This season was up and down for Aggies quarterback Kyle Allen. He faced tough competition to earn the starting quarterback job, and he’ll be in for more of the same next fall. With a strong showing against West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl, Allen can stamp his name on the job for 2015.

Coming into the year, the nation’s top quarterback recruit in 2014 seemed like the favorite to win Texas A&M’s starting job from day one. We know how that went, though: Kenny Hill took the job and became Kenny Trill before falling back to earth, eventually losing his starting job to Allen after a 59-0 drubbing by Alabama.

While Allen wasn’t consistent in his four starts to close the season, he showed on several occasions why he was so highly regarded coming out of high school. He threw for four first half scores against Auburn, helping to lead an upset over the highly ranked Tigers.

Allen gets a chance to light it up against a very mediocre Big 12 defense in West Virginia. His receivers should be able to own their matchups. It’ll be up to Allen to direct them.

The freshman can get a real start on his sophomore season by proving that he is the man to conduct Kevin Sumlin’s Air Raid offense. He’s had another month to prepare with the first team and become more comfortable in the role. As talented as Allen may be, he was still a high school senior a year ago, and the transition to running a college team isn’t seamless, especially for true freshmen quarterbacks.

If Allen can show that he’s developed a real connection with the Aggies’ talented receiving corps, it would go a long way toward cementing next year’s job for him. Hill had that groove early in the season, although that fell on rocky times as the year wore on. Assuming Hill is still on the team next year, he’ll be right there to press Allen and try to take the job back.

There’s also touted Kyler Murray, an incoming five-star, dual-threat quarterback. Murray did nothing but win in high school, ending his career with three straight state championships, and if his highlights are any indication he’ll be a thrill whenever he gets on the college gridiron.

It’ll be up to Allen to earn Sumlin’s trust. It’s already begun, with Allen improving bit by bit on a week-to-week basis in the regular season. If Allen plays like a veteran and leads the Aggies to their eighth win of the season, it’ll be a step in the right direction to leap into next season.