Additions and experience lead to higher expectations of A&M's offense
When age is the topic, 30 is a number for apprehension.
If a fielding college football team for the ages in the topic, 30 is a number for aspiration.
Why 30?
Well, all 12 teams in last year’s College Football Playoff were ranked among the nation’s top 30 in scoring offense. They all averaged at least 32.9 points.
Here’s a novel concept: Teams that score the most points tend to win the most games. It seems to work out that way on the scoreboard every game.
Not surprisingly, those playoff teams were also strong defensively. But one-third of them were not among the nation’s top 30 in defense.
Indeed, Clemson, which allowed an average of 23.4 points, was tied with Vanderbilt and Kansas State for 49th in scoring defense.
This isn’t meant to debunk the age-old cliche that proclaims defense wins championships. It merely points out the importance of productive offenses.
Which brings us to Texas A&M, who will soon open spring football drills.
Defensively, the Aggies were ranked 34th. That’s higher than playoff teams Clemson, SMU, Arizona State and Boise State.
However, the Aggies were 50th in scoring offense with an average of 30.4 points per game.
As you probably know — unless you’ve blocked it out of your mind — A&M scored just 13 in a 10-point loss to Notre Dame and seven in a 10-point loss to Texas. The Aggies also scored 20 in a loss to South Carolina.
In three of its four regular-season losses, A&M scored a total of 40 points.
That would seem to suggest a more explosive, higher-octane offense is the difference between another eight-win season and a playoff appearance in 2025.
Here’s the good news: When looking through my bifocals, this old guy foresees an A&M offense that scores 30-35 points per game next season.
Call me senile. Say my bifocals are Maroon-tinted. Remind me that I predicted a breakout season for former quarterback Conner Weigman at this time last year.
The Weigman misfire still baffles. But predicting a high-scoring A&M offense is not a symptom of delusion.
Here's why: A&M scored at least 31 points in eight games last year.
That was with Weigman’s struggles, backup quarterback Marcel Reed’s inexperience, a lack of speed at receiver, key injuries at running back and an unproven offensive line.
All those areas and issues are projected to be in better shape next season.
Whenever A&M has had exceptional success in the Southeastern Conference (2012, 2013, 2000), the Aggies have had a strong offensive line.
Last year, the Aggies’ rushing offense was 26th in the nation. They were fourth in the SEC in sacks allowed.
Those are the indicators of a strong offensive line.
It should be better this year.
All starters return in the lineup. Center Mark Nabou Jr. is back from injury. Tackle Trey Zuhn III and guards Chase Bisontis and Ar'maj Reed-Adams are all-conference contenders. There is depth, too.
Also, they’ll be in their second year under line coach Adam Cushing.
The line should be even better.
“The offensive line is as good of a starting point as we have in a really long time,” A&M coach Mike Elko recently told Billy Liucci in an exclusive TexAgs interview. “Your starting five in the opener last year… every single one of them is back. Your next starter to go in a game was Kolinu'u Faaiu, and he’s back. The next guy on the outside who started and played a lot of snaps was Reuben Fatheree II, and he’s back.
“Truly, you have your top-seven back and ready to go into next season. When you’re starting there with the high-end talent that we have, it’s a good anchor and a good place to start.”
That’s just the start.
Last year, running back Rueben Owens was lost to an injury at the beginning of the season. Then, Le’Veon Moss was lost at the end of a season. Moss still earned All-SEC acclaim.
Their return, along with Amari Daniels, gives A&M arguably the best group of running backs in the SEC.
The Aggies will also be faster at receiver. The transfer portal additions of Kevin Concepcion and Mario Craver ensure as much. Two seasons ago, Concepcion had nine catches for 30 yards at North Carolina State.
A&M may have another developing big-play threat in sophomore Terry Bussey. Bussey had only 17 catches for 216 yards as a true freshman, but he arrived at A&M as a small-town quarterback earmarked to play cornerback.
Remember, Bussey didn’t move to receiver until mid-August.
“We’re going to be able to do much more with him headed into the spring,” Elko told Liucci. “From a diversity standpoint, he and Rueben Owens have unique skill sets in terms of the different ways to utilize them and the two of them together. You can get pretty creative.”
Second-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein needs to create an offensive system that can best utilize all the offensive talent on hand.
That starts with the elusive Reed at quarterback. Last year, he was mostly solid, and at times spectacular, in his role as a backup and then starter.
As the full-time starter, he figures to be much, much better. He can run. Just ask LSU. He can make plays off-schedule. He did as much on a 60-yard touchdown pass to Cyrus Allen in a win over Florida.
More experience. More confidence. More help. An offensive more tailored for him. These are all legitimate reasons to expect much more from Reed.
It shouldn’t take much more for A&M to move into the nation’s top 30 offenses. That would, at least theoretically, lead to more wins.
And more wins would lead to… well, you know the aspirations around here.