ryan Swope joined TexAgs Live to discuss the state of A&M's offense, who they want to see emerge moving forward and much more.

Key notes from Stephen McGee interview

• I don't think Saturday's score was indicative of the game. I feel like we were in it and could have won it. They beat us. They punched us in the face and beat us in all three phases. We got outcoached and outplayed. We have to be better at every position. 

• It could be healthy, though. I am not discouraged by this football team. We are reading in the right direction. We are still at the top of the SEC standings the last time I checked. Everything is in front of this team.

• Having a chip on your shoulder can be a good thing. That game set up terrible for us. We were coming off of the big win against LSU. South Carolina is a good football team. We did not play well. Marcel Reed was not the reason we lost. He did some really good things. He had been very clean with the football until this game. The turnovers can't happen. That ball has to be in the third row. It was a misread on the zone read. He pulled it, and the end was waiting for him. He was forced to get rid of it, and it was intercepted. The other issue was the four times the football was on the ground. We only lost one of those, but even when you recover the ball, it sets you behind the chains and is a drive-killer. 

• Losing Le’Veon Moss is tough. Gary Kubiak used to say that good football teams handle crises well. You lost your star player. He was the heartbeat of this football team, especially offensively. He is a tough runner and a really good football player. It is going to be tough without him. Hopefully, Getting Chase Bisontis back will help a little bit. We missed Moss when we needed a few tough yards between the tackles. That's not to say Amari Daniels is not a good football player. He certainly is. 

• It is never too late to try incorporating things into Marcel Reed's offense. Marcel Reed was best in this game with five wideouts. They were still lining up in single-high defense. The easy throws were there. We hit Jabre Barber on a few option routes. There were times when there wasn't anything there, and he took off running. When you are five wide, no one is left in the box. If you escape the rush, you can create explosive plays.

• South Carolina did a good job forcing Reed to give the ball to the running back on zone reads. They wouldn't let him pull it and get out on the edge. When they do that, you have to have plays where you can use Reed's athleticism in the passing game or as a runner. Get him on the perimeter with a sprint-out, naked or keeper. Fake it to the running back and let him roll out. Hopefully, they will incorporate more of that going forward. 

• We have speculated about moving Terry Bussey to running back, getting him some more reps, and getting an explosive playmaker in the backfield. Running back is an easy position for a true freshman to come in and play immediately. The difficulty is when the ball is not in their hands. Are they a complete pass blocker on third down? That is my biggest concern if I were a coach. Do you trust them to understand the front and the protection? You can't just put him in to run the football. The defense would know. Making sure he understands how to line up and the passing game out of the backfield is important, too. He is the answer at running back. He has to step up and be ready to fill that role. I would be shocked if he is not more involved in the running game in the weeks moving forward.

• You could replace the running back with a guard on an obvious passing down, Olin. That is an interesting concept. I could see the Detroit Lions doing that. Dan Campbell would do that. 

• After a game like this, you want to get back on the horse and get back to work. Sometimes, bye weeks can be a blessing or a curse. The benefit of the bye week is we get some guys dinged up healthy. Everyone is dealing with bumps and bruises at this point in the year.

• Get Chase Bisontis one week closer to being back. That is the benefit. You have to have a mature football team to approach the bye week the right way. You can focus on fundamentals, and you have a chance to work on some things that you normally don't get to do. It is good to digest a loss quickly. This one will have to sit on their stomach for an extra week. At the end of the day, I think it is a good thing. I want to see this team bounce back with a chip on their shoulder.

• If we get Bisontis back, I will shift my focus away from the offensive line. The reason I say that is because the O-line isn't bad. I just felt like there were mismatches against a good South Carolina front. We will play some good fronts if we play at the level we want. Without Moss running the football, we need to have good protection. My focus offensively will be on the wide receivers. 

• If Marcel Reed is your quarterback, you expect him to be able to do a lot of different things and have a different look with a quarterback that's active in the run game. I think that has to be the strength of any offense with a quarterback, as athletic as Marcel is, no matter the front. No matter the look.
   
• Marcel has to be the kid we saw against Florida and LSU in the second half. He has to be a spark plug for this football team. The other guy is Jabre Barber. He has come on strong in the last couple of weeks.

Key notes from Ryan Swope interview

• I will always remember when Mike Evans came in as a freshman to the indoor facility and mossed Dustin Harris. I knew from that point on that he was different. He was the greatest teammate I ever played with. He would go to war for you. He wanted to go dig out a linebacker or safety. He is a physical receiver. He has an unbelievable ability to go up and get the football. 
   
• I had a block against Mississippi State on a Johnny Manziel run that would be targeting now. I would have been ejected. 
   
• I am disappointed in the game's result, obviously. South Carolina was the more physical football team. They won in the trenches. They were more disciplined than we were. We had a bunch of stupid penalties. We put the ball on the ground. It was a costly interception on a bad decision by Marcel Reed. We were going the wrong way on first and second down. We were in third and long and could not get in a groove.
   
• I think we can beat that football team. They are well-coached, but we were ultimately outcoached. 
   
• I would rather have the bye week than another game. It is tough. You're banged up. You can go back to the film room and make some adjustments and corrections to be more efficient on offense. 
   
• If Marcel is our guy from now on, let's game plan differently. Let's do some designed runs for him. We lost our best running back and must switch it up slightly. Get Reed out of the pocket and in space doing some different things. The bye week should help us to implement some new things. 
   
• I don't think he played badly. He made some bad throws here and there, and the ball slipped out of his hands a couple of times. They need to clean that up. I also saw a lot of good things. He was making some nice throws on the run. 
   
• I love Jabre Barber. He is emerging. He is the first guy I have seen all year that can be a difference-maker. Other than that, our receiving corps is average at best. We have to be better there. Barber is talented. I thought he played well.
   
• Barber and Reed are starting to build some chemistry. You can see them on the same page. You can see Barber settling down in a voided defense. Marcel was picking up on it and figuring it out. That is exciting for me. I watched the game with Stephen McGee, and we discussed the lack of speed. Look at the Kansas City Chiefs. They go after guys who are fast and can separate. We don't have that. 
   
• Terry Bussey can do that. I think he will be in the backfield now. It is a big ask to switch him to the backfield. I don't know how complex the offense is. I think you can do it. You can simplify some things.
   
• You have a fast guy, elite, and has speed. He is young, but he can make a difference. As a coach, you are trying to figure out how to get him involved without overwhelming him. It is not too big of an ask. I am excited about Bussey. Let's throw him in the fire and see what he can do. That is the only way you find out how a kid will respond. I think the coaching staff is trying to figure out how to utilize him. He has elite speed and playmaking ability that we lack. 
   
• From a big-picture perspective, they have exceeded my expectations. I would have never thought we would be at the top of the SEC. We have a first-year coach with a young team, and we weren't sure where the identity was going to come from. This last week was humbling. We got smoked. I think we bounce back. I am not worried. I love Mike Elko. Elko admits that they were outcoached. They are working their ass off this week.
   
• They are getting healthy. I think they come back to a different football team after the bye. I think we will beat Auburn.
   
• Being 9-2 heading into the Texas week would be an incredible year. I was hoping for six or seven wins coming into the season.
   
• This game humbled our football team. We got whipped. Sometimes, you need that to wake up. I think this was the right time for our team to wake up. The lesson is that you have to be there mentally every week. You have to execute. You have to be disciplined about your assignments and finish the play.
   
• I love the SEC. You have to show up every week. If you don't, and the other team does, you will get your teeth kicked in.