Labeled a rebuilding year from the jump, Texas A&M’s season 2014 was filled with remarkable highs and stunning lows. From lighting up South Carolina on the season’s opening night to getting stomped by Alabama in late October, the Aggies were at various points in the season a top-10 team and unranked.

With such a young team, there’s plenty of room for improvement going into 2015. Where are the biggest areas the Aggies can improve on for next year?

  • Tackling — It sounds simple, but Texas A&M struggled with wrapping up throughout the 2014 campaign, especially amongst members of the defensive backfield. Armani Watts was a major culprit, but he should improve with a year of experience. The Aggies bring in two four-star safeties who should help in that regard.
  • Pass blocking — The Aggies offensive line certainly wasn’t atrocious in 2014, but it wasn’t close to being on par with 2012 or 2013’s outstanding units. Texas A&M’s sacks allowed total was low, thanks to its quick-hitting passing offense, but few members of the line played up to expectations individually or as a unit. Lapses in blocking led to some of the rougher offensive outings of the season.
  • Stick with the run — With Kevin Sumlin at the helm, the Aggies are going to throw the ball a ton. However, Texas A&M completely abandoned the running game when they struggled early in games, leading to a snowball effect where defenses could pin their ears back against the offensive line and smash receivers at the line. Tra Carson and Brandon Williams are a capable backfield pairing that Sumlin and Jake Spavital should at least think about using more frequently in 2015.
  • Toughen up along the defensive line — Myles Garrett was a breakout star in destroying non-conference opponents’ quarterbacks at an alarming rate. In the SEC, though, the Aggies defensive line got pushed around. Of the team’s 35 sacks, 23 of them came in five non-conference contests. The defensive line has to get better in going against the SEC, especially when it comes to defending against the run, where they gave up a league-worst 216 yards per game.
  • Develop Kyle Allen — With Kenny Hill gone, Allen is the man at quarterback going forward. In his five starts in 2014, Allen showed promise but had moments of indecision and inaccuracy, throwing a pick in each of his five starts. Allen has the potential to be excellent, but will need to better utilize Texas A&M’s weapons in 2015 for the Aggies to jump back toward the top of the SEC West.