Connect with your Facebook Account

• Contact

Football Articles

33

Kudos & Criticism for the Aggies

Posted by Jeff Higgins on November 29th, 2009 under Football

Which was better for you and yours; the turkey and dressing or the thrill of the first competitive Longhorn game since the Red River Rivalry?

A solid running game, good calls in the face of secondary blitzes, limiting of miscues and penalties, strong 3rd down conversions and scrambling for positive plays when things were covered up; it all adds up to very strong showing. And, no, we’re speaking not of the Texas Longhorns here, but that schizophrenic team from College Station.

So there is no longer a concern that the Aggies have the talent necessary to be competitive with the league elite. They are able to execute to the level necessary to put themselves in a position to win. Perhaps only one question remains. Why do we only see this team one day per season?

For every ounce of credit you can award A&M for standing toe-to-toe with putative BCS Championship-bound Texas this week, you have to levy an equal amount of criticism for their ridiculous no-shows in a first half debacle at Kansas State and a sleepwalking performance at Oklahoma. Play all year like you showed you can against Texas and A&M would not have to act pleased that they qualify for the Texas bowl against any team promising to buy more than 5,000 tickets to the game.

The culprit for this condition? You have to look to leadership. With so many underclassmen holding major spots in the playing positions for the Aggies this year, we can perhaps excuse the players for not assuming this role from the start. So, Coach Sherman, what do you have to say for your team’s extraordinary inconsistency?

Jobs are probably safe in Aggieland for now (folks have been too busy calculating the cost of a Charlie Weis buyout) but have another pair of blowout losses next year and you better start dusting off the resume.

Longhorn fans will remember the 63 point loss in Austin at the hands of UCLA as the straw that broke the back of camel John Mackovic. Aggie fans might want to circle the date of the Texas Tech visit to College Station next year. With revenge for this year’s result in their minds, they very well may run unfettered through the Aggie secondary and prove to be that proverbial straw on the back of Mike Sherman.

Time will tell. It will tell if Texas can finish out the dream season it was looking for in the Colt McCoy going away party and vie for another national crown. It will also tell if we see the Aggies play to their potential anytime before next Thanksgiving.

Happy leftovers to you all!

_________________________________
Jeff Higgins was a four year Letterman under Coach David McWilliams’ Longhorns from 1988-1991 at DE and LB. He was honored as the Special Teams Player of the Year in both ’90 and ’91 and appeared in every game played while he was on the 40 acres. As a member of the “Shock the Nation” 1990 SWC Champions, and also a veteran of losing UT seasons, he is perhaps uniquely qualified to comment on the many unpredictable ups and downs of college football. He and his wife now live in his native San Antonio, raising three future Longhorns.

Article Tags:

, , , ,

More from this Barker

  • Comments Off
    Posted by on under

Share This

  • StumbleUpon

33 Responses

  1. HenryJames said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    They have very good skill position talent on offense, but next year is Johnson’s last so I have no idea how Dorman will do. Their offensive line hasn’t caught up to the skill guys yet, but that’s to be expected. I think they’re recruiting well at the position.

    But their defense. Oh man.

  2. szjones said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    Aggy = Notre Dame minus history; Mike Sherman = Charlie Weis minus Superbowl rings.

  3. coloradoag said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    What HenryJames said. The defense is beyond atrocious (outside of Von, of course). Krazy Kines might have to get put into a nursing home. McQueen doesn’t look like he belongs on a Division I roster, much less starting meaningful games in the Big 12 South.

  4. ghostofagroundgame said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    They should be able to hire Gary Kubiak in the near future. And yeah, the defense isn’t getting better anytime soon.

  5. johnnymac said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 2:45 pm

    It’s the one game of the year that they can be consistently expected to play out of their frickin’ minds. JJ made every throw he needed to and those receivers seemed to come away with every single ball thrown into a crowd of white shirts.

    We shouldn’t have been surprised by it at all, although all of us as Texas fans were hoping for something a little less dramatic.

    That said, they deserve congratulations for the performance.

  6. LurkerintheDark said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    I was amazed and am fully ready to give credit to A&M for a hell of a good offensive performance.

    But, for crying out loud, I know damn well that they aren’t better on offense– talentwise– than we are on defense. If A&M was playing so well on adrenaline, why couldn’t our guys on defense have been at least a little jacked themselves? The offense was clearly jacked (and the aggy defense sucking helped). Our defense had to have been flat to look that bad even against a jacked, talented aggy offense.

    Now, I know things “happen” in college ball. It happened to USC twice. Tech did it to OU. And I laughed when it happened.
    It’s just really disconcerting to see it happen to your own guys, especially when they had been so consistently fine in every game before this one.

    OK. Steam now blown off.

    Muschamp’s halo may be tarnished, but it’s not dislodged. Here’s to putting the polish back on this week.

  7. Ag_in_TX said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    Thanks for the write-up Jeff.

  8. j.r.69 said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    Jeff,
    Are you related to Tom Higgins, who played SE for Royal’s teams in the 60s?

  9. realmccoy said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    A little harsh on Sherman. I think the major driver of the inconsistency was the youth of the players. They caught a wave against UT, and played out of their minds.

  10. texastough said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    I heard a rumor that the aggies started preparing specifically for this game in the summer and the last six weeks have spent Sun-Wed preparing for their opponent that week and Thurs-Fri preparing for Texas. I’m skeptical but it would explain a lot.

    The Texas game is aggy’s season. For us, its a little bigger than Baylor but basically just another game.

  11. Ag_in_TX said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    texastough,

    That is not true. And ya’ll are a little bigger than Tech but basically just another game.

    Get over yourself.

  12. uthookem said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

    “And ya’ll are a little bigger than Tech but basically just another game.”

    No way I believe that.

  13. texastough said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    Ag, I would take your word for it if it wasn’t for every other aggy I’ve ever met.

  14. ChrisApplewhite said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    There was a 3rd and 15 late on which they converted with a 17 yards stop route between two of our guys. We could play an NFL team and I would still expect them to stop that. Nothing about that game made sense and I refuse to think about it.

  15. trkhorn said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    Normally I can’t wait to rewatch a game. Not so this one. I keep putting it off like it’s a household chore.

    I predict more pain for the Ags in spite of their showing. They get Mizzou and Nebraska next year from the north and an Arky team that should be improved on top of the usual Big 12 South grind. Sounds like 7-5 at best without any no-shows. They have to realistically look back at this season/schedule and kick themselves for not finishing at least 8-4. And they would be better served treating Texas like any other game, if the flipside means staying consistent throughout the year. Like that will ever happen.

  16. TOR said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 10:19 pm

    “And ya’ll are a little bigger than Tech but basically just another game.”

    HAHAHAHAHAAAAA! Oh man, that’s hysterical. You guys are just funny, don’t ever change.

  17. DougNTexas said:

    November 29th, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    They also have to travel to Austin, Texas next year. The field will be a tad faster next year.

  18. Ag_in_TX said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 7:32 am

    Say what you will – the bloggers on this site who know me IRL know that I speak truth, at least for me personally. I can’t speak for anyone else.

    And yeah – this morning, anyone who speaks of a moral victory gets kicked right in the nuts.

  19. Ag_in_TX said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 7:51 am

    Let me rephrase all that.

    I find it infantile to suggest:

    1. A&M cared a lot more and thus played harder – all the guys on the field are D1 scholarship athletes who try their hardest on every single play. If they don’t play at 100%, there are D1 scholarship players on the bench willing to take their place. They all know this.

    2. Texas just “looked slow” – seriously, how could a fast team suddenly actually become slow? Teams do look slower to the untrained eye when they are playing against a team that is just as fast as them, though.

    3. A&M started game planning for Texas in August – Good God, do you really think Mike Sherman was standing on the sideline at the end of the Colorado game thinking: “Hmmmm, Split Right Pro 378 will surely pop for a TD here and may win this close game but DAMN we’re saving that for Texas so we’ll just stick with an Option Read….” ? Give me a break.

    I think a much more likely and logical explanation as to why it was a close game is two fold: (1) they were a couple of pretty good football teams, and (2) a short week generally benefits the weaker team due to coaches not having as much time to generate and implement a game plan that takes full advantage of the weaker team’s weaknesses.

  20. huge said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 8:24 am

    this game reminded me of a couple of times we have played tech where the QB made every throw, on time. there is very little you can do with perfectly thrown passes. you tip your cap and line up again.

  21. BatesHorn said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 8:35 am

    It also reminded me of a Tech loss where we had a ton of injuries and everyone just looked deadlegged. In this case, I think the deadlegs were from the short week. Still, the Ags played out of their minds and consistently took advantage of Muschamp’s perplexing unwillingness to blitz.

    It also helped immensely that Texas had a few real boneheaded moments, including not focusing on running clock in the third once they opened a 14 point lead.

  22. HornFan101 said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 9:07 am

    “Say what you will – the bloggers on this site who know me IRL know that I speak truth, at least for me personally.”

    I don’t know you IRL but you and coloradoag both possess the ability to state aggie biased opinions without pissing me off (too bad). Y’all should be commended for that…

  23. bizzle said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 9:11 am

    First, I’d be shocked if Dorman ever sees a meaningful snap at QB – the job is Tannehill’s for a year, then either Joeckl/Showers/other.

    Second, our D talent is getting average, but I’ve been saying this for a decade – we haven’t signed an elite pass-rusher (save Von) or cover guy in who knows how long, and you simply can’t play D without one or the other. Hopefully both.

    McQueen – bless his little walkon soul – was truly the best option we had at CB, and that says everything about the state of our D/program at this point. Until big Sherm starts winning some defensive difference maker recruiting battles, this is a 7-8 win program, tops.

  24. Ag_in_TX said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 9:38 am

    I saw Matt Joeckel play a couple of times this year and he looked GREAT! But I saw Tommy Dorman play in high school as well and thought he’d be a great fit for Sherman’s system. It may still work out for him – I hope.

  25. ransomstoddard said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am

    Yep, for the life of me I will never understand why aggy, or any other team, gets “up” for UT and plays out of their minds but UT never gets “up” for them. If true, it’s beyond baffling.

  26. dick said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 11:29 am

    “Yep, for the life of me I will never understand why aggy, or any other team, gets “up” for UT and plays out of their minds but UT never gets “up” for them. If true, it’s beyond baffling.”

    Do you really not understand that? If you follow football, especially college, you would know that it is extremely common and it’s just basic human psyche. UT has generally got “up” for games against ranked teams and we’ve won like 18 out of the last 20 against Top 20 teams.

    “McQueen – bless his little walkon soul”

    Is that guy really a walkon? This makes sense now.

    “Say what you will – the bloggers on this site who know me IRL know that I speak truth, at least for me personally.”

    Just because you believe that personally, doesn’t make it true for the majority of other ags. You should know that you are a major exception to the rule.

  27. Tim\'s Bleeding Vagina said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

    the short week helped aggy more than it did texas. our defense was clearly not fully rested after chasing kansas around for four quarters. aggy did not have any issues with baylor and i don’t think the short week took any toll on them at all.

  28. dick said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

    I think the short week takes a toll on the defenses period, home or on the road. It’s just that nobody could tell the difference for atm’s defense.

  29. Homesick Alien said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    Sherman was quoted in the paper, Austin I think, saying that aggy spent parts of their last 3 weeks prepping for the Texas game.

  30. Ag_in_TX said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 2:51 pm

    Please find the quote with precisely what he said.

  31. Ag_in_TX said:

    November 30th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    I searched the Austin Statesman website and found no quote like that.

  32. trkhorn said:

    December 1st, 2009 at 2:14 am

    Finally rewatched this thing to try and figure why our D underperformed so badly.

    First off, blitzing – we ran a total of 4 DB blitzes. Zero LB blitzes that I could detect. All of the DB blitz plays were significant. 3 of the 4 were picked up by an aggie tackle. 2 of these also involved total confusion on pass coverage which resulted in aggie TDs. The only successful DB blitz(by Chykie) was unimpeded and resulted in an Acho sack.

    On the third play of the game, Gideon came in from the right side and was picked up by the LT who he tried to go around, by this time JJ was hitting a wide open Fuller for the first TD. I noticed some Gideon-bashing in the other thread because of this play, but I don’t know what the hell he could have done differently. Our DE stunted to the inside leaving the tackle free to block whoever and he saw Gideon coming from a mile away.

    Ditto for Fuller’s 2nd TD, this time w/Thomas coming from the right side. In the meantime our coverage had no idea what they were doing and left a huge whole in the middle of the field for Fuller. I’m not gonna point fingers because the entire secondary and the LBs looked lost. It was like “oh shit Earl didn’t get there what do we do” and voila, TD. Like the first one, the RB was set opposite the blitz, so if the LT is engaged at the line of scrimmage, both of these blitzes at least disrupt the play.

    Chykie’s blitz also came from the right side, but this time the tackle was occupied. Chykie bounced off of JJ like a pinball, but disrupted the play enough for Acho to clean up.

    The last one was from the left side by Curtis who got picked up(really just got in his way) by the RT, the play resulting in a 1st down completion.

    In the first half, Kindle, Muck and Houston all had uncharacteristic whiffs which resulted in 10-12 yard gains. On Morrow’s TD, Brewster has got to come over and make a play. Interfere, something, anything. He just let the guy waltz in front of him in the end zone.

    On JJ’s long scramble in the 3rd quarter, Houston lost containment, just got out of his lane and left a large gap in the left side of the field for JJ. On JJ’s other long run(the QB draw), Muck and Keenan were just plain slow to react. That’s normally a 10 yard gain against this defense, I don’t care who the QB is.

    Kindle had another huge whiff on a 10-yard JJ scramble. As did Houston on a 5-yard gain by Michael. Then Michael’s TD – ouch. He runs thru Kindle who is still fighting off a block, then over Curtis, while Gideon simply takes himself out of the play.

    Thomas had a really bad whiff in the 4th quarter but was somewhat bailed out by Swope’s facemask penalty on the same play. On Fuller’s last TD, Thomas had time to come over and help but took a really bad angle behind the play. Just odd for him.

    JJ and those receivers made some gutsy plays but if you take the above-listed bungles out of the mix I don’t think A&M gets more than 21-24 points if that.

    Let’s not leave GD out of the equation. We get the ball at the 20 after Earl’s pick leading 35-21 w/5 min. left in the quarter. We had just shredded their god-awful front seven with a heapin’ helpin’ of zone read… so let’s pass. Then it got worse – we get the ball back at our own 6 w/1 min. left in the 3rd leading 35-24… one running play, the quarter ends, flip ends and get out of the “Zone” right? Nah, let’s pass some more. It’s just simple coaching – run the ball, run the clock, game over. No need for the drama… oh, and buy some time for a tired/underperforming defense.

    Interesting sequence of near-miss plays at roughly 11:00 in the 2nd quarter, us up 14-7. First, the sack and “no fumble” on JJ could have easily been called a fumble which would have resulted in a TD for us. The announcers glossed it over and the replay got cut short, but had it been ruled a fumble on the field, I doubt the reply would have been enough to overturn it. Huge break for A&M. Next play Brewster comes within a fingernail of blocking the punt. Our next play, Colt plants a perfect pick six right in LB Moss’ hands who bats it around instead. Next play Colt hits Malcom on an intermediate route from the left side and gets tackled by literally a shoestring else he takes it to the house. Any one of those plays could have been a TD, backbreakers at the time for A&M.

    What’s done is done. Not the prettiest but 8 out 10, 11 out of 15 over A&M is fine by me after living thru and attending almost all of the 1984-1994 games We’re 12-0 and I can’t wait til Saturday.

  33. TOR said:

    December 1st, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    “and attending almost all of the 1984-1994 games We’re 12-0 and I can’t wait til Saturday.”

    92 thru 97 here (super senior!) Same here, I am so, so happy with this season, no way I’m complaining.

Leave a Reply

Follow Us

Related Articles

Hot Forum Topics

Activity

  • Kevin Berger wrote a new blog post: Making a Case for a 1 Seed: Villanova Tops the ’Neers   ago

    Going into the game you would have thought the battle would have been a classic matchup between West Virginia’s frontcourt and Villanova’s backcourt.

    The only question is which team could impose their will and dictate the mismatch. Villanova might try to do it by pressing and playing up tempo. West Virginia’s

  • dick commented on the blog post Scholarship Numbers & Junior Days   8 minutes ago

    Dam, I was just going to post the same shit.

    OT and DB are the most important postions. OT we need Westerman, Haverty and Drango/Greenlea/Cochran. What do we know about Cochran?

  • dick commented on the blog post Scholarship Numbers & Junior Days   8 minutes ago

    Dam, I was just going to post the same shit.

    OT and DB are the most important postions. OT we need Westerman, Haverty and Drango/Greenlea/Cochran. What do we know about Cochran?

    I hope Adrian White benefits from being there in the Spring. That is the one thing that worries me about the Class

  • CloseToJumping wrote a new blog post: Scholarship Numbers & Junior Days   26 minutes ago

    We know Junior Day #1 is this Saturday. There’s flux in regard to who will and won’t be on the roster come the 2010 season, but let’s assume the numbers don’t really matter, as a whole bunch of seniors leave after 2010 and attrition will take place as well.

    So your number is 25 max.

    What positions

  • Burnt Orange Wookiee commented on the blog post Game Day: Spurs vs. Lakers Open Thread   31 minutes ago

    Just got back from the UT game. At least the Spurs are hanging in there.

    SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });

  • GoHornsGo90 commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   34 minutes ago

    “Oh, and Rick Barnes couldn’t hold Bill Self’s jock when it comes to coaching. Not even close.”

    Understatement of the decade. Errr, century?

    Show of hands. How many here are typing under the influence?

  • Victor Scott commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   44 minutes ago

    Fundamentally on both sides of the ball we are very weak. On defense we are athletic but don’t really understand when to pressure the ball or double team. Many times we over persue at a time when the offensive player is not in a dangerous position and end up giving up an easy

  • Nate Heupel commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   58 minutes ago

    Is she a redhead? That’s fantastic. Possibly the 2nd best performance in this game behind Damion James.

  • kuoirad commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 3 minutes ago

    How about this one?

    http://joescomputershack.com/kusports/random%20pics/jeez.jpg

  • kuoirad commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 11 minutes ago

    Different (perhaps better) pic of the aforementioned good-lookin’ Texas gal behind the KU bench…

    http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac39/LarryBrownsCrank/texaschick2.jpg

  • Victor Scott commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 26 minutes ago

    I thought I remembered a stat one time in the game where it said KU 21 points off turnovers and UT 0.

  • RRR commented on the blog post Mid-Season Thoughts and OU Pre-Game   1 hour, 28 minutes ago

    Agreed Mike. The game is just slower for Scottie Reynolds, totally in control. Imagine him last year with Blake Griffin.

    Singletary was really effective in the first meeting. He’s been frustrated a little bit the last few games, so I’d like to see him go off without much shot-blocking from the OU front

    SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });

  • Texoz commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 29 minutes ago

    Can that golfer shoot free throws, and dribble penetrate?

  • Victor Scott commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 33 minutes ago

    One piece of good news for the day for the Horns. They picked up a verbal commitment from the number one golfer in the country who is a junior, Jordan Spieth out of Dallas. He will make our team top five or better the day he shows up on campus.

  • Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 45 minutes ago

    Collison is Durant’s valet in OKC.

  • dick commented on the blog post Texas Baseball: Team of the Decade   1 hour, 46 minutes ago

    Please hurry baseball season.

  • SizzleChest commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 50 minutes ago

    Yeah, I’m just going to go ahead and give Hamilton the label.

    Bust.

    Henceforth, he shall be Jordan Bustamante to Jordan Bustafazoo.

  • Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 50 minutes ago

    Ny Horn -

    You should watch the NBA more. The center position is extinct. Aldrich will probably play 10 years.

    You know the leader in scoring for centers in the NBA?

    Chris Kaman.

    Not kidding.

  • kuoirad commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 51 minutes ago

    NY Horn: considering what I understand our track record to be with putting our big men into The League, I think Iraq might be a little beneath him. Maybe France or Spain…

  • kuoirad commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 53 minutes ago

    Were those new unis you guys were wearing tonight?

  • kuoirad commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 54 minutes ago

    Mack: right, we abuse our football players by poking them in the chest. Big difference. Though we’ve got a new coach in town, so I haven’t seen how he does abuse.

  • Magnificent Bastard commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 54 minutes ago

    Nike HyperPwn3d

  • kuoirad commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 55 minutes ago

    It sounds like if you guys can get the rotation and free throws figured out, you’ll be tough to beat in the tourneys. Lord knows I don’t want to see you in the Big XII, and would love you guys make some noise in the Big Dance.

  • bigdukesix commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 56 minutes ago

    Basketball is a fag sport anyway, imo.

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 56 minutes ago

    A bag of them for variety.

  • kuoirad commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 57 minutes ago

    NY: probably, we have to come here to Austin this year. Though I think we swept the series last year in Lawrence. Pretty sure we at least “won” the series…

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 57 minutes ago

    Good luck gingerballs. You guys controlled the basketball game and your guys had tired legs.

  • dick commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 58 minutes ago

    not me

  • Victor Scott commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 58 minutes ago

    I’ll take Hamilton in the game the rest of the season for 25 minutes a game and we will be a better team in the long run. We must have 5 players who can score to have a chance against the premier teams in the country. I agree that he will have to

  • SizzleChest commented on the blog post Kansas Open Thread   1 hour, 59 minutes ago

    Oh snap, I just realized I have a 7AM videoconference tomorrow. I needs mah rest.