Texas A&M football: 4 takeaways from embarrassing loss to Mississippi State
By Jeff Shull
Pass coverage finally cost them a win
Giving up big plays in the passing game has been an issue for the Aggies all season long, even in victories. They were gashed by Clemson and Alabama, but also surrendered big plays to Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina that kept the scores close when they should have been easy victories.
The offense was able to do just enough to win in those games, but Mississippi State’s elite defense lived up to their ranking and held the Aggies to just 13 points.
We touched on it already, but the defense had by far its worse game of the season. I say that knowing full well how many points they gave up to Alabama. That offense is averaging 54 points per game. Mississippi State’s offense scored 16 points combined against Kentucky, Florida and LSU. They were one of the worst offenses in the country.
Yet Nick Fitzgerald did whatever he wanted in the passing game. He came into the game averaging 93 yards with no touchdowns and six interceptions in conference play, and completing just 46 percent of his passes on the entire season. He finished with 241 yards and two touchdowns on 14 completions. Another 84-yard completion to Guidry was basically a third TD pass.
Most of his damage came on third down, which makes it that much more devastating.
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The Aggies turn to another struggling offense in Auburn next weekend. They can’t afford another poor performance like last night.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.