Texas A&M Football: 5 takeaways from the first half

This team is ready for November

Thus far we’ve talked about the quarterbacks, the offensive line, the defense and special teams. I did not mean for this post to cover each unit, but I think most Aggies will agree this is what stands out at this point.

They all lead to the final thing I’ve noticed so far. Yes, I think this team is ready to take the next step.  They survived a major gauntlet which included an upstart South Carolina team, the best team in the country and a trip to the Swamp. I was in the minority when I said 3-1 would happen and I’m telling you again that I think the Aggies win their next four. If that happens, I will change my pick in the LSU game from a loss to a win.

Sumlin and Mazzone have discovered a quarterback that’s not scared to stick his body in there when fighting for a first down. If we can find some improvement with the offensive line, this offense may finally get going. The only defenses that scare you down the stretch are Auburn and LSU. Finding consistency in the run game and working to keep drives going with the passing game will be a major key going forward.

As for the defense, they will face some offenses that can be very explosive. So, continuing to limit the big play will be something to watch moving forward. What’s been fun to watch is you finally see leaders at all three levels. Barring injury and something crazy happening, I think you can start making plans for late December.

Next: Midseason position by position report card

To wrap this up, this point of the season is always fun to look back and go through the good and the bad.  We did have some ugly but that was so long ago. If the season finishes the way I think it will, that will really sting for a while. But at the end of the day, the experts could no longer say this team cannot finish. The first half was fun, let’s hope the second is as well. Gig Em.