Aggies vs. Hurricanes: 'Fast Start' Key to Texas A&M Victory?
With a win in his pocket and another game to prepare for, Texas A&M Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher is now focused on looking forward.
There were plenty of positives to take from the Aggies' pummeling of New Mexico in Week 1, yes, but at the same time, there were things for Fisher's squad to improve on ... and he knows it.
“As a head coach, you’re on it 24/7," Fisher explained at his weekly press conference on Monday. "It’s a different world today.”
Entering a different world is something the Aggies have been trying to do since the end of the last season. Moving on from a 5-7 season for a team that wasn't expected to finish anywhere near that mark isn't easy, however, and a familiar opponent in the second game of the year only further complicates that.
Last season, Texas A&M hosted the Miami Hurricanes at Kyle Field. The game — which was arguably the ugliest and least encouraging win in recent memory — finished 19-7. The positive was that it proved the Aggies could win games, but the worse part was that it only further confirmed the fears that Texas A&M was not the team it was expected to be.
This season, that's likely to change. Week 1 Already helped show that, and Week 2 against Miami is another chance the Aggies to prove they are a legitimate SEC West threat. And the key to doing that according to Fisher? A fast start.
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“A fast start doesn’t guarantee you a win, but it gives you confidence,” Fisher said. "[But] a slow start can make it ... very hard to climb up the hill. It’s always better to start fast, but the other thing is can you keep your foot on the pedal and keep rolling?”
Last season's matchup between the two schools started out promising for the Aggies. A quick field goal followed by a touchdown made it 10-3 before the first quarter had ended, and all signs seemed to point towards a competitive game.
To Fisher's point, Texas A&M did start fast. Scoring twice in four drives isn't a bad start, but the second part of Fisher's equation is where the Aggies fell short. For the rest of the game, Texas A&M only scored one more time — including zero points in both the second and fourth quarters.
Naturally, if the Aggies want to pull off a victory, a better start might need to be in order, but not only that — keeping a rhythm going will be even more crucial.
But if Texas A&M can pull that off, it could be well on its way towards a stronger season and a much-needed boost of momentum before facing any conference opponents.