Aggies seeking a faster start in reunion with former Big 12 foe
DENVER — Texas A&M defeated Kent State 41-10 a week ago at Kyle Field. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds for the No. 5 Aggies.
A&M led only 10-3 in the third quarter before finally getting on track offensively in its opener, and, for nearly three quarters, the contest was quite similar to a year prior, when the Aggies eked out a 17-12 victory over Vanderbilt in the 2020 opener.
The Commodores failed to win a game all season. A&M has been a good second-half team under fourth-year coach Jimbo Fisher, and his emphasis on conditioning during the week often shows up in the fourth quarter.
The Aggies need faster starts, however, if they truly intend to compete for their first national title since 1939.
Five things to watch:
Will the Aggies enjoy a fast start against Colorado?
The proof will be in the playcalling — and primarily execution of said playcalling — but both the Aggies and the Buffaloes started slow in Week 1, and
Colorado eventually prevailed 35-7 over Northern Colorado.
Older A&M fans are crossing their fingers for a swifter start as Colorado has won four of the five previous meetings in Boulder, Colo. This is the first time the former Big 12 foes will meet in Denver, at Empower Field, home of the NFL’S Denver Broncos.
Colorado, a national power 30 years ago that hasn’t been decent in a couple of decades, also owns a 6-3 series advantage. The Aggies and Buffaloes haven’t played since 2009, when Fisher was still coordinating Florida State’s offense under the late Bobby Bowden.
How will Haynes King look in his second start?
The quarterback appeared more composed as the Kent State game wore on, and Fisher said he was impressed with his redshirt freshman’s in-game adjustments. Fisher said King often knew what he needed to correct before Fisher could correct him — and Fisher typically doesn’t mess around on that front.
King threw three interceptions, but two were off a carom and a deflection. Still, last year’s starter, then-senior Kellen Mond, threw three interceptions all season, which consisted of 10 SEC games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fisher said he was thrilled with King’s wherewithal and progress, but we’d expect him to say nothing less with plenty to improve on for the young slinger moving forward.
Has A&M’S run defense taken a step back from last season?
The Aggies allowed 226 yards rushing to the Golden Flashes, which would have been a season high by an opponent last year. A&M finished second nationally against the run in 2020, with a high by an opponent Arkansas’ 222 rushing yards.
A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko focused on slowing Kent State’s passing game, and in turn left the Aggies susceptible to big gains on the ground — bigger than they were anticipating no matter the scheme.
A&M safety Leon O’neal labeled the Aggies’ showing “unacceptable,” and A&M should have its hands full against the Colorado rushing attack. The Buffaloes outgained Northern Colorado 281-20 on the ground, and four Colorado running backs scored a
touchdown on the ground.
Can receiver Demond Demas live up to his five-star billing?
Demas is incredible at performing on-field backflips and skying for catches in practices. He’s yet to show he can be a consistent contributor in the Aggies’ offense, however.
Demas, a redshirt freshman, hasn’t earned meaningful snaps in about three years at any level after he was ruled ineligible by the UIL in the fall of 2019, his senior season at Tomball. He barely played last season at A&M, and at 6-3, 180 pounds, had trouble getting off the line against burlier defenders.
Demas turned in a strong spring, but a foot injury sidelined him for about six weeks, and he finally returned to practice full time about two weeks before the opener. Bottom line is he must prove himself in practice before earning plentiful opportunities in Fisher’s complex offense, and that’s yet to happen.
Fisher continues preaching patience when it comes to one of A&M’S highest-rated recruits at receiver in program history.
Is Fisher’s program where it needs to be to beat Alabama?
Nowhere close, but he’s quite aware with the SEC West foes colliding on Oct. 9 at Kyle Field. Should the favorites prevail between now and then, both programs will be undefeated for A&M’S biggest game in memory.
Based on the Aggies’ slow start against Kent State and top-ranked Alabama’s dominance of Miami from the start last Saturday (44-13 in Atlanta), A&M has tons of ground to make up over the next month if it intends to give the Crimson Tide a contest before more than 100,000 raucous fans in College Station.
Last year the Aggies caught Alabama in Week 2 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and lost by four touchdowns to the eventual national champions in what turned out to be A&M’S lone setback of the season. This year, the Aggies have a little more time to prepare for Nick Saban’s powerhouse program.