5 thoughts and an instant reaction on the Texas A&M win over Florida.
5 thoughts and an instant reaction on the Texas A&M win over Florida.
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5. Jimbo Fisher got his win
Texas A&M was mediocre in a 17-12 win against Vanderbilt, and it was thoroughly outclassed in the 52-24 loss to Alabama.
Finally, he was able to beat a top five team as the Aggie head coach, but it has to be the beginning. This is what a guy with a national championship ring and a ten-year contract is supposed to do.
This needs to be the game-changer. This needs to be when Texas A&M knows it really can not only hang with the best teams in college football, but beat them.
This was tough. Florida was fantastic, the Aggies were down in the second half, and they adjusted, fought through the adversity, and they came back to pull it off. They forced the late turnover, they took advantage of the situation, and they did it.
It is possible to win really, really big games at Texas A&M.
4. Texas A&M figured out how to pound away
Kellen Mond was brilliant. This was his signature win, hitting 25-of-35 passes for 338 yards and three scores as he calmly led the way on the game-winning drive, but this all turned on the offensive line.
This was the moment when the Aggies knew they could pound away when needed.
The Texas A&M running game was fine in the first two games, but nothing special.
Isaiah Spiller had a few big runs, and super-soph Ainias Smith was used a bit, but the ground attack failed to to hit 200 yards against Vanderbilt and was stuffed by Alabama.
That all changed against the Gators, and it started with a brutal ten play, 75-yard touchdown drive after getting down 28-17 early in the second half on the way to rushing for 205 yards and averaging over five yards per carry.
The offensive line was finally able to eat. It dominated the Gator defensive front when it had to.
3. The Florida defense couldn’t close
Kyle Trask threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He’s on a better pace than Joe Burrow was after three games last year.
Kyle Pitts was good again – at least early – and the running game was fine. There might have been a late turnover, but this one is on the defense.
The Gators were flirting with problems over the first two games, and against the Aggies, they got burned by a grilling day from QB Kellen Mond, that pounding ground game that took over in the second half, and they couldn’t come through when needed.
The Gators were beaten by big plays through the air, they were ground on when it was time to get physical, and there were problems everywhere in between.
Florida has the talent on D, and it allowed A&M to convert 12-of-15 third down tries along with a fourth down chance. It had to come up with one big stop late, and couldn’t do it.
The Tigers went into College Station and took Johnny Manziel and the Aggies down.
Can you believe that Auburn football returns in eight days!? I sure can’t, but to keep this countdown train going we’re reminiscing on my eighth favorite Auburn game!
Number 8: Auburn vs Texas A&M 2013
After losing to LSU in a deluge during the early part of the 2013 season, Auburn was getting no love by any of the college football talking heads when they had to travel to College Station to take on Johnny Manziel and a top-ten Texas A&M team.
Manziel gashed the Tigers in 2012, as a freshman I went to that game and witnessed the first half of that massacre. I left at halftime because number one, it was freezing and number two, Texas A&M was beating Auburn 42-7. My only regret in leaving that game was that we’d left to go to a restaurant where I found a suspicious hair in my pasta. Texas A&M put up nearly 700 yards of total offense against the Tigers, and Manziel went on to win the Heisman that year.
The 2013 Auburn team was a totally different animal from what Manziel had faced in the year before, and boy did he figure that lesson out the hard way.
The Aggies struck first with a 26-yard touchdown catch by Mike Evans. Then Nick Marshall and our boys went to work. The Tigers capitalized off of two interceptions thrown by Manziel in the first quarter and the game turned into an old-fashioned shoot-out.
I traveled back home to Huntsville for the weekend to watch the game with my dad. That day Auburn couldn’t stop the Manziel-Evans connection and that just gave us both fits.
You know I’m 100% his daughter because we both have the same coping mechanism strategy during stressful Auburn games. Pacing. He’d pace in front of our living room television, while I’d walk circles around our kitchen island. Finally my mom told us we both needed to sit down because we were driving our dogs crazy, and the pacing wasn’t helping anybody.
It had seemed as though every time we started pacing that Texas A&M would start to make a run, but then I discovered that as soon as I started to pet my dog Gracie that Auburn would start having better luck.
“I’m not superstitious, but I am a little ‘sticious”-Michael Scott.
That nasty Sammie Coates stiff arm? Every major run by Tre Mason? The heroic fourth down sack made by Dee Ford to end the game? They all happened while I was petting my dog.
That 2013 team never went down without a fight, and neither did my dog Gracie. We lost Gracie to lymphoma in 2017 after she put up one heck of a good fight. I miss that team and I miss my dog.
War Eagle forever.
(Editor’s note: This is also the game when, excited about the outcome, I jumped headfirst into what I thought was the deep end of the pool. It was not. Will spare you the infamous ambulance selfie.)
CBS Sports thinks the Tigers are overrated at No. 11 in the preseason AP poll.
Preseason polls, whether you love them or hate them, have officially arrived. This year’s preseason AP Top 25 poll ranks the Auburn Tigers at No. 11 and Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports dislikes this.
Why? Because Fornelli once declared Texas A&M as overrated going into this football season, but then he contradicted himself by telling the world that Texas A&M is actually a darkhorse this upcoming season.
So now he’s here to make things right.
Before I finish typing this I have to laugh. Here is the only reason Fornelli cites why he believes Auburn is overrated:
He has more faith in Kellen Mond than Bo Nix.
Nix’s accuracy throwing the ball last season was a real concern to me, and I’m not sure those problems can get ironed out over an unusual offseason that did not include spring practice. Chad Morris is taking over the offense, and while Morris is a creative thinker who knows how to use his personnel, he’s also a coach who likes to throw the ball.
With all due respect to Kellen Mond, this is a lazy comparison that should not even be made. The lack of practice is a concern, but that affects everybody.
Bo Nix passes under pressure in Auburn’s first scrimmage of the preseason.
Brandon Frazier heads to the right and Tank Bigsby steps around defenders heading left in Jordan-Hare Stadium. (Photos by Todd Van Emst) pic.twitter.com/5hPZU31Gvr
The SEC is taking stricter measures with heart problems among student-athletes.
The SEC has updated their management strategy in response to COVID-19. On Friday, the conference confirmed they will now require a third weekly cardiac evaluation test prior to athlete competition.
The news comes just one day following Georgia State quarterback Mikele Colasurdo’s announcement that he will be opting out of the 2020 season due to a heart condition he developed after contracting the virus.
On August 8, University of Houston defensive lineman Sedrick Williams announced he too would sit out after facing heart complications as a result of COVID-19. He wrote in a Facebook post,
“As a result of the virus, I’ve had complications with my heart and I really don’t know the outcome or what’s in store for me in the future, I just know that my life is more precious to me than football could ever be.”
SEC Associate Commissioner Herb Vincent details that the cardiac evaluation requires “a troponin level, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and a medical evaluation by a physician.”
Given today’s update, the SEC now mandates at least three PCR tests per week during weeks of competition. This decision was made per the guidance of the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force. The conference’s goal is to ensure the safety of all athletes.
Commissioner Sankey released this statement as part of the announcement:
“We remain vigilant in monitoring the trends and effects of COVID-19 as we learn more about the virus, and this cardiac evaluation enhances the effectiveness of the protocols already in place. We are confident in our institutions’ ability to provide a healthy environment supported by rigorous testing and surveillance. Our student-athletes have indicated their desire to compete and it is our responsibility to make every effort to deliver a healthy and medically sound environment for providing that opportunity.”
As players continue announcing their decisions regarding the 2020 season, all 14 members of the SEC remain committed to protecting any student-athlete’s scholarship should they choose to opt out.
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Texas A&M Aggies Offense 3 Things To Know
– The offense wasn’t as consistent or as dynamic as it probably should’ve been. It was able to beat up on the weak, sputtered too much against the strong, and overall it was underwhelming, finishing 72nd in the nation overall and 62nd in scoring.
On the plus side, the offense was able to keep most games at its own pace. It ran a deliberate style that helped dominate the time of possession battle, but it also seemed to take the team out of a groove. At times, it looked like it was hard to rev up the machine.
Any improvement starts by getting more out of the line. Four starters are expected back – it’s really all five starters with interior blocker Ryan McCollum back after being hurt for most of last year – but the pass protection wasn’t nearly good enough and the ground game was just okay.
CFN in 60 Video: Texas A&M Aggies Preview
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– Kellen Mond has to rise up and become a star. The veteran quarterback has been fine – he threw for almost 2,900 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine picks, and he ran for 500 yards and eight scores – but like the rest of the team, the consistency wasn’t there. Again with the O line – Mond didn’t get a whole lot of time against the better defensive fronts.
With almost no experience behind him, getting the backups some meaningful reps – most likely redshirt freshman Zach Calzada and sophomore James Foster – is a must.
Top target Jhamon Ausbon is back after catching 66 passes for 872 yards and five scores, and 6-5, 260-pound sophomore Jalen Wydermyer is a great-looking tight end, but Quartney Davis and Kendrick Rogers are gone after leaving early for the NFL – and going undrafted. It’s a deep corps, though, and it’s getting even better with superstar recruit Demond Demas about to become a big deal.
– Raise your hand if you’re a Texas A&M running back who’s not transferring. Leading rusher Isaiah Spiller is back after coming up with 946 yards and five scores, and Mond will do his part, but the next three leading rushers are all taking off to the transfer portal.
Jashaun Corbin is a Florida State Seminole as part of the five running backs taking their talents elsewhere. Some okay running back prospects are coming in, but they’re not as highly rated overall as the receivers. Speedy freshman Devon Achane will get his shot in the rotation, but 193-pound sophomore Ainias Smith will likely be the No. 2 guy early on.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Texas A&M Aggies Defense 3 Things To Know
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Texas A&M defensive line prospect Justin Madubuike
You know what’s an offensive lineman’s worst nightmare? A defensive opponent who hits them in the mouth from the first whistle, and keeps doing it for four quarters (or more, if necessary).
What’s what makes Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike a prospect nobody will want to line up against.
One of the most disruptive defensive line prospects in the 2020 NFL draft, Madubuike recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his nonstop playing style, his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, and what kind of player he’ll be at the next level.
JM: What can you tell me about the scheme you guys ran at Texas A&M?
Madubuike: We ran a 4-3 defense at Texas A&M. We often moved to a 3-4 front on third downs. That allowed us to create a little more pressure on the edge and blitz up the middle. We primarily lined up in a 4-3 though. We ran a lot of stunts. We had many different pressure packages. Everything was designed to impact the pocket.
JM: What did your coaches ask of you in that system?
Madubuike: They counted on me to cause havoc in the backfield, basically. I was consistently trying to get pressure on the quarterback. We were always looking for the big play as a defense. Whatever I can do to make the quarterback uncomfortable, that was pretty much my goal.
John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports
JM: Is that the scheme you’d be most comfortable in at the next level?
Madubuike: I can play in pretty much any scheme. I’ve played in a few different styles of defense. I’ve pretty much seen it all on both sides of the ball. We’ve played against so many different styles of offense. I feel comfortable with everything I’ve seen or played in. I understand how to make plays at both the defensive end and defensive tackle position. I feel comfortable with anything that asks me to create some pressure and stress out the quarterback.
JM: What’s your favorite part about playing on the defensive line?
Madubuike: I love putting my hand in somebody’s throat and just pushing them all the way backwards. I love sacking the quarterback. I’m always looking to cut off the offense’s momentum. That’s how I like to play, dirty and physical. That’s what football is all about.
JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?
Madubuike: It was a fun experience. It’s definitely a different experience. There’s a lot going on but I definitely enjoyed the process and everything that came with it.
JM: Taking every part of the combine into account, what do you feel is the overall impression that you left on the 32 teams out there?
Madubuike: I think I proved that I’m one of the best defensive players in this draft class. I’ve been a little overlooked throughout my collegiate career, and I’m not sure why that is. I can’t control any of that stuff. Whoever drafts me, they’re getting a guy that loves the game. I’m full of energy and ready to wreak havoc on Sunday’s. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to help make the team successful.
(AP Photo/Sam Craft)
JM: How do you approach your rush plan throughout a particular game? What goes into that decision-making process for you?
Madubuike: Play-calling is the biggest thing for me. I’m always trying to execute the play to the best of my ability. I notice things during my film study throughout the week. My teammates and I will discuss that over the course of a game. We might mention something to our coaching staff. We were all good communicators at Texas A&M. We were always looking for ways to work through difficulties or match-ups. There’s always something that can be adjusted or tightened up. I can always tidy up my stance. I can always narrow my stance. There’s always something to work on and fix. That’s basically how I approach it.
JM: Were you able to get any private visits or workouts in before COVID-19 shut everything down?
Madubuike: I wasn’t able to get any workouts in. I had a bunch of private visits planned, but I didn’t make it to many of them. I made a private visit to Tennessee to meet with the Titans. That was actually the only visit I was able to get in before everyone was pulled off the road.
JM: It sounds like you had a few other visits planned. Have you moved those visits to the phones? Have you used FaceTime with any teams recently?
Madubuike: Yeah, I’ve been very busy with that. I’ve spoken with the Saints, Eagles, Vikings and Bengals recently. Those are the ones that immediately come to mind. I’ve spoken with a bunch of teams, really.
JM: Who are some of the best offensive linemen you’ve gone up against?
Madubuike: I like to think of offensive linemen as units more than individuals. LSU, Clemson and Alabama come to mind. All three of those offensive lines were pretty good. They had a bunch of big, strong guys up front. They were all pretty physical. It’s no surprise, those were some of the best teams in the country. It’s tough to single any of those out.
(AP Photo/Sam Craft)
JM: What’s your favorite way to demoralize your opponent?
Madubuike: I love to smack them in the mouth from the opening whistle. I’m always looking to hit somebody. My level of physicality remains extremely high throughout the entire game. They’ll shut it down eventually. They can’t keep up with me. Nobody can match my physicality. There’s where I make my money. It’s all about making big plays.
JM: At this point in time, are you more comfortable as a run stopper, or pass rusher?
Madubuike: I can’t really pick between the two. I think I do a great job in both of those areas. I’m really strong in both areas. I love getting sacks, though. I’m always looking to create pressure on the quarterback.
JM: What can you tell me about your pass rush arsenal?
Madubuike: I’m gonna knock his jaw off his face and push him back into the quarterback. My hands are extremely violent. I can get on the edge and use my quickness as well. I’m big, physical and strong. That’s the name of the game.
JM: Do you have a go-to move?
Madubuike: I like using a swipe-scissors on the edge. If that doesn’t work, I can counter back inside. I can attack multiple gaps. I like using the long-arm as well. I can mirror my hands. Things of that nature.
JM: When a team uses a draft pick on Justin Madubuike, what kind of guy are they getting?
Madubuike: They’re getting a guy that’s gonna come in ready to work from day one. I’m not gonna party because I got drafted. That’s nonsense. It’s time to work. I’m playing against the best in the world now. It’s time to get to work. I’m gonna be on the same page as my coaching staff. That’s the kinda guy they’re getting, a big, strong, physical and violent football player.
The New Orleans Saints connected with Texas A&M wide receiver Quartney Davis, a middle-class wide receiver prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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NFL teams have busy in adjusting to league-mandated travel restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, conducting meetings with 2020 NFL Draft prospects over teleconference that would normally be held in person. The New Orleans Saints are no exception; last week, they interviewed Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, and recently followed up by video conferencing with his teammate, wide receiver Quartney Davis.
The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported that Davis spoke with the Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings over video chat services, having previously gone through a pre-draft workout for the Arizona Cardinals and several meetings with the Houston Texans. Projected to be picked on the third and final day of this year’s draft (The Athletic’s Dane Brugler grades Davis as a fifth- or sixth-round selection), he’s clearly intrigued teams with holes at wide receiver.
While the Saints have addressed the position through a short-term fix (Emmanuel Sanders’ two-year contract was finalized on Monday), they could certainly use another wideout to push Tre’Quan Smith for the third spot on the depth chart behind Sanders and Michael Thomas. While Smith has reeled in 10 touchdown passes during his first two NFL seasons, he’s been too inconsistent with 48 receptions in 29 career games (including the playoffs), an average of just 1.7 catches per game.
Maybe Davis would be able to compete with Smith outright. He’s an unremarkable athlete (having timed the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, with a catch radius of 75 3/4 inches) but played well enough for the Aggies, notching 99 receptions for 1,201 yards (with 11 touchdown grabs) in two years before leaving school early for the NFL. He might be someone the Saints consider should they be unable to land a similar, higher-graded target such as Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk earlier in the draft.
Texas A&M WR Quartney Davis video conferences with Saints, Eagles, Vikings; worked out for Cardinals, met with Texans at combine, Senior Bowl: https://t.co/BD96cR8qmy
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Texas A&M wide receiver prospect Quartney Davis
If your favorite NFL team is looking for a well-rounded wide receiver prospect who can do it all, Texas A&M’s Quartney Davis is up for the challenge.
A complete pass-catcher who became the top target for the Aggies in 2019, Davis recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his decision to make the early jump from the college ranks, his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, and what kind of player he’ll be at the next level.
JM: What can you tell me about your decision to forego your remaining eligibility and enter the 2020 NFL draft?
QD: I felt like it was the right decision for me to make. I’m very confident in that decision. With my play style and the position that I’m in right now, I know that I’m ready for the next level. I have a daughter and I’m ready to take care of my family.
JM: You really became “the guy” in the Texas A&M offense this past season, following the departure of Christian Kirk. What would you say is the biggest area that you grew in this past season?
QD: I had to understand that I had to be the best version of myself. That’s what happened for me this past season. I came to that understanding. It’s not always about living up to other people’s expectations. You can’t fill your head up with that negative energy. I just needed to understand the things that I needed to do. I put myself in a good head space. It was about accomplishing the things that I had set out for myself. It was more mental than anything. I had to trust the training, the practices and the coaching staff. I put all of that together and just went out there and had fun.
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
JM: You decided not to fully participate in the NFL Scouting Combine, despite being healthy. Why did you make that decision?
QD: I didn’t have any injuries at the combine. I just felt more comfortable with the atmosphere at my pro day. That’s why I made that decision. I’m fully healthy. I actually haven’t had an injury in a long time, thank God.
JM: What was your experience like at the combine?
QD: It was awesome. It was a childhood dream that I got to live out. I still remember when I got the invite. It was early in the morning and I was getting ready to head over to Exos for a day of training. The combine invite was just sitting right there in my email. I immediately became extremely excited. I thought about it every single day after that. When I got there, I enjoyed everything that came with it. There’s a lot that goes on out there but it was a great feeling. I enjoyed every second of the experience. It feels like an accomplishment. I waited my entire life for that. It was an honor.
JM: Did you have many formal or informal interviews out there?
QD: I had a ton of them. I actually had more formals at the Senior Bowl than I did at the combine. I had a ton of informals at the combine.
JM: Including the Senior Bowl, who are some of the teams that you’ve met with formally throughout this process?
QD: I’ve met with the Bills, Ravens, Titans and Steelers, just to name a few. I actually spoke to the Titans’ general manager and some of their position coaches. I can’t remember if that was a formal or informal though. I’m trying to remember some of the others. I met with so many teams in a row, it’s kinda hard to remember any more than that. Those are the ones that come to mind right now.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
JM: The COVID-19 virus has obviously impacted your pre-draft schedule, but were you able to get in any private visits or workouts before the shutdown went into effect?
QD: I actually met with the Arizona Cardinals before things really came to a halt. We had a nice meeting. We did a small, minor workout. It was more of a meeting that allowed them the opportunity to get to know me. They showed me some of the things that they do in their offense with their wide receivers. It was more of an individual thing. They appreciate the way that I move and play the position. I had a few others that were in the process of being scheduled when everything got shut down. We didn’t have any other meetings officially on my calendar but we were having those discussions when the virus really shut everything down.
JM: How do you describe the way that you play the wide receiver position?
QD: I love route running. I try to be a creative route runner. I try to understand leverages and learn different releases to combat press. I like to be physical. I like to use my speed and quickness.
JM: Do you attack a smaller cornerback differently than you do a bigger one?
QD: I don’t really look at size to be honest. When it comes to playing against my opponent, I try to understand his technique more than anything. That’s what dictates it for me. I try to understand what he’s trying to take away from me. I’m well aware of the things that I’m trying to do against him. It’s more about technique and play style than it is about size.
JM: Who are some of the best cornerbacks you’ve ever gone up against?
QD: A.J. Terrell from Clemson definitely comes to mind. Trevon Diggs from Albama was another one. Both of those LSU corners were good ones, Derek Stingley Jr. and Kristian Fulton. I played against Trayvon Mullen last season. I played against better corners in 2018 than 2019 to be honest. Lonnie Johnson Jr. was another one. Rashad Fenton from South Carolina, he’s with the Chiefs now. He was good. I went against a bunch of tough corners in 2018.
JM: What kind of guy is Quartney Davis going to be at the next level?
QD: I’m gonna be a consistent guy. I’m gonna work hard and bring energy to the locker room. I’m excited for what’s next. I’m gonna put on a show for our fans. I appreciate everybody that comes to the games to watch us play. I’m trying to build a great name for my family, my team and myself.
