Fisher’s play-calling flops again
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Texas A&M on Saturday served up another prime example of why coach Jimbo Fisher's primary offseason duty should be recruiting... a play-caller on offense to take his place in that role.
The 17th-ranked Aggies for a fourth consecutive week were awful on offense, this time in a 42-24 loss at Mississippi State. A&M didn't score its first touchdown until late in the third quarter while already trailing by 18 points.
This past week, Bulldogs coach Mike Leach said A&M fans “hated” him when he coached Texas Tech. That passion is not past tense. Leach was 7-3 against A&M while leading the Red Raiders from 2000-09 in the Big 12, and now he's won two straight against the Aggies in a different league.
“I don't know, I hope so,” Leach said late Saturday when asked if he had A&M's “number” over the decades. “...They're a great, legendary team, on and off the field.”
Nothing was legendary about A&M's performance on either side of the ball — and throw in special teams — for A&M (3-2, 1-1 SEC), which played its first true road game of the season. The Aggies' offense, which has stumbled throughout the season under Fisher's direction, especially had the look of a deer in headlights against the Bulldogs — only the lopsided game was played in broad daylight.
“We've got good players, and we'll keep going,” Fisher said when asked about the progress of his program in year five. “We'll keep sawing wood and do the things we've got to do, and get there. We're not where we want to be, no doubt. We've got to get better.”
Fisher has said this season he would be willing to relinquish play-calling and focus on head coaching duties at some point if it meant more wins for the Aggies. A year ago, Leach and the Bulldogs defeated the Aggies, 26-22, in College Station, one of the more surprising losses of the Fisher era. This loss wasn't nearly as startling, considering A&M's perpetual inadequacies on offense this season.
A&M blew multiple scoring opportunities prior to its first touchdown with 2:35 left in the third quarter, most glaring among them a fumble by running back Devon Achane early in the second quarter on the MSU 8-yard line in a scoreless game.
Freshman receiver Evan Stewart also dropped what should have been an easy touchdown catch nearly midway through the third quarter, resulting in a 24yard Randy Bond field goal and the Aggies' first points in gnawing a bit at a 14-0 halftime deficit.
MSU (4-1, 1-1) put away the game with a little more than five minutes left in the third quarter when the Bulldogs' Emmanuel Forbes blocked a Bond field goal attempt and Decamerion Richardson returned the ball 50 yards for a touchdown and a 21-3 MSU lead.
“They played better than we did and coached better than we did and just won the game, period,” Fisher said. “We had critical errors in all three phases.”
The Aggies had three drops of potential interceptions of MSU quarterback Will Rogers in the first half, as well, including what would have been a sure touchdown by safety Antonio Johnson.
“We just have to execute better, know our assignments and not have the busts... they weren't really busts, but just know our job better,” A&M safety Demani Richardson said.
Meantime, the Aggies failed to pressure Rogers, who coolly completed 31 of 45 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions and zero sacks as he dominated A&M's defense for a second consecutive season.
Last year it was against then-A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko, Duke's new head coach, and this year it was against firstyear A&M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. Fisher does not allow his coordinators to visit with the media during the season, so Demani Richardson was left trying to explain the defense's soft approach in trying to slow Rogers.
“I can't blame it on the D-line,” Demani Richardson said of the Aggies' inability to pressure Rogers. “We have to cover them better and execute better.”
A&M quarterback Max Johnson left the MSU game in the fourth quarter with a left (throwing) hand injury and was replaced by Haynes King.
Fisher said afterward he didn't know the extent of Johnson's injury. A&M offensive guard Jordan Spasojevic-Moko also left the game with a left leg injury and was on crutches afterward, a blow to an already flailing offensive line.
The Aggies turn their attention to No. 2 Alabama, a 49-26 winner at No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville, Ark.
A&M and Fisher defeated Alabama 41-38 last October at Kyle Field, the first time one of Nick Saban's former assistants had defeated the iconic coach in 25 tries. Georgia's Kirby Smart then did it again in the national title game, a 33-18 Georgia victory.
“Whenever you get a setback you've got to keep rolling and get your confidence back and keep going,” A&M offensive lineman Layden Robinson said. “I believe we're going to do that in preparation for Alabama this week.”