Texas A&M pulled away from Auburn in the second half behind the arm of Max Johnson
Texas A&M was in a nail-biter against the Auburn Tigers early when starting QB Conner Weigman suffered an ankle injury. Insert backup QB Max Johnson. The Aggies needed a spark after Weigman went down, and Johnson was able to steer the ship back on course.
After Johnson settled into the game, he threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns, with one being to his little brother Jake Johnson. Evan Stewart looks like a top wideout in the SEC, contributing 50 yards and a touchdown while dealing with lingering injuries.
A pleasant change we all hoped the see was the defensive pressure all game long on the Auburn quarterbacks. DJ Durkin must have heard the rumblings of people wanting to kick him to the curb despite Jimbo’s confidence re-assertion.
It paid for the defense this week, totaling seven sacks, and held the Tigers under 200 yards of offense on their way to a 27-10 victory on Saturday.
Below, you can check out some of the best Saturday game photos.
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Where’s the pass rush? DJ Durkin has to reevaluate his scheme to benefit the most talented position group
I’d like to believe that most people who watched the Texas A&M offense last year compared to this year can see how much better they look just two games into Bobby Petrino’s offense. However, the defense is a completely different story, and it’s not a good look for DJ Durkin.
Even though the entire defensive unit received a failing grade from me, I want to focus on the crown jewel of this team. The Aggie defensive line is littered with five and four-star recruits with SEC experience, but for some reason, they have not had that jump under Durkin’s watch.
Miami’s quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and went off for 374 yards and five touchdowns. He rarely felt any pressure all night allowing extra time for the wide receivers to break loose for easy receptions. I was sold on Durkin being able to play to the strength of his players, but we are still seeing two things they need some additional film time.
First – No more three-man fronts. Overall, it never seems to go well, and while the linebacker play is still working itself out, teams just gash the defense with six- or seven-yard runs. With most of the top talent being on the defensive line that needs to be a way to make sure they are the focal point of the disruption. That leads me to the next issue.
Second – The lack of a pass rush. The run defense looks a little better than last year, but I believe that just has more to do with all the freshmen getting a year in an elite college weightlifting program. The pass rush on the other hand is nonexistent so far through the first two games. It’s obvious at this point that more pressure is going to have to be brought going forward since the down lineman cannot do it consistently on their own.
Thats not a knock on the talent along the line, but they are a big and long-limbed defensive line, but they are not off the charts speed wise. So, when power is not working the line gets stuck in the mud leaving a secondary that’s still trying to figure out a rotation, out to dry. What I’m getting at is if you are already getting beat when you are not bringing pressure, you might as well get beat throwing the whole house at an offense.
HOW ABOUT THAT! 🙌
Tyler Van Dyke 52 yard pass to Isaiah Horton for SIX!
During the post-game interview Jimbo Fisher pointed out that Van Dyke had too much time to sit in the pocket and just wait for someone to come open.
“We gotta get pressure. We have to affect the quarterback a little.”
I personally believe implementing those two changes would stabilize the defense until they eventually give DJ Durkin his walking papers at some point this season. Something has to be done to make sure they stay confident and keep recruits from second guessing joining this defensive room.
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No. 23 Texas A&M (1-1) fell in their rematch against Miami (2-0) in what proved to be a humbling 48-33 loss. For the Maroon and White, it’s evident there are areas to address as the season moves forward. Despite their special teams unit generating …
No. 23 Texas A&M (1-1) fell in their rematch against Miami (2-0) in what proved to be a humbling 48-33 loss. For the Maroon and White, it’s evident there are areas to address as the season moves forward.
Despite their special teams unit generating some early momentum at the onset, a sluggish end to the first half gave all the momentum to the Hurricanes as they led 21-17. By the start of the third quarter, it was bombs away for Miami as offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson outcoached, and outschemed, Aggies defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
Despite Texas A&M dropping to .500 and with an expected monsoon of negative reactions on the way this week, by no means is the season lost. As Texas’ upset over Alabama late Saturday night highlighted, the SEC West appears to be up for grabs this year. The Aggies can very much contend, but it starts with cleaning up some glaring issues that arose this past weekend.
Here are the five takeaways from Texas A&M’s 48-33 loss to Miami in Week 2.
The Aggies can’t keep up with the Miami offense as they give Texas A&M their first loss of the season.
For about 13 minutes, the Aggies looked like a championship-caliber team, but the other 47 minutes looked the same or worse than the 5-7 team from last year. The ACC has started off hot against SEC opponents, so this was a good game to test their team identity against a formidable foe in the Miami Hurricanes.
A 48-33 loss comes with much criticism, which should be the case. However, for now, I want to take a few moments to talk about how much better the offense looks with Bobby Petrino calling the offense. Since I’m going to make an excuse for now, the Aggies made a poor decision with the cleats they wore during the game.
There were many instances of the Aggies slipping and falling down all game. A few times, it looked like a golfer took a huge divot when Conner Wiegman would step up to throw the ball.
The offense showed some encouraging improvement over last year’s team, but the offensive line still needs work. The defense was less than inspiring, and DJ Durkin has some serious things to consider with his scheme going forward.
Below, you can check out the best photos from the game on Saturday.
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After a fast start the Aggies spudder out and fall to the Miami Hurricanes 48-33
No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies (1-1) dropped the rematch game in Florida 48-33 to the Miami Hurricanes (2-0). Miami weathered the early storm to beat the Aggies convincingly for a marque early season win for Cristobal’s program.
You couldn’t ask for a better start to a football game on the road than the Aggies. Special teams set the tone with a big stop on the opening kickoff, Sam Mathews, the 12th man, trapping the Hurricanes deep to start the game. The defense followed that up with a quick three-and-out, leading to a blocked punt by transfer Jahdae Walker.
Bobby Petrino’s offense’s first drive would start Miami’s 15-yard line. Amari Daniels and Conner Weigman took turns chipping away until they reached the endzone on a one-yard touchdown run for an early 7-0 lead.
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Not wanting to let this game get out of hand early, Miami answered back to cut the lead to 10-7 late in the first quarter. As both teams settled in, the Hurricanes came back in to lead 21-17 at halftime.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, Miami would pressure Texas A&M across the board in the second half, keeping them off-balanced for the rest of the night. After the Maroon & White pulled within one in the third quarter, Miami took the kickoff back 98 yards after the field goal to the house, killing what little momentum the Aggies built off the previous dive. The Hurricanes would outscore the Aggies 27 to 16 over the final 30 minutes, leaving the Texas A&M fans scratching their head at the outcome.
The offense did not look bad, but the offensive line is still a work in progress. Conner Wiegman,Noah Thomas, and Even Stewart stood out as studs, but it still was not enough to overcome the deficit. The defense was nonexistent after the first two drives, and while a few players did flash, like Taurean York and Walter Nolan, this was one of the worst outings under DJ Durkin’s watch.
It’s too early to call this a turning point; some even had this as one of the Aggie losses on the books. Monday is on to the next opponent, but the Texas A&M coaching staff will have much to work on moving forward.
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Aggies HC Jimbo Fisher praised his talented and experienced coaching staff during his conversation with SEC Networks’ Marty & McGee
Texas A&M’s 2022 football season was an utter failure by every definition, culminating in a 5-7 (2-6 SEC) finish that has left a lasting impression that will only be eliminated through a complete rebound campaign in 2023.
Head Coach Jimbo Fisher immediately felt the heat one month after the season, taking the “no risk, no reward” route in hiring Bobby Petrino as the program’s new offensive coordinator. In contrast, defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and O-line coach Steve Addazio will return for their second season in Aggieland.
Without going into a rant concerning the talent on the roster, the Aggies lead the SEC in returning production. At the same time, the four presumed leaders on offense and defense include wide receiver Ainias Smith, strong safety Demani Richardson, right guard Layden Robinson, and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson, who are all entering their presumed final season with the Maroon and White.
Last week, Fisher sat down with college football analysts Marty Smith and Ryan McGee on SEC Networks “Marty and McGee” to preview the 2023 season and heap praise on the coaching as mentioned above staff he has assembled. Honestly, each coach has a downright impressive experience, combining a wealth of football knowledge and all the goals they have set out with just two weeks remaining before the Sept. 2 opener.
✔️ A veteran staff with Petrino, Addazio and Durkin. ✔️ A ton of talent returning on both sides of the ball.
But outside of Petrino, Durkin, and Addazio, the longtime offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, known for his days helping future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees break NCAA records at Purdue in the late 90s-2000s, was hired as an offensive analyst back in February, and while Petrino will be the majority play caller, Chaney’s influence, especially on spread offense concepts, will be utilized through each week.
As they say, there is always strength in numbers; by the looks of it, Fisher feels very confident that this current staff is one of the best in the country.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.
Everything defensive coordinator DJ Durkin had to say before the open practice
This football season is one of the most anticipated in the past decade (until next year) at Texas A&M, and everyone has questions. Fortunately for us, we will get to double-dip as coaches/players spoke during to media, and there is an open practice to the public.
Second-year defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is looking to build off a solid but leaky defense last year. It usually takes a few seasons to establish an identity with a new team, especially when it’s stacked with freshmen who will be expected to play. That is what we saw a young talented defense that showed a lot of promise but needed time to grow.
Now acclimating to Aggieland and back coaching linebackers, coach Durkin is confident he can take this defense to the next level. Below you can find what he had to say about the state of the defense.
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Ole Miss has hired the former Maryland coach, D.J. Durkin, who oversaw the program when 19-year-old Jordan McNair died due to heatstroke.
On Thursday, Ole Miss announced it was hiring D.J. Durkin, the former Maryland coach, to be an assistant under new head coach Lane Kiffin.
It’s a shocking decision from Kiffin and Ole Miss AD Keith Carter. Durkin was the head coach of Maryland when lineman Jordan McNair, 19, died due to complications from heatstroke during a team workout.
McNair’s death was a horrifying — and completely preventable — tragedy, and while Durkin never faced charges over his death, the event did eventually cost him his job shine a light on the program Durkin was running at Maryland. An investigation revealed that Durkin had shown graphic videos during team meals as a motivational tactic.
According to Gus Little, this included videos of serial killers, drills entering eyeballs, and bloody scenes with animals eating animals.
Members of Durkin’s staff were alleged to use abusive speech against players, including homophobic slurs. Every bit of the investigation showed something clear: Durkin had overseen an unsafe environment for young people, and a young person died under his watch.
That should be the end of it. That has to be the end of the discussion for Ole Miss.
Durkin had a chance to run a football program, and he failed. Not just in wins and losses, but in the very first thing anyone running a college program must be responsible for: The safety of the young people in the program.
My old colleague Alex Kirshner put this well: Durkin can find work doing just about anything in this country. But he should not be overseeing young people in any capacity.
There are lots of jobs in the American economy. DJ Durkin could do one that does not give him influence over the care/treatment of teenagers. This is like the absolute bare minimum punishment https://t.co/Two8ERqil8
Ole Miss AD Keith Carter put out a statement after the hire was made, suggesting that he’d done his due diligence and talked to plenty of people before OK’ing the hire.
From the statement:
“We received consistently strong feedback about Coach Durkin’s strong character and work ethic and his positive impact on the communities and institutions where he was previously employed. Once we had the chance to spend time with coach Durkin, we were even more convinced that he is exactly the type of accomplished coach with strong football credentials who is also a proud and committed family man that will make him a great addition to our new staff.”
What I am willing to bet: Carter didn’t talk to the family of Jordan McNair. I’m guessing he didn’t talk to any of the former players who said Durkin had created a toxic environment at Maryland.
This has resulted in a defiant attitude from many in and around the university. They may see the hiring of Durkin as another push back against the organization/the world at large, a loud “eff you” to the powers that be.
Here’s the bottom line on Ole Miss/Durkin: Keith Carter is a young, inexperienced AD who is getting positive reinforcement from his fan base for throwing up middle fingers at the world. It is an intoxicating place to be in at the moment.
But AD Keith Carter needs to know better. Lane Kiffin needs to know better. This isn’t thumbing your nose at the NCAA and the rest of college football. This is thumbing your nose at the family of Jordan McNair, and putting football over common sense.
