Lost in the pre-game coverage shuffle before Texas A&M’s (4-2, 2-1 SEC) pivotal road trip to face Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday afternoon, SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum joined TexAgs’s Billy Liucci and David Nuño earlier this week to reflect on the Aggies recent 26-20 loss to Alabama, and the challenge the Vols present within a packed Neyland Stadium.
Texas A&M’s 2023 season isn’t in utter turmoil, no matter the apathy that has set in with a portion of the fanbase. While blatant coaching mistakes, offensive line issues, and poor play in the defensive secondary plagued the Aggies through the second half against the Crimson Tide, one loss in the SEC doesn’t destroy their chances in the West. For Finebaum, Jimbo Fisher’s resilient squad can change the narrative with a win in Knoxville.
“I favored Alabama, and not for a specific reason. Rather just because they were on a roll. They were beatable. Watching from an Aggie perspective, it had to be exasperating. If you move things around, it could have been a breakthrough win. There are more questionable decisions that bother me. I don’t think this is armageddon. This is a bad loss, but you can get it back. I think that Knoxville is so imperative. Tennessee is a mystery. The only way to make up for Saturday is to win in Knoxville.”
One of the more surprising stats concerning Fisher’s lack of success on the road is precisely the fact that he has not defeated a ranked opponent on the road since 2016, while the Aggies, under his tutelage, have yet to win a true SEC road game since 2021, makes Saturday’s matchup even more critical regarding his future with the program.
This is one of three SEC road games remaining on the schedule, and as Finebaum stated in the interview, it’s time to get the program back where they were just two short weeks ago.
“I felt better about Jimbo Fisher talking to everyone on the A&M campus. A win in Knoxville pushes this program forward, and that has been the problem. It’s one thing to win at Kentucky or South Carolina. Winning at Tennessee would be a big win. Fisher needs big wins. He needs to take the program back to where it was a couple of weeks ago.”
This game will likely come down to A&M’s secondary vs. the big arm of Vols quarterback Joe Milton, who, like Alabama QB Jalen Milroe last week, is more of a “big play” signal caller lacking consistency in the pocket.
“Joe Milton is a mystery. He makes big plays, just like Jalen Milroe. Maybe better in decision-making.”
However, if the Aggies’ elite pass rush can continue its dominance in the trenches throughout the game, this could once again land at the feet of quarterback Max Johnson’s ability to move the offense down the field.
Texas A&M will travel to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2:30 p.m. CT, inside Neyland Stadium (TV: CBS).
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