New Year, Same Story For Texas A&M Entering Alabama Week
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COLLEGE STATION -- It should be talked about more. That's what it was drummed up to be, right?
When it was announced that CBS' once-a-season doubleheader was going to be featured on Oct. 8, all eyes were on College Station. They were fixated on Tuscaloosa. And the two men that set Twitter ablaze and put SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on "rival watch" were expected to live up to the standard for must-see television.
Alabama and Nick Saban held up their end of the bargain through five weeks. Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher dropped the ball hard.
ESPN's College Gameday heads to Lawrence and Memorial Stadium for a top-20 matchup between No. 17 TCU and No. 19 Kansas — a pair of undefeated programs that were expected to have multiple losses by now. Gameday blew off Baton Rouge, said see ya to Southern California, and turned its attention from places like Raleigh or Lexington.
It also told the folks of Tuscaloosa to take a hike. For the second consecutive season, A&M (3-2, 1-1 SEC) will enter its matchup with Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC) unranked despite having a roster filled with similar prospects in terms of talent.
There's at least reasoning behind the mediocrity of Aggieland: The Aggies have a Jimbo problem calling plays on offense.
And it's spiraling out of control.
"The system and plays are there," Fisher said Saturday following A&M's 42-24 loss to Mississippi State. "We just have to execute and coach them better. It's the same system a lot of people use. ... We just have to pick it up and go."
A&M's best offensive trait is when it's not on the field. It can't fail to meet expectations when patrolling the sidelines in hopes that its defense can get a critical stop.
Currently, A&M ranks dead last among SEC programs in total offense (334.4 yards per game) and scoring (21.8 points per game). The Aggies are 93rd nationally in yards per play (5.95), 95th in third-down conversion rate (35.2 percent), and 89th in red zone offensive attempts (12). Outside of two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs, A&M has scored more than 14 points against an FBS opponent once.
One touchdown came on a 96-yard kickoff return in Week 2. Another came on a 97-yard fumble recovery in Week 4.
Fisher holds all the cards. Co-offensive coordinators Darrell Dickey and James Coley have the title, but it's nothing more than a flimsy name tag worn on the sidelines like ones found at high school reunions.
Fisher is the play-caller. He dictates the offense. If the play doesn't work in his eyes, it isn't feasible to take the field.
And therein lies the problem: Fisher can't see there is one. And regardless of the talent that's added, that remains A&M's biggest blunder.
For years, Fisher has been praised for his work with quarterbacks. Long before he called plays at Kyle Field, the 56-year-old worked with premier college prospects. There were names such as Patrick Nix and Dameyune Craig at Auburn in the 1990s. Rohan Davey, Josh Booty, Matt Mauck, and Matt Flynn were featured in the 2000s at LSU. The same could be said of Christian Ponder, Everett Golson, and Deondre Francois at Florida State.
Sandwiched in between those were JaMarcus Russell at LSU and Jameis Winston at Florida State. Fisher turned Russell into one of the biggest draft names of the 2000s, drawing comparisons to John Elway and Dan Mario. Winston became an overnight sensation after becoming the second freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2013. He also led the Seminoles to their first national title in 14 seasons.
Russell went on to be the No. 1 pick in 2007. Winston was selected with the top pick in 2015. Everyone else? Career backups or selling insurance while living off glory days.
Teams can survive in college football without a run game. It can manage with insufficient offensive line production. Contenders last due to its quarterback play, and the "QB guru" title around Fisher's name has soured. It's the reason for the Aggies' current predicament.
Since arriving in College Station, Texas A&M hasn't had a quarterback throw for over 3,500 yards or 25 touchdowns in a single season. Kellen Mond, another passer that never made big in the pros, came close in 2018 when he threw for just over 3,100 yards and 22 TDs.
The development of quarterbacks has changed drastically over the last three decades since Fisher first became a coach. Recruits now spend summers working out at 7-on-7 camps and passing academies to hone their skills. What used to be a four-month sport followed by offseason workouts has transformed into a year-round job with little time away from the gridiron.
The job of a "QB guru" is no longer to take a prospect and transform him into a great player. It's to finely tune the little tweaks and correct the minor errors to elevate their level of play.
Quarterbacks that work with Fisher are regressing instead of progressing. It's not a one-year mishap, either. It's been a constant since 2014.
LSU transfer Max Johnson threw for at least 250 yards on seven occasions last year. In four games, he's thrown for over 200 yards once. Haynes King has taken an even bigger step back after Aggieland dubbed him the "closest thing to Johnny Manziel" since the 2012 Heisman winner roamed the sidelines.
When hired by then-athletic director Scott Woodward, Fisher was viewed as an upgrade over Kevin Sumlin, who was fired after six uninspiring seasons. Through 53 games, both coaches have the same 37-16 record.
Much like Sumlin, Fisher has met the expectations once — finishing 9-1 with an Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina and a top-five AP poll ranking. That night in Miami, Fisher proclaimed to Aggie nation "we ain't done yet."
How fans would love to relive that moment one more time before heading back to reality.
Johnson won't play Saturday against the Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium. King, who has four interceptions against three touchdowns in three games, will get the starting nod, but Fisher could also see what highly-touted freshman prospect Conner Weigman could bring to the table.
Maybe the Aggies duplicate its success from last season? Backup quarterback Zach Calzada was expected to be blown out in front of the home crowd following a lackluster showcase against Mississippi State in early October.
He'd go on to be the hero in A&M's 41-38 upset win, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns.
Perhaps it's King's time to shine? Maybe Weigman has his "Manziel moment" just like Johnny did 10 years ago in front of the Alabama faithful. Who's to say that enough A&M fans won't be selling their souls to take away a victory from Saban after the off-season feud heard around college football?
Unfortunately, this is where the Aggies are as a program: a cheap win here, followed by inconsistencies and disappointment the remainder of the season.
And the only person to blame for the apathetic feel around Aggieland is the one set to make a crisp $9 million come January 1.
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