The beginning of this season definitely hasn’t gone as hoped for us as Aggies. We didn’t think Auburn was that strong, we had hoped that we could upset Alabama or Clemson and we figured we would wipe the floor with teams like Arkansas and Ole Miss. None of those things happened, and it was looking like we were going to have a hard time winning any of our remaining SEC games. I think that all changed this past Saturday.
After a poor start to the year and three losses to Mississippi State in three consecutive seasons, this game seemed like it could be a turning point in the 2019 season. We could lose and ruin all hope for the year, win in an unconvincing way or play a complete game on both sides of the ball and dominate for four quarters. I would say we did the latter.
The score may not look like it because the Bulldogs were able to put points on the board late, but I would say that this might be the most momentum that Texas A&M has carried into November in a long time. It’s crazy to think about, but I can’t even remember the last time we played this complete of a game on both sides of the ball against an SEC opponent. The only one that comes to mind was Auburn in 2016, and that was early in the season.
I really do think this team is catching its stride. The defense is forcing turnovers and putting pressure on the quarterback. Those guys are flying around and playing with so much energy. As far as the offense goes, we have finally brought the tight end position back into play, Isaiah Spiller looks comfortable in the lead role, our OL looked the best it has been all year and Kellen connected with his top three targets at least four times each. In the previous edition of Momentum Shifts I wrote before the Alabama game, I said that Kellen needed to start trusting his legs more because it opens up the offense and helps the offensive line. Since then he has rushed 40 times for 242 yards and 3 TDs.
I think our remaining schedule is set up very well for us. We basically have a two-week break to get rested before a tough three-week stretch to finish out the year. Their record obviously doesn’t show it, but South Carolina is scrappy and showed they can beat anybody on any given week when they upset Georgia. If they can win their next two games, they’d be riding a high after beating a ranked Appalachian State and trying to become bowl eligible against us on the road. If we are able to beat them as we should, I think we would be set up for one of the most exciting finishes that we’ve had in a while. With three strong losses on the schedule, we could still be looking at making a really good bowl game. I think our guys will be fresh and pumped to play between the hedges for the first time in the SEC, and we all know what that LSU game means now, especially if it comes against a No. 1.
I’m looking forward to seeing this team take the next step and finish the year strong.
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