Where Does Texas A&M Go From Here? Only Up
Where do you go from here, Texas A&M? The only place now is up, right?
The Aggies won't be taking the field Saturday in Week 7 due to their bye week. Good. This is a time for Jimbo Fisher and the staff to reflect on what went right and what fell flat on the road to a .500 start.
The good: The Aggies (3-3, 1-2 SEC) played close against Alabama despite being a three-plus touchdown underdog on the road in Bryant-Denny Stadium. A different play call with three seconds remaining, and perhaps Fisher becomes the third coach since 2007 to beat Nick Saban in back-to-back seasons.
The bad: Everything else?
Maybe that's too harsh. The Aggies have found young playmakers to build their program around in the coming years just as Fisher expected.
Offensively, it's hard to imagine Evan Stewart, Chris Marshall, Donovan Green and Kam Dewberry not being members of the newly-formed foundation. Defensively, the same could be said with Anthony Lucas, Walter Nolen, Shemar Stewart, Denver Harris, Jared Kerr, and countless others.
Do-it-all offensive playmaker Devon Achane has found his footing behind the line of scrimmage. Veterans like Fadil Diggs and Jardin Gilbert are having career years rushing the passer and playing in coverage. And yes, a close loss to Alabama still will show up as an "L" on record, but teams in years past would collapse under the pressure.
So again, where does Texas A&M go from here? According to Fisher, the second half of the season.
"Today showed you what we're capable of and what we can do," Fisher said Saturday in Tuscaloosa. "We have to regroup next week, play our tails off and get better and finish these last six games the way we need to play the rest of the year."
Until further notice, Fisher will have to make it work with Haynes King at quarterback. Depending on what version elects to show up on Saturdays moving forward, maybe that isn't a death sentence to a 6-6 season and a Texas Bowl appearance.
King dazzled in the second half against Alabama, putting a little Johnny Manziel flare to his game. He scored two early red zone touchdowns to tie the game at 14 with just over two minutes on the clock. He led a pair of scoring drives in the second half, both capped off by field goals from Randy Bond.
King finished with 253 passing yards and two touchdowns against one of the nation's better-scoring defenses. Entering Saturday, Pete Golding's unit held opponents to 13.2 points per game.
A&M scored 20. A step in the right direction?
"[Haynes] did a great job back there tonight," junior offensive lineman Layden Robinson said of King. "He's a great player for this team and this university and I'm just happy to have a guy like him back there."
Defensively, the Aggies should remain ruthless against SEC offenses. D.J. Durkin's squad rebounded after allowing Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-24 loss in Week 5. A&M forced four turnovers against Alabama's offense, three of which led to scoring drives by the offense.
"Their heart, their desire, their guts and their ability," said Fisher. "You can say toughness, but we have [the] ability. We had guys make plays.”
No one can deny that A&M has the talent. It even has most of the coaching down pat. Mike Elko left a top 10 unit in the middle of the night to become Duke's head coach. Six games under Durkin, A&M still finds itself near the top in scoring defense (18.8 points per game), pass defense (175.5 yards per game), and sacks (10).
Perhaps Saturday's showdown in Titletown was the turning point of the season. The problem is it's too late to compete for titles with purposes. Fisher said there are no such things as "moral" victories in close losses.
Maybe so, but after the colossal misfirings to begin the year, would A&M fans appreciate a 9-3 season? How about an 8-4 year with five more victories on the docket?
Fisher said it's important for the team to build off the loss and play "their style of football" over the next six games. This week is made for moments such as those. It's not only time to reflect, but time to prepare.
And while the Aggies certainly were gearing up for College Football Playoff chatter, those dreams have been silenced. Now, the new goal is proving internally that Saturday's loss away from Kyle Field is the start of the turnaround, not just a one-game-blunder before heading back to sub-par play.
"You’re competing against a very good team we have a lot of respect for and is coached very well and has good players. Our guys went toe-to-toe with them. That shows you what you’re capable of."
The Aggies will face South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium next Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
You can follow Cole Thompson on Twitter @MrColeThompson
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