Texas A&M Breakdown vs Florida

After 2 straight years of losing game after game, heartbreak after heartbreak, the Aggies finally found a way to win a game on the road, winning 33-20. In a lead up that left many Aggies to question the outcome of the game, we wound up leaving that game with some high hopes. Let’s break it down. 

The Lead Up

After a very uncharacteristic performance from Conner in week one, many left that game wondering if the damages left by Jimbo were just too big to overcome in one offseason against a top 5 defense. Many excuses were made as to why Conner and the offense overall looked so bad that game. Never-the-less I knew a tune up game was absolutely needed the following week. In a much cleaner and executed plan on offense against a very bad McNeese team, I left with the feeling that Conner was more poised and was settling back into his former self. Then the news on Thursday was released. Conner surprisingly was listed as questionable for the Florida game. After doing more reading, it was stated he injured his shoulder toward the end of the Notre Dame game, a week before he led the country in PFF against McNeese. This created many questions in my head rightfully so, but in truth it was simply a lingering shoulder injury that can cause pain more days than others. This led to Conner missing a lot of practice time in the weeks leading up to Florida. Which I believe was the leading reason to sit him. 

Here We Go

So Marcel Reed gets the nod. It's official, Conner is out against Florida. There was no time to panic, as we found out a minute before kick-off. I went into this game knowing we were going to be very run heavy, so the switch to Marcel didn’t worry me in that regard. But you had to have some doubt in the redshirt freshman having his first start in the swamp. But man did he deliver, and man did we go run heavy. 

The Triple Option

On September 14th, 2024, the triple option offense was on full display for the Aggies for the first time in who knows how long. An absolute masterclass of scheme and execution against a defense who was already weak against the run. A plan that led to 488 total yards, 310 of which came on the ground. The offensive line wreaked havoc in ways we have not seen them do in years. It was an absolute BULLYfest in the trenches. Let’s go through what exactly the offense was able to do that made it so successful.

At face value, you see the amount of yards we put up and your first thought might be “wow we must’ve been so wildly creative in our play calling”. The answer is yes, and no. The lack of creativity comes from the fact that we ran the same EXACT play for the majority of the game. The creative piece to how we ran those same plays were the different motions, blocking schemes, and slight variations of formations and misdirections. Essentially, we ran the same play over and over, but pre snap it looked like we were running something completely different every time. This right here is the beauty of Collin Klein. This is why he was once known as one of the best young OC’s in college football for the past few years. His ability to throw off defenses is up there with the best. 

This scheme is obviously at its peak when you have a QB who can pull it and run at will. And what happens when you can run at will? Say it with me everyone. You can open up the pass! Crazy concept that is right? Marcel had tremendous poise and made the correct read 95% of the time with a few plays he’d love to have back. After seeing him hit Theo, which was his third read, I knew this kid had what it took to win us this game. But after hammering Florida in the run game essentially up to the 3rd quarter, Klein decided to hit them with our first play action of the game, leading to a 70+ yard touchdown to Cyrus Allen. After being baited the entire game until that point, Florida had no choice but to sell out for the run. Leading to an absolute chef's kiss of a play call. And with that this game was essentially wrapped. This my friends was the true definition of beautiful execution. (I'm finally able to hear that word and think of it in a positive way, thank you Jimbo)

The Defense

I am loving this Mike Elko defense that has been on display so far. Through the two games leading up to it, it has been clear we have upgraded across the entirety of the defense. We are playing faster and harder than we have since Elko left. Along with the mind and defensive approach Elko brings, it has been very fun to watch. Though a few questions remained. Will we be able to prevent the few big plays we saw in the first two games? Will we generate more pressure on the QB? This was the game to see it. 

Breakdown

All the talk leading up to the game was about how Florida was going to utilize DJ Lagway. My question going into it, knowing DJ was bound to get in at some point, was how do we make this as uncomfortable as possible for the Freshman. The answer was simple. Doing what a Mike Elko defense always does, give the opposing offense so many different looks that they have no idea what is coming. And that is exactly what happened. We looked like we have made drastic strides in the run game and were finally creating turnovers. Of course you could nit-pick and say there were some holes in coverage in some parts of the game. But overall this defense was sharp for 3 ½ quarters until they went into some more prevent defense. Why did Napier pull out Mertz the following series after their best drive of the day? We will never know, but thank you. 

All in all I see a defense that will be making improvement week to week. Elko is too smart of a coach and has too many athletes on the defensive side of the ball for me to think any different. It will be fun to watch this defense improve week to week, let's just stay healthy. 

Conclusion

It feels so good. Finally, after two miserable years, we got a dominant win on the road. Many conversations to be had on this team moving forward, but winning that game was the needle mover on how this season can shape out. Hopefully. 

The Obvious

The talks post game now shift over to a QB controversy after an incredibly impressive performance from Marcel Reed, rightfully so. I will have a separate write up discussing my thought process on the situation, but it is definitely interesting to say the least. 

-Anonymous Aggie