In one of the worst defensive performances in quite some time, Texas A&M’s 48-33 loss to Miami on Saturday afternoon provided more questions than answers, mostly pointing toward Aggies defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, who failed to adjust his defense in the second half after an early dismal showing.
Besides nearly allowing 50 points on the board, Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke shredded the Aggies for 374 yards and five touchdowns through the air (451 total). At the same time, the Hurricanes offense averaged an embarrassing 8.4 yards per play, even with Texas A&M holding Miami’s ground game to 77 yards on the night.
Yes, numbers don’t lie, but what absolutely killed the Aggies chances of coming back behind admirable performances from sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman (31/51, 336 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) and wide receiver Evan Stewart (11 rec, 142 yards) was the beyond poor tackling in space, especially after the catch as the Miami wideouts outmuscled Texas A&M’s undisciplined secondary, which included three of Van Dykes’ five touchdowns to junior WR Jacolby George on 94 yards receiving.
While blaming Jimbo Fisher may be the easy way out, and yes, it does start at the top, D.J. Durkin’s skill set as coordinator is honestly something I can’t comprehend, constantly trying to find where he thrives from a scheme standpoint every time the Aggies take the field.
Outside of the miserable tackling attempts, the highly talented defensive line littered with blue-chip talent failed to bring pressure against Van Dyke, tallying only two sacks on the night, which were honestly surprising the few times Miami’s O-line actually succumbed to the pass rush.
Look, the writing is clearly on the wall regarding Durkin’s murky future with the program, and while Texas A&M defensive line coach Elijah Robinson stands in the shadows on the sidelines every Saturday this fall, the only thing keeping Durkin from becoming a free agent sooner than later is an immediate defensive turnaround before SEC play.
Texas A&M will return to Kyle Field to take on Louisiana Monroe on Saturday, Sept. 16, as the game will air on the SEC Network at 3:00 p.m. CT.
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