Tag: aggies

JUST ENOUGH. This was the motto for the Texas A&M Aggies last night as they came back from a 14-0 lead and then held onto for a close win, 24-21, over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It looked ugly early on for the Aggies as Kellen Mond fumbled twice in the first quarter and fell behind 14-0 quickly. However, after a bad punt by Oklahoma State that got downed at their own 22 yard line, A&M capitalized on the field position and managed to be only down by a score, 14-7, going into halftime. After the A&M defense forced another 3 and out, they again capitalized on the situation and took a 60 yard drive, capped off by a 10 yard slant route touchdown pass from Mond to Jhamon Ausbon. After both offenses traded off multiple punts back and forth, Kellen Mond ripped off a 67 yard run through the heart of the Cowboys defense, giving A&M the lead for the first time all night. After forcing another punt, the A&M offense took a 9 play drive and kicked a 24 yard field goal with 2:52 left in the game to make it a 2 possession game. That FG would be the difference in the game as the A&M defense, for all the improvements they made in the 2^nd half, gave up an Oklahoma State touchdown drive with a 1:04 left in the game. However, the onside kick attempt fell short and after A&M recovered and took a couple of knee downs, A&M completed the comeback and held onto to win the game and finish the season with an 8-5 record.

Player Notes:

Kellen Mond- failed to throw for a 100 yards but made up for it by leading the team in rushing with a 117 yards on the ground on 12 attempts, including a rushing touchdown.

Ainias Smith- it could be argued that once the freshman receiver found his way onto the field was the time that A&M found its spark on offense. While only pulling in 2 receptions, his explosive presence seemed to help kick start the previously anemic offense by being the other back, providing the explosive threat needed by A&M.

Chubba Hubbard- had another good night as he averaged 7.5 yards per run, with a total of 158 yards on 19 attempts. To A&M’s credit, the defense stopped him when they needed to and kept him out of the endzone. Oklahoma State fans eagerly wait on the redshirt sophomore’s decision to declare for the NFL Draft or not.

Braydon Johnson- had a very good night, averaging almost 25 yards a catch with 2 TDs and 124 reception yards, scorching the A&M secondary.  

What’s Next?

Oklahoma State- While not getting the result they wanted from last night, Coach Mike Gundy remains optimistic for the Cowboys’ future, with the return of sophomore receiver Braydon Johnson and the hopeful return of Hubbard.

Texas A&M- Finally got a win over a good team, ranked in the Top 25, and got to 8 wins. Texas A&M will look to build off this win in the offseason for a 2020 season that is much more forgiving, swapping out SEC East opponent Georgia for Vanderbilt and nonconference Clemson, for UNT. With another top 10 recruiting class, Jimbo Fisher looks to continue to rebuild and retool Texas A&M into an SEC & CFP contending team.

Howdy Folks! Aggie gameday is upon us as our beloved Fightin’ Texas Aggies will partake in the 2019 Texas Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys tomorrow afternoon. The Aggies come in with a 7-5 record on the year, but have lost their last 2 games. In the words of OK State coach Mike Gundy, the Aggies are the “best 7-5 team in the history of the NCAA.” I, personally, have never heard a more truthful statement in my life. The Ags have played arguably the hardest schedule of all time with all 5 losses against teams currently ranked in the top 12 in the playoff rankings. However, they have received criticism from many around the country for not having a win against a team with a winning record. The Aggies have their chance now against a Cowboys team who is 8-4 on the year and currently ranked 25^th in the nation. The Aggies are currently favored by 5.5 points, a line that has went down by 1.5 points since Monday.

The Cowboys offense features one of the best RB’s in the country in Chuba Hubbard who led college football in rushing yards and also had 21 touchdowns. Hubbard has been an absolute workhorse this year and will cause some fits for an Aggie defense that has been liable to give up the occasional big play. QB Spencer Sanders had a solid year for the Pokes but missed the final 2 games after undergoing thumb surgery. Therefore, both he and backup Dru Brown will be receiving playing time. Further, the Cowboys will be without their top receiver, Tylan Wallace, who has been out with a torn ACL since November. This is good news for a much improved Aggie pass defense. However, the major key for the Aggie defense is whether or not they can contain Chuba Hubbard. If the Ags can prove they can stop the run early in the game and force the Cowboy’s offense to rely on their passing game, they will have a solid shot to walk out of Houston with a win.

While the OK State offense and the Aggie defense are both statistically solid, it is the total opposite for their respective defenses and offenses. Neither are very good. The Aggie offense is once again led by QB Kellen Mond who has been fairly good from a numbers standpoint, but has been subpar in the eyes of the average Aggie fan. While Mond has shown some growth this season, his play in the last two games of the season against Georgia and LSU have many calling for the QB to head to the sidelines. While Mond was unimpressive in both games, it is the offensive line play as a whole this season that has left me yelling at my flatscreen. The Aggies offensive line is abysmal to say the least and ranks near the bottom of the NCAA in almost every measurable statistic. Thankfully, they will be going up against an OK State defense that is unimpressive to say the least. Therefore, the Aggies should be able to establish the run with RB Isaiah Spiller which should open up the passing game for Mond. Look for receiver Jhamon Ausbon to have a big day against a brutal Cowboy’s secondary.

Sounds cliché, but for the Aggies to have a chance today they have to be able to stop Chuba Hubbard. The Cowboy defense is lackluster and will give Mond and Co. plenty of chances to score against them. In typical Big 12 fashion, I expect to see a shootout in NRG tomorrow and I like the Aggies to prevail. Good teams win. Great teams cover. Aggies 36 Cowboys 29.