The Aggie football team needed a game to get healthy and get their mind right while gaining some confidence back. That’s exactly what happened last night as they dismantled an overmatched Lamar squad in a 62-3 final score. Several younger players got valuable playing time and I think we learned some interesting things about this team. Now, SEC play will begin, and it starts with a home matchup with 8th ranked Auburn. It another chance for this team to prove its merit and move up in the rankings.
What We Learned
This defense is legit enough to take over ballgames. Yes, it was against Lamar, but anytime you can hold an opposing offense to 197 total yards while rotating in 2nd and 3rd stringers for a majority of the second half, that’s an impressive feat. Bobby Brown blocked a field goal and was actually upset that they allowed the second one to be made and lost an opportunity at a shutout. The secondary is vastly improved, and the run defense is still great. They will be tested big time next week as they face an Auburn team that amassed 467 yards rushing in their win over Kent State this week. The Aggie defense only gave up one third down conversion in 16 tries, their best effort since 2000.
Put me in the camp that wants to see more playing time for true freshman Ainias Smith. The slot receiver is shifty and just a flat-out playmaker, something that the receiving corps is desperately searching for at this point. He is explosive when he gets the ball in his hands in space and I think the coaches realized they needed a bit of a jolt from the wideouts and wanted to see what Smith could do this week. Now that he performed well while scoring his first touchdown and leading the team in catches last night despite only playing for the last 18+ minutes, look for him to get some touches earlier against Auburn.
Isaiah Spiller is running like a grown man, not an 18-year-old true freshman. He has looked good in every game but will really be tested next week against Auburn’s vaunted front four. I like the patience he displays while still having enough burst to explode out of his cuts. With him likely being the one to step up and replace Jashaun Corbin (while still using a committee approach with Jacob Kibodi and Cordarrian Richardson), this will help the Aggies play the ball control offense that Jimbo likes so much. They currently rank 16th in the nation in time of possession per game and I look for that trend to continue or even improve with the gauntlet of a schedule they have coming up.
What’s Next
There were still a few lingering concerns for me as I watched the game unfold last night. The lack of push that the offensive line produces has become a growing concern. I do not think it can be as easily dismissed as early season jitters or the offensive line simply taking time to “gel.” Jimbo Fisher and Darell Dickey will have to be creative in how they create a ground game next week against Auburn. They will need to produce some form of a rushing attack to keep the defensive line from teeing off and just coming after Kellen Mond. Still a lot of football yet to be played, but this week will be one of the toughest tests the offensive line faces, so it would bode well for the rest of the season if we could at least scratch out 100 rushing yards against Auburn.
With a fourth of the season already in the books, the Aggies rank 77th in the nation in total penalties with 19 over three games. Jimbo will have to clean this up moving forward as this offense is not explosive enough to overcome 10- or 15-yard self-inflicted setbacks on drives routinely. In games that are close, which the Aggies figure to be in many more times this season, these penalties can derail a drive and be momentum-changers. The other aspect that needs to be fixed and should be addressed immediately is the number of drops from pass catchers. Kellen Mond is a solid quarterback, but he cannot take over and win you games by himself, and he certainly can’t keep you competitive if the receivers cannot hang on to the ball. With five more drops last night, that would have changed Mond’s completion percentage from 71.4% (20 of 28) to an absurd 89.3%. Kendrick Rogers, Jhamon Ausbon, Quartney Davis (who was held out last night as a health precaution) and Camron Buckley are all juniors that have played a lot of football in pressure-packed situations. They need to be able to help out their quarterback and just catch the simple ones while winning about half the 50-50 balls that are a higher degree of difficulty. If they are able to do that, which is not asking much considering we have seen all of them do it at times, then Kellen Mond and this whole offense look significantly better.
Overall, this team has the talent to make 2019 a special season, but it needs to start this week against a top 10 Auburn team. The Tigers have their own limitations with a true freshman quarterback but feature a dominant ground game. It will be strength against strength as head coach Guz Malzahn will want to grind out yards on the ground but Mike Elko’s best unit on a much-improved defense is still the defensive front four. Looking forward to another great opportunity for the Aggies next week and glad we get to play at home in front of the 12th man.
Quick Whits 