Kevin Sumlin tweaked his coaching staff during the offseason, looking to inject some life into a Texas A&M offense that has steadily declined over the past few years. Hovering over one of the hottest seats in the SEC, Sumlin is perhaps coaching for his job in 2016.
Granted they were working with the Heisman Trophy winner, but the Aggies’ offensive production has quickly gone from best in the conference to middle of the pack in just two short years. As Johnny Manziel threw his final pass in College Station, he left a Texas A&M offense that was the envy of the SEC.
The conference’s best offense was pumping out an average of 538.4 yards per game. Fast forward to 2015 and for the second consecutive season, the Aggies offense struggled through another campaign, finishing sixth in the conference while averaging 424.7 yards per game.
Inexperience and instability at the quarterback position over the last two seasons have been a major cause in the decline. Turmoil at a football team’s most vital position will do that. It reached a boiling point at the end of last season with two five-star quarterbacks both transferring out of the program.
What will be new in 2016?
It remains to be seen whether or not Noel Mazzone, the team’s third offensive coordinator in five seasons, will pump life back into the Aggies offense. But just having him on campus has pumped new excitement among Aggies fans. It’s a much ballyhooed offensive scheme that has south Texas football fans in great anticipation of what could be in 2016.
The up-tempo scheme promises to remind Aggies fans of the good old days when Texas A&M ran up and down the field on weary and bewildered SEC defenses. At least that’s the plan.
“I have known Noel for many years, and he is a great addition to our coaching staff,” Sumlin told 12thman.com. “His experience is outstanding, and he will do an excellent job of coordinating our offense.”
Mazzone brings his fast-paced offense to College Station following four successful seasons at UCLA in a career that also includes stints with SEC programs at Ole Miss and Auburn as well as an assistant spot in the NFL.
Last year, he guided freshman Josh Rosen — the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year — to numerous school records and before that, Brett Hundley. The hope is for Mazzone to mold Oklahoma graduate transfer Trevor Knight in similar fashion.
Helping out Mazzone is offensive line coach Jim Turner, who returns to the program with much fanfare. Turner was credited with producing some of the best offensive lines in recent memory.
Better/Worse in 2016?
The Aggies were only mediocre on offense in 2015. They can do better. And the upside is tremendous if Mazzone’s scheme jells with Knight under center and Turner’s ability to mold an offensive line.
The program certainly holds within it a wealth of talent at the receiver position. That’s not a concern. What will be critical to the success of the offense will be for Mazzone to come up with a solid running back. That’s the overlooked position in the new scheme.
If all those things come together in 2016, it could remind Aggies fans of years gone by when Manziel dizzied defenses with a relentless attack.
It sure appears as though the pieces are in place for a much better showing offensively than the numbers the Aggies were able to put up in 2015.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
