Rapid Reaction: Texas A&M gets back in the win column, but concern remains

Texas A&M is back in the win column, but that game might have been the ugliest game the Aggies have played all season. In the cold, windy and wet conditions, Texas A&M came out completely flat, had trouble moving the ball consistently on offense, and finished with just five tackles for loss and one sack despite a massive talent discrepancy between the Aggies’ defense and the Minutemen offense.

This type of performance demands changes

Texas A&M entered Saturday’s game as 33-point favorites. Despite the Aggies’ 3-7 record, despite the weather conditions and despite the extensive list of players out of action, the were favored to win by over 30 points. That was a UMass team that has won three games in the last four years and Texas A&M struggled to a 17 point win. As much as the offensive line has struggled this season, Saturday’s performance was astonishingly bad. Conner Weigman was sacked three times and there was little running room between the tackles. It goes beyond the offensive line though. The offense went 2-10 on third downs, Weigman threw for just 191 yards, completing just 58% of his passes, and the Aggies lost the turnover battle. There were questionable personnel decisions, from starting Amari Daniels over Le’Veon Moss, to the mismanagement of the offensive line room to the lack of Jake Johnson or Theo Melin Ohrstrom at tight end, especially with Max Wright out. Changes need to be made on the offensive side of the ball as soon as possible. This should have been a get-right game, instead despite the win, there’s arguably more concern about the direction of this program after that win than any loss this season.

Conner Weigman is the future, but he needs support

The true freshman shined in his first start against Ole Miss, but his performances in his next two starts have left a lot to be desired. He’s had some impressive flash plays against Auburn and UMass, but the overall body of work shows a quarterback that, while talented, still needs development and needs some real structure around him. Between the offensive line and the scheme, there aren’t many easy plays for the true freshman. His reads are limited, his time to throw is limited and and a lot of his best plays come out of structure. Jimbo Fisher will need to prioritize his development and his skillset when hiring a new offensive coordinator this offseason, which at this point, feels inevitable.

Defense steps up

Amidst the offense’s struggles, Texas A&M’s defense stepped up and handled the UMass offense. The Minutemen finished with just 168 total offensive yards, went 3 for 16 on third down and averaged just 2.6 yards per play. DJ Durkin used the game to mix things up defensively, with some really creative looks and switches. He’s continuing to tinker with the defense and amidst this lost season, that’s the best thing he can do at this point. His job is likely secure, despite the defense’s up-and-down play, and there seems to be a vision for what this unit could look like as the group gets older.

True freshmen flashes

Aside from Weigman, the matchup with UMass gave a number of true freshmen to shine. Le’Veon Moss had his best day of his young career with 12 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. Noah Thomas had his best day as well, with two receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, Malick Sylla played in a bigger role than he had all season and finished with five tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. Martrell Harris Jr. had three tackles, one tackle for loss and a strip-sack late.