Headed for Independence

It looks like the Aggies have accepted the bid to play in the Independence Bowl on December 28th. Here, the Aggies will be matched up against a very talented underachieving Georgia Bulldog team. The match up with the Georgia Bulldogs is probably the toughest opponent the Aggies could have drawn (others being Auburn and Navy). Again, I personally would have rather taken the Missouri spot to play in the Texas Bowl at home in Houston against an easier opponent in Navy; however, if the Aggies are going to return to the success of the past, they need to start winning these types of match ups. It's not enough just to make a bowl game, at some point you need to climb over the hump and start winning. Nevertheless, it will be good for some of our young players to go up against the size and speed of an SEC defense.

For this game it has been reported some of the UGA staff will not be participating due to conflicts with other job opportunities. I for one do not completely understand why the coaches would need to skip the game; however, I support anything that could potentially give the Aggies some extra help.

UGA D statistics from 2009:
Allow 328 yds/game
Give up 200.6 passing and 127.8 rushing

ATM D statistics from 2009
Probably worse

Aggie Thanksgiving

It's time again for one of the greatest traditions in college football...The TAMU/Texas game gets a prime time spot on Thursday night which is perfect for capping off that food induced coma. You don't have to look back too far to see that this rivalry has little to do with win/loss records (lucky for TAMU) and more to do with emotion and desire. The Aggies are playing for their third win over Texas in the last four years and also to guarantee an overall winning season by defeating their arch rival. Although lately the Aggies have not fared well when they have been put on National TV, this is their chance to rebound after the last tv disaster (I'm not going to mention the specific game but everyone knows which one i'm talking about). Other than the regular benefits to paying well during this game, such as recruiting and exposure, the Aggies get the added bonus of trying to knock off a Texas team destined for the National Championship.

The University of Texas leads the Big 12 in scoring offense with 42.5 points per game, and is second in scoring defense, while A&M is third and last (BIG SURPRISE - our defense sucks), respectively.

I hope everyone enjoys their thanksgiving and remembers to say their Aggie prayers for the game before going to bed.

Bitch Slapped in Norman

I believe I'm at a loss for words when trying to explain what happened last Saturday in Norman. The only saving grace was that I didn't have to be there in person. I not surprised at the fact that we lost as much as the way we Laid down and died midway thought the game. What is with our constant need to look so terrible when we are on national TV? How do you go from being in the game at the end of the 1st quarter 14-10 to being down 42-10 a quarter later? It is unexplainable. The Sooners play well at home, everyone knows that, and we are a young team; however, at some point the excuses have to stop. Our defense (or lack of a defense) was atrocious. The Sooners were able to rack up 640 yards of offense against what looked to be our JV defense. The Aggie defense (again, i use the term lightly) has the innate ability to make any player on the offense look like a Heisman Contender. We let a freshman QB pass for nearly 400 yards and 5 touchdowns - it's inexcusable. This OU team, although good, is not like OU teams of the past. This game reeked of the same stink that was shown against K-state and Arkansas. It showed an immature team that let some of the early mishaps effect our play the rest of the game. What happened to handling a little adversity? We have not shown improvement over the past couple of weeks. If anything, I'd say we have even digressed.

Looking back on the season there have been some bright points, but I'd venture to say there have been twice as many moments that leave you scratching your head. There better be a different team show up this week against Baylor otherwise we could be in for some major problems. Both teams are coming off embarrassing losses so it will be interesting to see how both teams respond.

A side note - i didn't see Bob Stoops taking a knee when they were beating us by 40 like we did when we were only up by around 30 against ISU.

Bowl Games in College Football - Are there too many?

Now that the Aggies are entering the last part of the season the stakes are raised as they try to reach the all important 6 win mark on the season to become bowl eligible. The Aggies, standing at 5-4, do technically have 3 shots to get that sixth win; however, anyone close to the Aggies knows the Baylor game is probably our only shot. Baylor, who is playing without their best player at QB, still is playing hard, but they are not nearly the team they were with Griffin in the backfield. Yes, OU is down this year and we do find ways to somehow beat Texas every now and then, but the odds are not in our favor of those two games. If the games play out like everyone expects, the Aggie Football Team will finish 6-6 and be bowl eligible.

This brings me to my question: Are there too many bowl games in College Football?

Ok, so having six wins does not guarantee you will receive a bowl bid, but, come on, does six wins in a season really justify a team making the division IA "post-season?" This is especially true now that most teams are scheduling complete "cup cake" games to start the season. When did we start celebrating mediocrity? I want the Aggies to do good and go to bowl games, but I also want them to deserve it. I don't believe a 500 record shows a team who deserves it. We have had one signature win against tech, who is not playing their best football this year, and I just don't think that alone is enough to make the cut. I understand it all comes down to money in the end; however, it's this type of thinking that gives you some of the ridiculous bowl games we've come accustom to today. Names like the "California Raisin Bowl" or "Meineke Car Care Bowl" (these are actual bowl games) have plagued college football for too long. It's not long before we end up seeing the Preparation H bowl or the Vermont Viagra Bowl, it's too much. Bottom line, receiving a bowl bid should be a privilege and a reward after a successful season. It should not be just another vehicle to make money.

Ouch...Colorado, Really???

Well, it looks like the roller coaster continues... Some weeks they play great and others they are pretty awful. I do take some fault for the earlier bold prediction

Once again someone must have given the Texas Aggie Defense the wrong directions on Saturday because they definitely did not show up at the game. 35 points to arguably the worst offense in the Big 12, Really? The performance was flat out embarrassing to say the least. I can see if we were playing a power house offense and the game was expected to be a shootout, but that was clearly not the case. No, we were outscored by the 98th ranked offense. Forgetting about the points we left on the field, 34 points should have been enough to win the game against Colorado's sub-par offense. Nevertheless, this does not excuse the Aggie Offense. On 4th and goal early in the game man up and put the damn ball in the end zone. It's missed opportunities like these that end up killing you in the end.

Positives from the game:

Jerrod ties the single season TD record

Von Miller gets 2 sacks

-Who are we kidding, it's a real stretch to find positives when you lose to Colorado.

After suffering this loss the Aggies face a must win coming up against Baylor in 2 weeks to gain bowl eligibility. Yes, OU did also lose last week but come on, what are the chances. I'm not completely counting the Aggies out, but the odds are not looking good (OU opened up as a 16 point favorite). OU has a recent history of success against the Aggies (especially in Norman). Plus, I'm pretty sure they will be pissed off looking to rebound after their own poor performance last Saturday.

Predictions for Saturday

The game this Saturday will showcase two storied programs on opposite tracks. For Texas A&M things seem to be looking up. As I've said all along, we are not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination, but we have made noticeable improvements. We have young talent at key positions on the offense, but naturally struggle with consistency. For the second game in a row the OL was opening huge holes for our running backs who, if given the chance, can do some serious damage. Jerrod is only 2 touchdown passes away from breaking his single season passing TD record. Our defense misses A LOT of tackles and can sometimes look like last year's unit where the first guy never makes the tackle. Nevertheless, they do have their moments where they look tolerable. On the other hand, Colorado looks to be just trying to play out the rest of the season. They have some serious problems and frequently stink up the stadium. Their coach is on the hottest of hot seats and will probably lose his job after the season. Colorado fans are even threatening to boycott and protest the garbage they call their football team.

The Aggies have always struggled at Boulder, but this season seems to be the season to break losing streaks. I haven't felt this way in a long time, but the biggest worry the Aggies should have should be to not beat themselves or play down to the level of their competition.

Saturday's Predicted Outcome: Aggies 38 - Buffalos 24

******UNRELATED NOTE: Be sure to check out this video of New Mexico's Womens Soccer. This chick does not take losing lightly. She's a beast.

Quick Recap: Aggies Lay One On ISU

Quick Recap from Saturday:

Never really in doubt, the Fighting Texas Aggies picked up a solid and convincing win against Iowa State this Saturday in Aggieland. Iowa State, who rolled onto an impressive win the week before against Nebraska, looked like they left most of their starters in Lincoln. The Aggies jumped out to an early 21-0 lead in the first half and never looked back. Johnson added 234 passing yards and accounted for 4 total touchdowns as the Aggies gained a total of 501 yards of offense on the way to their second straight win. Although this victory came against a beaten and battered ISU team, this win answered the question of how the Aggies would respond after an emotional win the week before against tech.

Thoughts and Stats from the Game:

ATM - Over 500 yards Offense

CBs - 2 picks

ISU - Sucks at Offense. Needs to join another conference

ATM DTs - Need some work. They were getting blown off the ball

Offensive Line - Controlled ISU's Defense. Looked good for the most part

Which Offensive Line Will Show Up Against the Cyclones?

This Saturday brings the opportunity for the Texas Aggies to have a statement game. Unfortunately, it also gives the opportunity for the Aggies to fall into the same old familiar trap. The major question: Which offensive line will show up?

In one week we went from -13 yards rushing and 6 sacks given up to 321 yards rushing and 1 sack given up. The offensive line, who against Kansas State looked like they had cement around their feet, looked like the old SWC power football line of year's past. I know there were some changes and shifts in the guard position, but was this the main factor? Did the running backs run harder/smarter? Did moving some personnel around really account for an increase of 330 yards in the rushing game and 5 less sacks? Or, is this the natural progression of young linemen stepping up and essentially growing up?

I know M. Sherman probably had some choice words for his lineman after the K-State beating, and I'm not ready to anoint the line as better because of one game; however, it is nice knowing what they are capable of. Now, Iowa State is the perfect opponent for Texas A&M to prove last week was not a fluke performance. ISU is ranked around 60th as far as rush defense which gives ATM a good opportunity to put up some good numbers against a Big 12 opponent. With that being said, ISU will not be a rollover victory as they are on a little bit of a roll after beating Baylor and Nebraska in the past two weeks.