Time For Texas A&M To "Move On" Before Facing Alabama
COLLEGE STATION -- The phrase "We want Bama" is a rallying cry for teams around college football on the rise. That certainly was the sentiment for Texas A&M fans going into the season.
"We want Bama! We want Bama!"
Alabama week has arrived. The Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 SEC) is undefeated and marching toward the program's 19th national championship.
The Aggies (3-2, 0-2 SEC) are mired in a two-game losing streak. Just making it a game against Nick Saban's squad seems like a tall order.
“They’re a very fundamentally sound football team,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday. “They do the ordinary things very well.”
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For months, this was dubbed "the game" of the 2021 SEC season. Last year in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide were able to win by 28 in Week 2. After that, the Aggies went on an eight-game winning streak to close out the season.
If that game was played later in the season, maybe the Aggies could've contended. They certainly were playing better ball to close out 2020.
Much was expected from Fisher's Aggies coming off a 9-1 campaign. A&M was supposedly ready to take the next step in its quest to become a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.
Now, the Aggies are just looking to avoid an 0-3 start in conference play for the first time since joining the SEC in 2012.
“It’s all about how you respond to adversity,” A&M tight end Jalen Wydermyer said. “It shows you and your character and your team’s chemistry, how you respond to it.”
Initially expected to be a top-five matchup, A&M fell from No. 7 to No. 15 after its nine-game winning streak to Arkansas was snapped. The Aggies were then upset at home Mike Leach's Mississippi State team, knocking them out of the top 25 altogether.
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Offensively, A&M is flat. Quarterback Zach Calzada is struggling to find any success passing. The Aggies can't find consistency across the board. The running combination of Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane has been held in check behind a questionable offensive line.
Alabama entered the week as a 17.5-point favorite on the road. The Tide suffocated high-scoring Ole Miss at home Saturday.
The Crimson Tide held the Rebels to 21 points — 14 of which came in the fourth quarter when Alabama was leading 42-7.
Despite the odds, the Aggies say they're ready.
"I feel confident in the guys we have in what we do and where we can go in the future of this game," Fisher said. "Not just this year, but in the future."
Fisher's message to the team this week is to hit the "off" button. The pressure of facing an Alabama team is challenging enough. Add in a two-game losing streak and seeing those playoff aspirations evaporate, and the hill is even harder to climb.
The outside noise can be a distraction for A&M. That's the last thing the Aggies need entering their biggest test of the season.
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"Turn social media off — turn (media) off. … You’ve got to lock into that (football) room and only that room and people in your family," Fisher said. "You understand at the end of the day, (reporters) are doing their job and everybody has opinions. When you write something good, don’t listen. When you write something bad, don’t listen.
“Move on and eliminate the clutter.”
Wydermyer said that two years ago as a freshman, he finally felt like he "belonged" in the SEC after playing Alabama. A&M likely will start three freshmen on the offensive line once again.
Caleb Chapman and Hez Jones still remain day-to-day, meaning Demond Demas and Moose Muhammad III could see early reps at receiver with Ainias Smith.
The Aggies also will rely on either Tyreek Chappell or Deuce Harmon to play opposite sophomore cornerback Jaylon Jones following the season-ending surgery to starter Myles Jones.
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There will be a lot of young players on the field for A&M on Saturday. They'll need to grow up fast and prove they "belong" if they hope to take down college football's finest.
"All that matters with young players is confidence," Wydermyer said. "All you need is confidence. Once you have confidence, you can make all the right reads. The sky's the limit from there."
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