Momentum Shifts: Second-quarter fumble sparked meltdown vs. State
Watching this game on Saturday afternoon and leading up to it all week, I could not escape the feeling that we were going to have a tough afternoon in Starkville. I was cautiously optimistic after two top-15 wins, but I had some concerns about the direction the offense was going as we headed to our first true road test of the season.
You can call it nervousness from our lack of veteran experience on the offense, especially after losing Ainias. Call it being worried about Mike Leach having Texas A&M’s number since I was a recruit in my senior year in high school (that was 2002, for those that do not know).
You can call it whatever you want, but I just didn’t have a good feeling.
Our slow starts on offense over the last however many games had me concerned because of the way I know that Mike Leach operates. I was afraid we would not be able to score, and after last year, Will Rogers and the Mississippi State offense would nickel and dime us up the field, eat up the clock. I feared it would be a death by a thousand cuts.
To start the game off, our defense ended up shocking me. In the first quarter and first few minutes of the second quarter, the Aggies kept them out of the end zone, and on two of the three drives, they had six plays or less and a punt.
Three scoreless drives put up by our defense. I couldn’t believe it! In Starkville!
One of those drives was 16 plays and over 8:24, but it was that “bend-don’t-break” defense we have seen all year.
I was feeling really good about it and just waiting and praying for the offense to move the football. Drive 1…punt. Seven plays, 38 yards. Drive 2…punt. Four plays, 36 yards.
Defense gets a three-and-out! At this point, I was fired up! I was begging the offense to get some points and take advantage of these opportunities from the defense. Moose Muhammad returned the ball 20 yards to the Mississippi State 37-yard line. We are in business. Then we started getting into a groove running the football, which is one of the most important things to making this offense tick. Devon Achane ran for 11 yards. Then another 8-yard run by Devon put us in the red zone.
And then it happened.
It made me sick for #6 because our offense has been almost completely dependent upon him, and Achane has done a phenomenal job for us.
But he put the ball on the ground. We had all momentum at that point. The defense had forced a three-and-out. We got a big punt return into Bulldog territory. We had two big run plays in a row and were marching down the field into the red zone. The talented and dynamic playmaker made a mistake that all running backs hate to make. He fumbled (don’t keep your head down, #6! You are a machine and ten times the football player I was. I still believe in you, and I know every other Aggie does as well).
From that point on, it just seemed that everything went downhill.
Mississippi State drove down the field for an 11-play, 94-yard drive to get all momentum back and take the lead. In the process, they put the A&M defense on the field for their second 10-plus play drive of the game, and they had them out there for 4:35.
We went on to turn the ball over four times. We dropped multiple interceptions and catches. We got in the red zone three times and had two turnovers and only scored three points. We threw a pick-six. We had a field goal blocked for a touchdown. We did pretty much everything you can to lose a game, especially on the road. They never seemed to lose momentum after Achane’s fumble, and our team did nothing to slow them down.
After the first half, our defense played 50 plays for a total of 18:38. They were on the field for 75 percent of the time, and our offense was on the field for 23 plays and just over 10 minutes.
Our offense didn’t do much to help them up to that point, and we didn’t take advantage of the multiple opportunities given to us to take their crowd out of the game. That is the story of this football team, and it is a story that I hope they can change soon.
CONSISTENCY. Get on the same page. That drive we ended up fumbling on in the first half was going to be one of the first drives all year that I saw all three phases of the game feed off of each other. Defense gets a big stop — their third of the game — and keeps the crowd out of it. Special teams respond with a big return deep into enemy territory. Offense makes a few big plays and is gashing their run defense into the red zone.
And then we turned it over.
This team is very talented, and yes, they are young. However, they have to find a way to turn the corner. These coaches have to put them in a better position to succeed. The players have to grow up and execute. We cannot keep underachieving against the Mississippi schools. We are in year five. We have four top-10 recruiting classes in a row. Our roster is a top-five talented roster based on composite rankings. We are doing less with more.
But I know that we can do better. This team has shown us that they can do better. We beat two top-15 teams but lose to a less talented Appalachian State and Mississippi State football teams. Last year, we beat Alabama schools and lost to the Mississippi schools. Make it make sense!
The bottom line from me: I still believe in these players, and I know that they can do it.
I am hoping they can be consistent and execute at a higher level as they grow up and find their identity as a team. I am hoping these coaches can lead these young men and take the time necessary to invest in them. Be intentional and accept responsibility for themselves and focus on what they can control. Put these young men in a position to succeed. Love on them, but also demand excellence. All of them — players and coaches — need to come together and move forward as a team!
BTHOalabama
