Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC) is looking to put their 20-13 loss to Tennessee in the rearview mirror heading into the bye week. Yet, college football analysts are just getting started on dissecting the ramifications of A&M’s second straight loss.
During this week’s Pate State Game Recap, titular host Josh Pate did not mince words when summarizing Texas A&M’s loss to Tennessee. The 247Sports host took it one step further, echoing the frustration of Aggies fans given that the ingredients for success are readily available in College Station:
“Fans look at the A&M job as a second, or third-tier job. You are outside your mind. Everything you need to win national championships is there. It is a turnkey contender. The right staff comes in there and wins, overnight.”
So, what is holding back the Aggies from widespread success, you ask? In Pate’s eyes, every hurdle and roadblock is internal:
“There is no external factor keeping A&M from being a premier program. Everything keeping A&M from being a premier program is internal.”
Texas A&M could be so much more pic.twitter.com/MD0ZB2PBnY
— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) October 16, 2023
You don’t need to be fluent in Pate-speak to understand what the “internal factors” equate to. To put it bluntly, A&M’s inability to become a premier program falls on the likes of Jimbo Fisher and the coaching staff he’s compiled around him. Interestingly enough, that aligns with one of our key takeaways here at Aggies Wire.
Managing Editor Cameron Ohnysty illustrated it efficiently in spotlighting offensive line coach Steve Addazio. The second-year coach has to shoulder some responsibility after the offensive line’s historic performance on Saturday, and not in a good way.
Porous pass protection has regulated Max Johnson to that of an average quarterback, and in turn, has severely hampered the potential of this offense. The offensive line, and their coach in Addazio, have to take responsibility. But the same can be said for the person who hired him in the first place.
For every step forward Fisher has taken with this program, whether that be on the recruiting trail or bringing in Bobby Petrino to helm the offense, there’s been two steps back. You can’t foresee unfortunate injuries to the likes of Conner Weigman, but when it comes to keeping him out of harm’s way, that’s where this A&M coaching staff has fallen short.
And to a certain extent, that is where Pate is driving his message. Internal factors are continuously keeping this program handicapped. And guess what, only those within the program can’t help rid of these roadblocks.
Multiple individuals must be held accountable, but as “CEO” of Texas A&M football, Fisher will of course shoulder the bulk of the public responsibility. And if he is earnest in his passion for making A&M a premier football program, he needs to make serious decisions internally, or else, this same story will play on repeat every season.
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