Yahoo was very judicious with its choice of who to leave out. Two teams hail from the SEC East and two from the West.
Yahoo Sports recently ranked all the Southeastern Conference football stadiums from one to 10, excluding the bottom four.
The rankings were chosen based on the SEC as presently constructed, so apologies to fans of the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma, you all will have to wait until August to be included.
Yahoo was very judicious with its choice of who to leave out. Two teams hail from the SEC East and two from the West. Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt were left on the outside looking in.
Therefore, if you’re a fan of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Kroger Field, Davis Wade Stadium or FirstBank Stadium, you likely have an axe to grind with Yahoo Sports, not us. For what it’s worth though, they weren’t necessarily wrong.
In descending order, let’s find out where Texas A&M‘s Kyle Field in Aggieland ranks among the best conference in college football.
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USA Today college sports reporter Paul Myberg released his 2023 season grades for all 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams on Wednesday morning and the grade he gave Texas A&M is harsh, to say the least.
USA Today college sports reporter Paul Myberg released his 2023 season grades for all 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams on Wednesday morning and the grade he gave Texas A&M is harsh, to say the least.
The Aggies were 1-of-12 teams that Myberg gave a solid D to. Texas A&M (7-6) had the second-most wins in the group, only trailing USC (8-5). However, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and consensus No. 1 overall pick was not under center at Kyle Field this season.
Former head coach Jimbo Fisher was fired on Nov. 12, hours after the Aggies smashed Mississippi State by a final score of 51-10. At that point, Texas A&M was 6-4 overall with three of its losses against ranked teams: No. 11 Alabama, No. 19 Tennessee & No. 11 Ole Miss. The other defeat came in Week 2 at Miami.
Whether or not Fisher should’ve been dismissed is an argument for another day. The overall point is that a D grade is a bit harsh in my opinion. If the Aggies were still in high school, that would be considered a passing grade.
Texas A&M is a university though and to say the 2023 season was a complete failure is inaccurate. The Aggies lost their starting quarterback, sophomore Conner Weigman, in Week 4 to a season-ending foot injury.
Even after firing its leader, Texas A&M completed the campaign with a winning record. So to say the season was a complete failure is inaccurate. In my opinion, the Aggies should’ve received a C- for what they overcame during 2023.
Nevertheless, the Mike Elko era is officially underway and everyone in Aggieland is moving on to greener pastures in 2024.
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The Aggies dropped a close one to the Tennessee Vols, hurting their chances to represent the SEC West in Atlanta.
For the second week in a row, the Aggie offense disappeared in the second half of a Need-to-Win SEC game. While the play calling has not been elite in the past few weeks, it’s been more about execution in most of the instances rather than the actual play call.
Case in point: Saturday’s game, there were at least six bad snaps; Max Johnson got stepped on twice by an offensive lineman, killing the play, and two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter.
The defense held strong even with giving up a lot of rushing yards; they held the Tennessee offense to 13 points and Vols QB Joe Milton to 100 yards passing. They did more than enough for the Aggies to win the game but were let down by the pedestrian play from the other side of the ball.
Texas A&M gets the week off due to the bye and will have plenty of time to get things back on track to salvage what’s left of the season.
Below, you can check out the best photos from the game on Saturday.
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Texas A&M loses a must-win game to stay in the hunt in the SEC West as the offensive continues to struggle.
On Saturday, Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC) drops a close one to the No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Looking back on the Alabama game, the Vols tried to test the defensive backs early with a deep pass, but good coverage put them in 3rd and long. The defense logged another tackle for loss on the season, forcing a punt and putting the Aggies in good field position for their first drive.
Back-to-back penalties by the Vols had the Aggies a few games 20 yards before senior QB Max Johnson led his team downfield on a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive for an early 7-0 lead. After both teams failed to score on their second drives, Tennessee took advantage of a short field to tie the game 7-7 late in the first quarter.
The Aggies could muster a field goal for the lone points for either team as Jimbo Fisher elected not to use any of his time-outs, content to go into halftime with a three-point lead. Max Johnson had 107 yards passing with one rushing TD, and even with the defense giving up over 164 yards through 30 minutes, they still held the Vols to seven points with one sack and four TFLs.
Saul Young-USA TODAY Sports
The stalemate continued until the Aggies were forced to punt from deep in their territory, which led to a 39-yard return by the always-dangerous Dee Williams to put the Vols up 14-10. Max Johnson once again would lead the Aggies down the field but stalled out, settling for another field goal to cut the lead down to 14-13.
Then, early in the fourth quarter, cornerback Josh DeBerry picked off Joe Milton in the red zone, giving Texas A&M a chance to drive the field to take the lead. However, the offense squandered away another scoring opportunity after getting into field goal range while losing yards and making Bonds attempt a 50-yarder. He had the distance but pushed it wide for a turnover on downs on the Tennessee 33-yard line.
The defense would hold again, limiting the Vols to a field goal, keeping the game at a one-possession game a little over three and a half minutes. Then, in the theme of the past few weeks, the offense once again let the defense down, gifting Tennessee with an easy interception from Max Johnson. Another defensive stand forces another Tennessee field goal, keeping the game in reach at seven.
Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
With about 80 yards to go, Max Johnson led the Maroon & White back onto the field with a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, the Aggies never threatened to score, and Johnson tossed his second interception of the 4th quarter, sealing the game for the Vols.
Jimbo drops another road game and falls to 2-2 in the SEC. The Aggies will have two weeks to clean up the offense with a bye week on the schedule for next weekend.
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Ahead of Texas A&M’s Week 7 road trip to face Tennessee, On3 ranked star WR Evan Stewart as a Top 25 wideout set to make an impact.
Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) faces their toughest opponent yet this season, as the Aggies have made their way to Knoxville (TN) to take on the Tennessee Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) in a game the Aggies can’t lose if competing for the SEC West title is still in their purview.
Outside of the Aggies’ struggling secondary, the offense, led by quarterback Max Johnson, needs a pulse check, as last week’s second-half performance in the loss to Alabama was underwhelming. While first-year OC Bobby Petrino looks to reintroduce his “feed the studs” mantra on the field, sophomore wide receiver Evan Stewart needs to have one of his best performances of the season after reeling in just eight passes in the last three games.
Earlier this week, On3 ranked their Top 25 wide receiver ahead of the Week 7 college football slate, and to no surprise, Evan Stewart landed at No.7, just one spot below standout Florida State WR Keon Coleman.
Week 7 College Football Top 25 WRs⚡️
1. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State 2. Malik Nabers, LSU 3. Rome Odunze, Washington 4. Luther Burden III, Missouri 5. Xavier Legette, South Carolina 6. Xavier Worthy, Texas 7. Keon Coleman, Florida State 8. Evan Stewart, Texas A&M 9. Jacob… pic.twitter.com/0s4JMU1ANu
Entering the matchup, Stewart is second on the team in receiving yards (403) and tied with WR Noah Thomas in touchdown receptions (4). For Max Johnson, his lack of report with every receiver aside from his bother, tight end Jake Johnson, and senior WR Ainias Smith kept the Aggies behind the sticks way too often, as Alabama’s defense made enough adjustments to keep the passing game at bay, but that doesn’t mean Johnson missed on several opportunities to get Stewart in rhythm.
Tennessee’s 27th-ranked secondary will pose yet another challenge through the air, but let’s be honest: Stewart’s speed, route running, and high catch radius can upend any defense on the boundary or in the slot. It’s time to feed Evan Stewart and prosper.
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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Our writing staffs at Aggies Wire and Vols Wire have made out predictions for Texas A&M’s critical road trip to Tennessee on Saturday.
Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) will hit the road to face the Tennessee Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday afternoon, as head coach Jimbo Fisher is in for one of the roughest environments the SEC has to offer.
Coming off of their bye week, Tennessee and head coach Josh Heupel has yet to find an offensive identity behind the big arm of quarterback Joe Milton, but this unit can score more than 30 plus points at any given week. In contrast, Texas A&M’s Week 6 loss to Alabama created more questions than answers, specifically concerning the Aggies’ secondary and offensive line.
However, this game starts and stops with Jimbo Fisher, who hasn’t won a ranked road game since 2016 or an SEC road game since 2021 against Missouri. To change the narrative surrounding the program, it starts with a solid showing of Knoxville.
Texas A&M’s dominant pass rush and stellar linebacker play have been a consistent bright spot despite the offense’s failure to sustain drives as of late, leaving signal caller Max Johnson’s SEC experience crucial to the Aggies’ future success, especially on the road.
Ahead of the matchup with the Volunteers, we at Aggies Wire have provided several key storylines and five players to watch ahead of the game. At the same time, Our Staff and Vols Wire have made our predictions ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
Texas A&M is currently on a seven-game road losing streak and hope to buck that trend on Saturday in Knoxville.
Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) will head out to Knoxville, Tennessee, this week to take on the Vols in a critical SEC battle to keep their conference records at .500 or better.
It’s no surprise that the Aggies have struggled on the road under Fisher, as a lack of adjustments to raucous SEC environments such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Georgia, stadiums that have handed the Aggies several close losses over Fisher’s tenure with the program.
For those who like to follow patterns and trends, this weekend does not bode well for the Aggies. The last time Texas A&M won a road game was almost two years ago in a 35-14 win over the Missouri Tigers in 2021. On the flip side, Tennessee is one of the better teams at home and currently ranked No. 11, which adds more doubt for a road win, as Carter Karels pointed out in his recent article with GigEm247.
Not only has Texas A&M lost seven straight road games. No Fisher-coached team has defeated a ranked opponent on the road since 2016.
A&M faces a No. 19 Tennessee team that is coming off a bye and has the fourth-longest home winning streak in the country. https://t.co/nkIgJ3Jt9c
This is the perfect game for the Aggies to get the elusive road win so they can go into the bye week on a high note in this must-win game, as a loss on Saturday would virtually eliminate Texas A&M’s chances to represent the SEC West in the SEC championship game on December 2nd. Let’s hope for a bit of change on Oct. 14.
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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Take a quick look back at former Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight’s big day in the 2OT victory over Tennessee in 2016
This Saturday will mark just the fifth time these two teams have met, with the Aggies winning the last two contests. In 2016, Texas A&M hosted Tennessee at Kyle Field for a top-ten matchup that became one of the most anxiety-inducing wins in the previous decade.
Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight had the Aggies rolling, entering the game undefeated, and looked poised to have one of the best seasons since the departure of Johnny Manziel. Early in the game, the Maroon and White built a 14-point lead going into the 2nd quarter behind the arm and legs of Knight before the Vols defense settled in. The Aggies took a 21-7 lead into halftime with three takeaways and three Trevor Knight touchdowns.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
After an exchange of touchdowns in the third quarter, Tennessee exploded in the 4th quarter, outscoring Texas A&M 21-7, locking up the score at 35 apiece to send the game into overtime with the lone Aggie touchdown coming on a 62-yard dash on a third down play.
Tennessee scored first in the OT with a field goal that Daniel LaCamera matched. Fittingly, Knight scored his third rushing TD of the night, putting the Aggies up 45-38, putting the pressure back on the Vols. In what turned out to be the seventh turnover for the game, defensive back Armani Watts intercepted Joshua Dobb’s, ending the game and moving the Aggies to 6-0 and 4-0 in the SEC.
Here is what Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin had to say about the win.
“The big takeaway from this was we were able to withstand some things, not play great but make enough plays to win the game without some of our better players being 100 percent”
Knight ended the day with nearly 350 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in the victory.
Texas A&M and Tennessee will kick off from inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. CT, and will air on CBS.
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SEC Nation is coming to Knoxville (TN) for Texas A&M’s critical Week 7 road trip face the Tennessee Volunteers.
Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) will travel to Knoxville (TN) to face the Tennessee Volunteers (4-1, 2-1 SEC) in a crucial Week 7 matchup, as the Aggies are coming off their disappointing 26-20 loss to Alabama on Saturday afternoon, while the Vols are returning from their bye week after defeating South Carolina 41-20 a week prior.
Due to the critical nature of the matchup for both programs, it was announced the weekend that SEC Network’s Saturday morning pregame show, SEC Nation, as host Laura Rutledge, along with analysts Tim Tebow, Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, and Jordan Rodgers, is coming to Knoxville and will likely broadcast live from the Ayres Hall lawn.
The show is set to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, as the Marty & McGee show will air a couple of hours beforehand. For the Vols, this is the third time in two seasons that the program will head to Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel.
The last meeting between both programs came during the shortened 2020 COVID season, as the then Kellen Mond-led Aggies defeated Tennessee 34-13 in Neyland Stadium, while the series is tied at 2-2 all-time.
Texas A&M cannot afford a second SEC loss, which would ultimately destroy their chances at contending in the West at the end of the season. The game will also act as yet another litmus test for head coach Jimbo Fisher’s future with the program.
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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Predicted by many to land with Texas A&M, 2024 4-star OL Bennett Warren will head to Knoxville after committing to Tennessee.
For Texas A&M, the 2024 recruiting cycle has been very, very kind to Jimbo Fisher and Co. this offseason; with a total of 18 verbal commits, 12 players have announced their intentions since June, while last weekend’s annual recruiting pool party was a rousing success per usual.
However, the Aggies can’t win every recruiting battle, leading to Monday’s news that 2024 four-star offensive lineman Bennett Warren, who was projected to land with either Michigan or Texas A&M, screw us all for a loop, committing to one of the rising programs in the SEC, the Tennessee Volunteers.
As one of the top offenses in the country last season, Head Coach Josh Heupel is essentially Bob the Builder after losing 2022 starting quarterback Hendon Hooker to the NFL Draft, the simple question, “Can he fix it?” has been answered in the name of Joe Milton, who possesses one the biggest arms in all of college football.
BREAKING: Four-Star OT Bennett Warren tells me he has Committed to Tennessee!
The 6’8 330 OT from Sugar Land, TX chose the Vols over Michigan, Oklahoma, & Texas A&M
From an O-line perspective, the Vols have produced the likes of former five-star guard Trey Smith, who is now a starter for the Kansas City Chiefs, and most recently witnessing offensive tackle Darnell Wright go 10th overall to the Chicago Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft. As the 5th-ranked OT in the 2024 recruiting class, Bennett Warren’s unique blend of size, strength, balance, and athleticism immediately jolts him into the conversation as an immediate starter/rotational player in 2024.
Looking ahead for the Aggies, four-star OT Weston Davis and four-star OT Ashton Funk join three-star IOL Coen Echols as the lone offensive line commits in the 2024 class, yet Fisher and his staff still have their eyes on four-star IOL Blake Ivy, who remains a favorite to land with the Aggies.
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