Aggies looking at CFP chance
COLLEGE STATION — Having built a top-10 program midway through his third season at Texas A&M, Jimbo Fisher said there’s no one identity for that amplified ranking.
“I don’t know what a ‘top 10’ looks like. I just know we have to play better than the guy we’re playing,” Fisher said late Saturday night. “That’s all I’m worried about — just keep getting better and keep the self-inflicted wounds down.”
The Aggies did exactly that in a 42-31 defeat of Arkansas on Saturday at Kyle Field, and they climbed a spot to No. 7 in the Associated Press ranking as a result. A&Mbenefited fromold rival Texas’ upset of then-No. 6 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., as the
Cowboys dropped out of the top10 to No. 14.
The Aggies (4-1) had slipped a spot to No. 8 after the prior week’s open date, so they were more than ready to get back to business this past weekend. That slight fall without playing at all is one more reason A&M senior quarterback Kellen Mond said he pays no attention to outside prognostications and opinions.
“If we’re able to focus and lock in each and every week, whatever happens at the end, everything will work itself out,” Mond said.
The College Football Playoff began in the 2014 season, and by late November every year, the Aggies have never been close to contending for one of the four spots available to determine a national champion, a big reason Kevin Sumlin was fired following the 2017 regular season.
This is Fisher’s most well-rounded team since his arrival at A&M, and he has relied on a mix of players he recruited to College Station and veterans he inherited from Sumlin to keep the Aggies in the CFP mix midway through the season. And even if the Aggies don’t win the SEC — second-ranked Alabama is in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot out of the conference — an at-large berth would be a possibility for the Aggies if they run the table.
“We’re far from a polished group, and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Fisher said. “It is encouraging that we’re able to pull out some wins, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to get better. I’m just happy we’re playing as well as we’re playing.”
The SEC is playing 10 regular-season games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Aggies are in good shape to make a run at the playoff halfway through. They play at South Carolina (2-3) at 6 p.m. Saturday and follow that with another road game at Tennessee (2-3).
A&M returns to Kyle Field for games against Mississippi and LSU before closing out the regular season at No. 24 Auburn, the lone ranked team remaining on the Aggies’ schedule.
“There’s still a lot more room where we can grow,” Mond said of any danger of overconfidence following the Aggies’ third consecutive victory. “Everybody on the team knows that.”
That’s not to discount the steady progress of a program that finished 8-5 last year, he added.
“We’re headed in the right direction,” Mond said. “We’re definitely pleased with that.”
A&M won its ninth consecutive game against Arkansas (2-3) — every contest since the Aggies joined the SEC from the Big 12 in 2012. Five of the previous six meetings had been decided by a touchdown or less, but this one slipped away from the Razorbacks late in the second quarter, thanks in large part to an exceptional night by Mond.
“He’s a heck of a football player,” Fisher said of his star senior, “and he’s going to keep growing.”
Mond, en route to the trouble-free victory, became the program’s alltime total yards leader with 10,015, snapping the 9,989 of Johnny Manziel in 201213. Manziel set the original standard in only two seasons, and Mond is a fouryear starter, but Mond’s record is a testament to his asserting himself under two coaches, first Sumlin then Fisher.
“He has confidence in himself,” A&M receiver and running back Ainias Smith said of the self-possessed Mond, “and he has confidence in us.”
Mond finished 21of 26 for 260 yards and three touchdowns against the Razorbacks, who entered the weekend leading the nation with 10 interceptions but failed to collect one Saturday. The A&M offensive line also didn’t allowa sack for a fourth consecutive game, a string of 144 pass attempts.
“They did a really good job of pass protection,” Arkansas first-year coach Sam Pittman said of the Aggies’ veteran line with four senior starters. “They seemed to pick up every blitz, and Kellen was on (target), and his receivers were open.”