Texas A&M Aggies Enter Bye Week With Still More Questions Than Answers
Jimbo Fisher didn't pull a Mike Gundy circa 2006 following Saturday's 20-13 loss to Tennesse, but there were certainly several similar undertones.
Under Fisher's watch, Texas A&M has now lost eight consecutive true road games. Postseason conversations have again ceased to exist, and it would take a miracle outside of Jordan-Hare Stadium to make it to the SEC Championship in early December.
But this falls on Fisher, not on the players. Criticism needs to be sent his way, not to those in the locker room.
"I love our players, I love our fans and I love our people who give money. But those kids are what’s important," Fisher said Saturday following the seven-point defeat in Knoxville. "Those kids are hurting … and we’ve got to find a way to help them."
Close but no cigar won't cut it anymore for the Aggies, who have lost back-to-back games against rank opponents by a touchdown or fewer. Big wins from the past might look good on a highlight reel, but it doesn't carry weight in the SEC these days.
The Aggies (4-3, 2-2 SEC) continue to find ways to self-implode in defining games that could change the program's persona. And make no mistake, No. 11 Alabama and No. 19 Tennessee are great programs filled with former five-star talent, but so is A&M.
So, what's the difference? Coaching? Carisma? Belief?
Maybe that last one is an underlying tone that isn't brought to the main spotlight enough. Actions speak louder than words, and the former indeed have told the story of A&M football as of late.
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton (No. 7) waits for a snap against Texas A&M at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Tenn.
USA Today-Sports
Right now, the focus is on recuperating from the sluggish showcase put on display the past two weeks as A&M enters its bye week. There needs to be a recovery period, especially for players like Edgerrin Cooper and Walter Nolen, whose departures in Saturday's loss likely factored into the outcome.
Bowl eligibility is still probable in College Station. The Aggies return next week to take on a downtrodden South Carolina squad at Kyle Field. In four weeks, they'll play host to underwhelming Mississippi State, followed by Abilene Christian.
Two wins and you're promised a bowl bid. Then again, that's not what fans and boosters signed up for when Fisher inked a lucrative contract back in 2017. They certainly expected more when the sixth-year coach signed a new deal to raise his salary to $9 million.
Sure, Fisher's seat is as warm as it could get without actually being fired, but his job is pretty secure for the time being. Boosters likely aren't too keen to hand out roughly $77 million to someone to go away.
A complete implosion would have to occur to guarantee Fisher's services would no longer be needed. How likely is that to happen?
It's pretty close to the same level as the Aggies making it to Atlanta for a shot at the conference title in early December.
