O-line paving the way for Aggies
Veteran unit has allowed one sack and played a key role in upset over Florida
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M center Ryan McCollum glanced around Kyle Field on Saturday afternoon and his heart felt warm, a season after his back felt bad.
“It was fourth-and-2, and we were running it,” McCollum fondly recalled of one of his favorite plays from A&M’s 41-38 upset of Florida on Saturday. “You look to your left and right at your offensive line, and you say, ‘Get this done. We’re getting this first down.’ ”
The Aggies got that and much more on running back Isaiah Spiller’s bruising 19-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. McCollum said A&M coach Jimbo Fisher’s recent propensity for turning to the run on third and fourth down has inspired the veteran line.
“Our whole offense is clicking,” said McCollum, a former Klein Oak standout. “If one of us messes up, another one picks up the slack.”
The No. 11 Aggies (2-1) play at Mississippi State (1-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday, and the messes have been few along the offensive line three games into a 10-game regular season. The line’s solid play has been in stark contrast to last season, and Fisher gets riled up when asked about the line’s past faults.
“It’s, ‘Well the offensive line gave up a sack …’ No, maybe it was a receiver who ran a wrong route, maybe he went too deep, maybe he didn’t get open in a one-onone coverage and made the quarterback hold the ball,” Fisher said. “Maybe the quarterback made a bad read. … The obvious
to everybody is not obvious. Sacks don’t always go on the offensive line.”
No matter the perpetrators last season, the Aggies allowed 2.62 sacks per game, worst in the SEC and 107th nationally out of 130 teams. Thirty percent of the way through this season, they’re tied for third nationally with one sack allowed.
That occurred in an opening victory over Vanderbilt, and since then A&M has not allowed quarterbacks Kellen Mond and Haynes King, who played one series against Alabama, to be sacked against the No. 2 Crimson Tide (a 52-24 A&M loss) and then-No. 4 Florida.
“We don’t really look at the sacks,” McCollum said, brushing off any early pats on the back. “Because Kellen still got hit, and that’s not OK with us. A perfect game for us is he never gets touched. There’s still a lot of room to grow because he’s getting hit too much. We need to clean that up.”
The Aggies’ offensive line, save for sophomore left guard and former five-star prospect Kenyon Green, has grown up together at A&M. McCollum, in and out of the lineup last season with a back injury, tackles Dan Moore Jr. and Carson Green and right guard Jared Hocker all are seniors, and Fisher pointed out offensive line typically is a unit void of shortcuts to improvement as snaps add up.
“The one group through that whole thing, if you really grade the film, our offensive line was excellent,” Fisher said of the unit’s collective showing against Florida. “It’s amazing what maturity can do. You’ve got guys who’ve played in (a lot of ) games, guys who recognize blitzes and recognize stunts … and guys can’t always do that as freshmen.
“Your quarterback is also more experienced, so he can read (defenses) and get the ball out quicker.”
McCollum’s robust presence epitomizes the offensive line’s renaissance. He fought through the recurring back injury last season to lock down starting center in camp.
“It was tough,” McCollum recalled of being in and out of the lineup in 2019. “Some games I wouldn’t be able to play, and some games I would be able to, and I’d think, ‘Maybe I’m getting healthy again.’ Then on Sunday or Monday morning after a game, I wouldn’t be able to walk how I’m supposed to. It was really tough mentally, and I was starting to get down on myself, wondering, ‘Will I ever be the same? Will I ever be able to play football again?’
“But over (the COVID-19) quarantine, I got healthy and started feeling good.”
McCollum, an avid golfer since he was in elementary school, said he gave up the relaxing sport for now because “I figured out it was hurting my back.” He added that the overall wearisome experience of last year is never far from his mind during his senior season.
“It drives me to do my best every day,” McCollum said, “because it all can be taken away in the blink of an eye.”