They say you either die the hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

As it pertains to Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill, he never properly received the chance to be a hero or a villain before he was unceremoniously replaced by highly touted 5-star recruit Kyle Allen.

And to make matters worse, Hill was hit with a two-game suspension, for violation of team rules (as first reported by ESPN’s Joe Schad) moments before A&M’s matchup with the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

For Hill it’s a sharp fall from grace after he seemingly had the entire football landscape in his palm after all but erasing the memory of the great Johnny Manziel, theoretically, with his unbelievable start to the season.

With 13 touchdowns opposed to just one interception — statistics achieved his first four games against the likes of South Carolina, Rice, Lamar and Southern Methodist University — many were wondering if Manziel may have held the Aggies back with his sandlot style of football.

Although Hill had the prerequisite athleticism to improvise like his predecessor, he played the role of ball distributor better than anyone in the conference during that time span. His accuracy, 97-of-139 attempts for a 69.8 percent rate, allowed for the Aggies to excel in the catch-and-advance game like head coach Kevin Sumlin’s offensive scheme is designed to do.

But in hindsight, we were all prisoners of the moment as that four-game stretch was full of defensive units that couldn’t stop a nosebleed. The opposite was the case for the Aggies next four opponents: Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama.

That murderer’s row of a schedule saw Hill’s completion rate dip, 117-of-182 (64.3 percent), while his turnovers increased (seven INTs), and the Aggies drop three out of those four games. That’s why it’s always smart to whip out the anointing oil when you have the benefit of an entire season.

Hill’s Q rating went vertical off the strength of his amazing 511-yard, three-touchdown debut against the Gamecocks — who’ve since proven to be one of the worst teams in the conference. If we would’ve taken his play against USC with a grain of salt, his decline in play wouldn’t have seemed so steep.

But it became very apparent that Kenny had an “uphill” battle on his hands (Zing! I kill myself with those puns) trying to compete with the expectations he created for himself.

For what it’s worth, Hill still possesses enough characteristics to be a top-flight QB in college football: ultra-quick release, the ability to throw from different platforms, arm strength, mobility and competitiveness.

And to keep it in perspective, he’s only eight games into his career as a starter, and he’s only a sophomore. So let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater because the Aggies’ problems run a lot deeper than Hill.

Scheme Tweak/Lack Of A Run Game

As a fan of the Hal Mumme/Mike Leach Air Raid System, I understand the scheme right down to the conceptual phase. A QB has to first and foremost be accurate due to the high volume of short-to-intermediate throws.

He also must be able to process information at a rapid pace because the scheme has a hurry-up no-huddle approach at its core.

While this approach has its roots in the Southeastern Conference, with Mumme and Leach unleashing it at the University of Kentucky in the late 1990’s, the current incarnation of the conference is chock full of serious, physical defensive play.

The teams that routinely succeed have the ability to switch its pitch as far as its offensive attack. Sumlin’s offense almost seems entirely predicated on the pass despite the presence of some very talented tailbacks: Tra Carson and Brandon Williams

Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has to be able to oscillate to his run game as the primary way of moving the ball even when passing seems easy. A physical run game is usually supported by a physical defense as that’s what you see in practice. Most finesse offenses usually have defenses that are equally finesse.

While the Aggie’s defense certainly has star players: Myles Garrett and Deshazor Everett immediately come to mind, it can aptly described as finesse as it only excels at rushing the passer — which makes sense as they undoubtedly see a ton of passing in practice.

What makes it even more disturbing is the run game is constantly bogged down despite the presence of a few NFL-caliber offensive linemen: Cedric Ogbuehi (left tackle), Germain Ifedi (right tackle) and Mike Matthews (center).

Against ULM, it initially it looked as though Spavital was about to help his young QB out with said tweak.

TosstoWilliams

Here we see the Aggies operating out of “21 personnel” from a Pistol formation. While we’re accustomed to seeing “10” and even “00 personnel” from a Sumlin-coached team, this power-based formation suggests he has the necessary versatility in his scheme to help out his team.

This sequence also shows how dominant the Aggies’ offensive line could be moving forward to run block, albeit in zone-blocking principles, opposed to virtually always dropping back in pass protection.

If the Aggies stick with Allen for the long haul, the offensive tendencies will have to be majorly tweaked. In fact, even if it stays with Hill it’s time for Texas A&M to shed the Big 12 style of offensive football (not that there’s anything wrong with the Big 12, coach Stoops).

Let’s line up and swap helmet paint with the run game and take the pressure off the QB. That’ll only make the play-action fake game more effective, thus allowing the beloved passing game to be even more prolific.

Be Patient With Allen

Just like we shouldn’t have be so quick to anoint Hill the savior of the program, we also need to dampen our reluctance in thinking Allen isn’t the answer behind his sub-par performance against ULM.

Although a 13-of-28, 106-yard performance (one TD and one INT) is enough to ring the alarm, especially when you take into account it was at home against an inferior opponent, you can see at the core what Allen brings to the table: elite arm talent, mobility and an “it” factor from a leadership standpoint.

And he certainly wasn’t done any favors by Spavital in the play-calling department, but nevertheless, you could see what he was made of.

HitchtoNoil

This is what the Sumlin-Spavital regime is looking for from its QB: decisive reads and accurate throws.

When you are in possession of NFL-caliber receivers like Speedy Noil, Malcome Kennedy and Ricky Seals-Jones, giving them a chance to work in the catch-and-advance game should be of the highest priority.

Scramble

Here’s an example of Allen’s ability to manufacture first downs. While he does show his inexperience in eying his primary receiver from the snap, he shows good instincts — and adequate athleticism — by being able to make a couple of tacklers miss on his way to moving the chains.

While he will never be mistaken for Manziel, as fas as athleticism, he’s nowhere near a statue, either. At 6’3″, 205 pounds, Allen has good size  for the position — although we can expect him to fill out even more over the duration of his college career — and he is a natural scheme fit much like Sumlin had at the University of Houston in Case Keenum.

But in this day and age of instant gratification, who knows if Allen will receive the benefit of the doubt with Hill’s presence on the roster — especially if the former doesn’t play well in the next outing against the No. 3-ranked Auburn Tigers.

With Hill making questionable off-field decisions, maybe Sumlin will hitch his wagon to the true freshman.

Or maybe he’s just biding his time until 5-star super recruit Kyler Murray walks through the door; the embarrassment of riches for this storied program is unreal at the QB position. But none if this matters if the Aggies can’t get the most out of their offense as a whole.

Now about that defense…