Johnny Manziel has never been a guy to keep his true feelings hidden, so it was no surprise that he, like many other Aggie fans, took to X to make his ideas about the way this season for the Aggies is heading very clear. After the way this past game against LSU turned out, there’s not a lot of positivity to be found right now among the A&M faithful, and Manziel similarly has a tough time seeing a way out of the current pickle.
"Better do some soul searching or you’re going to be the [expletive] of the SEC this year boys"Johnny Manziel
He’s putting it very bluntly there, but it’s hard to disagree with the substance of what he’s saying. The Aggies have looked all but completely listless in the last two games, falling to 0-2 in conference play without putting up nearly the fight that fans had hoped to see. If this isn’t rock bottom for this Aggie team, I’d hate to see what actually is.
Johnny Manziel’s harsh evaluation of Texas A&M rings painfully true
So, what can the Aggies to do reverse their fortunes? There’s not a button that they can press to simply fix everything— there are simply too many problems at this point— but they can start with a commitment to the run game.
There were some real struggles this past game against LSU when it came to pass protection on the offensive line, but when the line was able to get out and run block, they actually did a really good job against an LSU front that has been very stout against the run thus far in the year.
Rueben Owens ran pretty tough against the Tigers, as did Carsyn Baker. KJ Edwards looked good in limited snaps as well. If the Aggies stay ahead of the chains, then you could possibly see some of the mental issues that have been plaguing Marcel Reed begin to abate slightly.
One of the best things about the 2020 team was the fact that they were always ahead of the sticks, hardly ever facing a long third down. With a consistent rushing attack, this Texas A&M team could maybe replicate some of that and build on it.
More than that, though, it would at least give this squad an offensive identity. Right now, there’s no tangible sense of what this team is actually supposed to be— what it is that they can do best. If they are able to find some of that with something like the run game, it could help.
Of course, that is really stretching to find some hope in the midst of what looks like a very tough upcoming year for A&M. Even if A&M becomes elite at running the ball, it’s not going to cause the issues that we’ve seen with the defense to suddenly disappear (though complementary football is a real thing). It certainly isn’t enough to make them a playoff contender.
At the end of things, A&M simply has to find something to hang their hat on as a team. Right now, they are a bunch of disconnected football players out there trying to string things together one play at a time. Much of that comes back to coaching, obviously, so Elko and company are not above reproach here.
Manziel’s sentiment no doubt reflects the feelings of a lot of former players, as well as fans right now. The Aggies will have a chance to reestablish some things against Arkansas this weekend— and if they can’t, the bottom will have truly fallen out.
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