Tag: Jimbo Fisher

How Alabama can take advantage of Texas A&M’s QB troubles

Poor quarterback play has held Texas A&M’s offense back.

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Without sounding too much like the Bo Nix meme that has been going around social media for months now, this was the year for Texas A&M at quarterback.

Haynes King was recruited by alleged quarterback whisperer Jimbo Fisher and developed for two seasons while sitting behind Kellen Mond. He beat out Zack Calzada for the starting job this season, being dubbed the guy to take the Aggies to the College Football Playoff. His ability as a dual-threat paired with two of the best running backs in the country and an elite defense had College Station hopeful.

Until a fractured ankle against Colorado has sidelined King with an at best mid-October return on the table.

If I told you the Texas A&M offense has been bad since then, it would come off as a compliment.

Calzada has taken over as the starting quarterback and led the Aggies to an average of 14 points/game (three games) against Power Five opponents. Two consecutive losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State have taken the CFP hype to “hopefully, they’ll make a bowl game.”

Outside of the lackluster scoring, some of Calzada’s advanced numbers are worrying. Only 10.1% of his throws have gone beyond 20 yards this season. Texas A&M has some talented skill position players and should have a more explosive passing game than Fisher has put on display so far.

Holding onto the ball too long has been an issue as well, averaging 3.1 seconds per dropback. Arkansas and Mississippi State each had three sacks over the past two weeks.

Blaming just the quarterback would be unfair, though. Texas A&M’s offensive line has allowed pressures 38.5% of dropbacks. The already weak unit lost starting offensive lineman Luke Matthews for the season as well. It’s far from up for the Aggies.

Thanks to Greg Tepper of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football for the numbers.

From the Alabama perspective, this screams another Will Anderson masterclass. A struggling offensive line plus a quarterback holding onto the ball for too long while refusing to push the ball downfield. Nick Saban should attempt to get Anderson off preseason All-American Kenyon Green and watch him feast.

Any kind of delayed blitzes will confuse the young and inexperienced Aggie front as well. Malachi Moore, Christian Harris, and Henry To’oto’o should be candidates to end up with sacks alongside Anderson.

Even if the pass rush is not able to get home, we know Calzada is going to be afraid to take deep shots. Loading the box to stop the dangerous run game of Isaiah Spiller can become the defense’s main focus. The quarterback poses no threat.

Alabama blowing out Texas A&M is nothing new. Six of the last seven have been decided by at least 18 points, including a 28-point win last season. Ignoring the quarterback struggles is too difficult to believe any other result will occur at Kyle Flood.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Griffin McVeigh on Twitter @Griffin_McVeigh.

Alabama-Texas A&M contest is set for primetime on CBS

Game time is set for the Crimson Tide vs. the Aggies.

The kickoff time has been set for the Alabama and Texas A&M matchup on Oct. 9. The contest between the two SEC West powers is set to be a night game at Kyle Field on CBS. Kickoff time is 7:00 pm CT.

Kyle Field is one of the toughest environments in all of college football, and Aggie nation will definitely be ready to host the Tide for a night game.

The Crimson Tide have not lost to Texas A&M since 2012 when Johnny Manziel led the Aggies past the Tide.

Alabama and Texas A&M were the two schools most people thought would contend to represent the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game this season. A&M recently lost to Arkansas, making it an uphill climb for the Aggies.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

ESPN Analyst loosely suggests USC call Lincoln Riley, but here’s why it doesn’t make sense

As it does every time a top coaching job comes available, Lincoln Riley’s name has been loosely suggested for USC’s head coaching job by this ESPN Analyst.

It’s the song that never ends. It goes on and on, my friend.

Every time a head coaching vacancy comes open at a premiere program or with an NFL team, the Oklahoma Sooners head coach will get mentioned in concert.

It’s a story as old as… Well, as old as Lincoln, Riley’s been with the Sooners. At some point, the NFL or the other blue blood college football teams will come to grips with the reality that Lincoln Riley may not have been Sooner born or Sooner bred, but he’s a Sooner, and he’s a Sooner for the long-haul.

Of course, there’s a reason for other schools and NFL teams to want Riley. He developed three quarterbacks that started week one in the NFL, his top-notch recruiting classes, and his ability to maintain one of the best offenses in college football while turning over the most important position on offense four seasons in a row from Baker Mayfield’s last year to Spencer Rattler’s first.

Despite a seemingly down year in 2020, one where they lost two conference games and had to streak through conference play and get some help to win a sixth straight Big 12 championship, Riley remains one of the hot coaching commodities in all of football.

ESPN College Football analyst Joel Klatt put Lincoln Riley at the top of the list of head coaches that USC should call to gauge interest.

I mean, it’s a who’s who of college football coaches, and sure, USC would be wise to call every one of them to see if they’d be interested in a Jimbo Fisher powerhouse to powerhouse type move. But the reality is Lincoln Riley isn’t going anywhere.

USC has the makings to be a fantastic job. I mean, who wouldn’t want the chance to meet Snoop Dog. Despite the astronomical cost of living, the school has fantastic facilities, a rich tradition, some of the best uniforms in college football. It is the top program in one of the top recruiting hotbeds in the country.

It’s a big-time job in a big-time media market.

Oklahoma may not provide the same media market, but it has everything else that USC could offer including celebrities like Good Ole J.R. Jim Ross.

He has a chance to establish himself as one of the great Oklahoma Sooner head coaches, following in the line of Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, and Bob Stoops.

Speaking of Stoops. If a Sooners connected coach was going to head to Los Angeles, it would be the one who’s already working there as part of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff Show; Bob Stoops. It’s not likely, but it’s certainly within the realm of possibilities.

That said, Lincoln Riley’s had a shot at moving on to the NFL, and other big-time college jobs have come open, and he’s stayed. Lincoln Riley’s said it repeatedly that he wants to be in Norman and wants to coach the Oklahoma Sooners.

Could he leave one day? Absolutely. He’s a young head coach that’s had a ton of success and might one day decide that he’s ready for another challenge. Of course, with a move to the SEC on the horizon, the challenges will be plenty for Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners.

So, with one of the best teams in college football in 2021, one of the best recruiting classes coming in 2022, and currently the top recruiting class in 2023 coming down the road. All the incentives are there for Riley to stay put in Norman.

If USC were to give Riley a ring to gauge his interest in the job, expect him to politely decline and then head back to the lab to come up with more ways to torment defensive coordinators.

Up next in his diabolical plans; the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Addressing the latest LSU head coaching rumors

Are we really looking at potential head coaching candidates a week into the season?

Here. We. Go.

After one loss to a Power Five opponent in the UCLA Bruins, we are already in search of the next head coach of the LSU Tigers. Well, at least we have seen the idea floating around.

Blake Toppmeyer of USA TODAY Sports wasted no time in trying to find the next head coach of the LSU Tigers. He brought up the name of Gus Malzahn, who was fired last season by Auburn only to land at Central Florida. He is very familiar with the SEC West but would he jump back into the fight with the Tigers?

The other name he threw out there was current Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher. Why? Well current athletic director Scott Woodward was at Texas A&M when they hired Fisher to begin with. Also, Fisher was part of the LSU staff under Nick Saban that won a national championship. Let’s be completely honest, Fisher isn’t coming to Baton Rouge no matter how big that check is, Texas A&M can money whip that deal.

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First, Woodward should check on his former employee, Fisher, to see what it would take to get Fisher to leave Texas A&M and return to LSU, where he was an offensive coordinator under Nick Saban.

Fisher signed a contract extension last week that would keep him at Texas A&M through the 2031 season, and his salary will hit $9 million on Jan. 1.

But coaching contracts are made to be broken.

In announcing Fisher’s contract extension and raise, Texas A&M noted that other provisions of his remained intact. And Fisher’s original contract did not include any exit fee should he leave his contract early.

That equates to an open invitation for Woodward to see if Fisher prefers gumbo to Texas barbecue.

If we are going off ties to Woodward, maybe we should look into Steve Sarkisian and see if he wants to exit stage left in Austin? That won’t happen either, he will be in the SEC soon enough. Then there is another former hire of Woodward, how about former Washington head coach Chris Petersen who walked away from the game in 2019.

Petersen seems the likeliest of the three head coaches with ties to the current LSU AD. However, one shouldn’t believe any of them will be coming to Baton Rouge. Before we start the next head coaching search on the Bayou, perhaps they should let the situation around Orgeron play out first.

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If the team struggles to put McNeese State away and loses to Central Michigan in week three, I think you can kick the idea of moving on into overdrive.

Stream this Saturday’s LSU-McNeese State game, plus college football games from the SEC, Big 12, The American, and more on ESPN+

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

Jimbo Fisher comments on Texas reportedly wanting to join the SEC

Jimbo Fisher was getting set to begin talking during SEC media days when the biggest college football story of the offseason dropped.

Jimbo Fisher was getting set to begin talking during SEC media days when the biggest college football story of the offseason dropped. While it does not have anything to do with Texas A&M, it certainly impacts them.

According to Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle, Texas and Oklahoma are looking to join the SEC. This would mean the triangle of former Big 12 rivals would be back in the same conference, competition against one another on the football field.

When asked about Texas and Oklahoma wanting to join the SEC, Fisher responded with “I bet they would. We got the greatest league in ball.”

To some Aggie fans, this might come as a little bit of an own, claiming Texas and Oklahoma want to get on their level. But Fisher is right. The SEC is the pinnacle of college football at the moment. Two of the biggest programs in the country would be foolish to stay away.

Fisher also joined The Paul Finebaum Show, discussing the possibility.

While Fisher does not directly comment on whether or not he would be in favor of Texas/Oklahoma joining, athletic director Ross Bjork did. He made it clear Texas A&M wants to be the only team from the state in the SEC.

A vote of 75% would be needed for the report to become true. Texas A&M will be doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make sure their wishes stay true.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum more confident in Jimbo Fisher than Steve Sarkisian long term

Steve Sarkisian and Jimbo Fisher will be compared for years to come. To Paul Finebaum, “it’s a really easy answer” in favor of Fisher.

Texas and Texas A&M will always draw comparisons to each other. The former in-state football rivals are not currently playing each other on the gridiron, leaving the debate to hypotheticals.

With Steve Sarkisian being hired after winning a national championship with Alabama, the Longhorns have been the talk of the offseason. Optimism has once again struck on the Forty Acres, but there will be plenty of Sarkisian and Texas doubters.

Before getting compared to his direct competitors in the Big 12, Sarkisian, of course, has to be put head to head against Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher. Even though he likes Sarkisian “a lot,” mark down ESPN’s Paul Finebaum as one in favor of the Aggie coach, saying “it’s a really easy answer.”

“Jimbo Fisher is a legitimately big-time coach,” Finebaum said Monday on WJOX. “He’s already proven it (Florida State). He is proving it now (9-1 record in 2020). He’s recruiting at a level that I think is necessary. And he also doesn’t have the distractions and interferences that Sarkisian is going to have in terms of the alumni.”

Finebaum’s last sentence is why he believes being the head coach at the University of Texas may be too big of an obstacle to overcome. A personal relationship with Mack Brown from their time at ESPN may have negatively swayed how Finebaum views the Longhorns.

“The alumni are always the problem in Austin. I mean, it’s one of the great places in the world to work, it’s one of the great places to live and visit, but they have still not solved that. And maybe I spent too much time on Sunday mornings in Connecticut hanging around Mack Brown, but you have to deal with way too many entities and a fanbase that just can’t quite get over itself.”

Expectations going into the 2021 season are going to be different for Sarkisian and Fisher. Texas is hoping to get back on track, getting closer to their third 10-win season since 2009. Wins will equal recruits.

Fisher, on the other hand, is expected to be competing with Alabama and LSU every season. A combined 3-15 record may say otherwise, but Texas A&M finished second in the SEC West last season. Finding a way to make it to Atlanta is now wanted from Aggie fans.

Sarkisian vs Fisher will continue as the season goes on.

Ultimate SEC Boxing Showdown! Pitting the 14 football coaches in winner-take-all fan vote

Putting all 14 SEC head football coaches against each other in a seeded boxing tournament. Who do you think will win each matchup? GO VOTE!

We are a month past the last college football game and a little more than a month until Spring Football begins so this is one of the deadest times for college football.

Yet it doesn’t have to be that way, right? That’s why I am introducing you to the ULTIMATE SEC SHOWDOWN! Yes, we are pitting the 14 head coaches against each other to see who is the biggest and baddest man we have in our great conference right now.

Seeding? Oh we have already done you the favor of putting the 14 coaches, in our opinion, in order with LSU’s Ed Orgeron being the top seed, new Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel being our lowest seed and Lane Kiffin as our dark horse.

It is the first round of the showdown and we have listed the age, height along with the pros and cons of each coach. It is now your turn to have fun as you get to vote for the ultimate champion of the SEC!

Let’s get ready to rumble!!!!

Jimbo Fisher pulled his hamstring in an epic attempt to avoid a Gatorade bath

R.I.P. Jimbo Fisher’s hamstring.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher should’ve just accepted his fate. You win a Bowl Game — You get showered in Gatorade. This is one of the rules of College Football — along with the consistent exploitation of amateur athletes.

But Fisher refused to stand while his players dumped frigid liquid over his back. He paid for it. The coach said he pulled his hamstring while running from the Gatorade bath in an epic chase. (As an aside, I must say: hamstring injuries are the worst. They just never seem to heal. Huge blow to Fisher’s athletic career. I’m not sure how he’ll recover from this.)

Anyway, here’s a look at Fisher’s epic chase from his players and the Gatorade bath, along with the admission that the efforts (which ended with him getting soaked anyway) cost him a hamstring.

A bowl game for a hamstring — it seems like an OK tradeoff for Fisher.

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Texas A&M Wins Orange Bowl Over North Carolina 41-27: Reaction, Analysis, 5 Thoughts

Texas A&M wins the Capital One Orange Bowl over North Carolina 41-27. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.

Texas A&M wins the Capital One Orange Bowl over North Carolina 41-27. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.

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Texas A&M wins the Capital One Orange Bowl

Final Score: Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27
CFN Prediction: Texas A&M 34, North Carolina 20
Line: Texas A&M -10, o/u: 65.5

5. It’ll go down in history as a misleading Orange Bowl – and ACC bowl season

It was a much, much closer game than the 41-27 final score, but stats are stats.

Including the College Football Playoff games, the Orange Bowl continues to be a bit of a dog – at least in the final score.

This game makes it ten of the last 13 decided by double-digits, and going way back, it’s been 18 of the last 25.

It’ll also go down as a misleading bowl season for the ACC.

 

Yeah, it was 0-6 – you are what your record is – but two of the losses came in the College Football Playoff, Wake Forest was an underdog to Wisconsin, NC State was a slight dog to Kentucky, Miami was an underdog to Oklahoma State – and lost QB D’Eriq King to a knee injury just as the team got rolling – and there was this loss.

North Carolina played a whole lot better than 41-27.

The ACC was the dog in five of the six games, but after a wildly fun year getting two teams into the playoff, it was a rough finish.

NEXT: North Carolina gave it a phenomenal run

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Watch: Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher sprint to avoid Gatorade bath

Jimbo Fisher took off in a sprint as Texas A&M players attempted to douse him with Gatorade

It is a tradition — to the point where it has become monotonous — for winning coaches to get the Gatorade bath.

In the bowl games, with the final minutes dragging and dragging, the broadcasts have spent what seemed like an eternity waiting for the players to douse their coach.

Finally, at the end of the Orange Bowl on Saturday, a coach showed guile in avoiding the energy-drink shower.

Check out Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher as he breaks into a dead spring to get away from the Aggies and their attempt to pour the bucket of liquid over him after the 41-27 victory over North Carolina.

Those are pretty good legs on a 55-year-old head coach.

There may have been a reason for his decision.