Texas A&M football: 5 thoughts midway through the regular season
By Jeff Shull
Robert Ford
As we hit the midway point of the season, the Aggies stand at 4-2. This was the record everyone thought would be the case. Had a break or two fallen their way, this team could be 5-1 and on the verge of being ranked in the top 10.
The rest of the season will be interesting to see if the defense can maintain their solid play and if the offense will catch up from a production standpoint. I thought going into the season the defense would win a game or two, I’ll say they won the Kentucky game, Aggie fans will need them to win one or two more to get to nine wins.
I’ll keep with my preseason prediction, the Aggies will get to nine wins and will beat LSU. The only other loss will come to Mississippi State.
Mary Catherine McCord
To pull from Harry Potter, the 2018 Texas A&M Aggies have “Exceeded Expectations” in my opinion. At the halfway point of this season I expected the Aggies to be 4-2, but it’s the way the Aggies have played that has really caught my attention. To play Clemson down to the final snap and to beat a good Kentucky team in overtime after allowing them to tie the game up in the final minutes is not something a Kevin Sumlin-led team would have been able to do.
I see this group of Aggies going 4-2 the rest of the way, dropping the season finale to LSU in Baton Rouge and either the game at Auburn or at Mississippi State. That would give the team another 8-4 regular season finish, but considering the schedule and the quality of the losses it would be a much better 8-4 than in past years. Jimbo Fisher is going to lead some championship caliber teams at Texas A&M, and if he can get this group to win big time games in November I can confidently say that will be sooner rather than later.
Luke Leifker
Midway through the season, Texas A&M’s front-seven has been nothing short of spectacular. A&M has one of the best defenses in the country against the run. I also love how A&M has controlled the time of possession so far through the season, and Trayveon Williams (who is one of the top running backs in the country) has had a large say in that.
At this rate, the Aggie defense is on pace to play the equivalent of four less games than they did last season – and this should do wonders in terms of our stamina heading into the second half of the season. While quarterback and defensive back play has been inconsistent, A&M looks to be a very solid football team that will compete for second place in the SEC West.