Texas A&M Football: 3 Takeaways after the Ole Miss Loss

It’s a strange mix of emotions that I think many Aggie fans have after that game.  On the one hand, it’s another loss to add to the current 4-game streak; not only that, but it’s another close loss where this Texas A&M football team had a great shot to win right up until the very end.  On the other hand, that’s the best the offense has looked by far this year, and the best QB play we’ve seen in at least 2 years, if not longer.  The Kellen Mond performance against Clemson in 2018 jumps to mind, but when you consider that this was a true freshman in Conner Weigman making his first ever start, it seems maybe even more impressive.

Regardless, though, there were plenty of things that left a bad taste in the mouth of the A&M faithful (uneven officiating and the conduct of the Mississippi head coach chief among them).  So what can we take away from this one?  Where does this team go moving forward?  Let’s discuss.

Defense comes up just short

Let’s be fair: it’s hard to blame the defense for much this year.  Even apart from the huge amount of injuries suffered by that unit, there’s been a tremendous amount of pressure placed on them due to the offense’s inability to put up points.  On this particular night, the Aggie defense had an undulating performance— they started off giving Ole Miss whatever they wanted, then tightened up from the second possession until the third quarter, and then, finally, broke.  There were certainly bright spots, but also breaks at key moments.

In all fairness, they stopped the Rebels on the last few plays in order to give the Aggies a shot at winning the game, so in the clutchest moment, they delivered.  But that would not have been necessary if they had, for example, not committed a litany of drive-extending penalties on the first drive of the third quarter.  Admittedly, many were ticky-tack calls of a manner for which the refs seemed determined to not flag Ole Miss, but the fact remains that you can’t give the offense extra chances.

Youth and inexperience have reared their ugly heads at extremely inopportune moments this season for this Texas A&M football team.  Obviously, inexperience turns into experience at some point, but playing an offense like this is a recipe for disaster for young defensive lineman, of which the Aggies played many.

Run game needs to stay consistent

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: Devon Achane is the most dynamic player for the Aggies this season.  As such, his involvement is key to any semblance of sustained offensive success.  Did Conner Weigman shine brightly in his first-ever collegiate start? Yes. Should the Aggies have abandoned the run to the degree that they did in the second half? No.

Give credit to Ole Miss.  They made adjustments that made it tough to run against them in the second half. I understand the thought process somewhat of moving more to the pass after running into adversity on the ground, given this offense’s inability to operate consistently from behind the chains.  But the fact remains that abandoning the run game to the degree that the Aggies did means you’re even more likely to operate from behind the chains.

One more note.  We need to see more of Leveon Moss. He got a carry last night and returned a kick, but he needs to be more involved, especially with LJ Johnson’s status with the team reportedly in flux.  Moss is an explosive runner who has flashed in his extremely limited touches, and could be the future of the position for this Texas A&M football team.  There needs to be a concerted effort from this coaching staff to get him more involved.

Conner Weigman is the truth

I’ve referenced it several times here, but what a game from the true freshman.  I mean, these numbers speak for themselves: 28/44 for 338, 4 TDs, and no INTs.  Per Marshall Levy, Weigman’s performance was good for the best grade among true freshman QBs this season.

https://twitter.com/AggieFootball/status/1586510401927229441?s=20&t=O3zNdyDTYK1_BKaTWZtPxw

He and Evan Stewart, in addition to the other weapons the Aggies have emerging at WR, are a formidable combo.  This is the first true spark of hope for the A&M passing game since Kellen Mond was taking snaps in 2020, and Weigman’s talent clearly exceeds even that of Mond.

This means that, given how the season has gone, it is even more imperative that the A&M coaching staff keep this core of freshmen together.  Of course, with the win-loss record that the Aggies currently have, rumors have begun to swirl about transfers among the talented freshmen class, but I’m not particularly worried.  This is a group that appears to be sticking together and fighting for one another.  Despite events last week, I still think this is a strong culture that Jimbo Fisher has built at A&M.  You have a great shot in each of the next three games, and, if you win all three, to carry some momentum into a huge matchup against LSU.  It’s time for the Weigman era to begin in earnest.

So what did you think?  What were your takeaways?  Let me know with a comment down below.