OFFENSE: B+
Kyle Allen. Trey Williams. Tra Carson. Malcome Kennedy. Josh Reynolds. All five of those players produced terrific games against the West Virginia defense.
Even without C Mike Matthews, the Aggies offensive line and Cameron Clear blasted WVU, producing the team’s first 100-yard rusher (Tra Carson) since Nov. 3, 2012 (Ben Molina). Allen made some athletic plays with his legs, including a Johnny Manziel-like scramble and throw to convert a third-and-20 midway through the third quarter.
West Virginia nabbed a pick six in the first half and easily could’ve intercepted at least two other passes. The Aggies also nearly lost at least one fumble.
DEFENSE: C+
Missed tackles. A lack of pass rush. Poor angles. Not enough negative plays. Some desperation heaves downfield that turned into huge catches. (Four different Mountaineers caught a pass of 40+ yards.)
All the issues that plagued Texas A&M’s defense the last two seasons showed up. On top of that, safety Howard Matthews got kicked out of the game not even halfway through the first quarter due to a targeting call.
But the Aggies buttoned down the hatches after falling behind 27-21 with 11:56 left in the first half, giving up just 10 points the rest of the game. Texas A&M also held West Virginia backup quarterback Skyler Howard to a 44.4 percent completion percentage.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C+
Mario Alford returned one kickoff to the 48-yard line and another to the 50.
Drew Kaser shanked a punt and the Aggies also committed several penalties, including an inexcusable shot to the groin by DeVante Harris on kicker Josh Lambo.
But the Aggies got decent production from the kickoff return team and Kaser otherwise played a wonderful game, tucking three of his six punts inside the 20-yard line.
COACHING: B+
The team made it a priority to spark the running game, taking pressure off Allen and the play-calling, and it did just that. The offensive line has to be classified as a disappointment this season, with three likely NFL draft picks, but the coaches unlocked a heck of an effort from that unit against the Mountaineers.
Having lost three pretty important assistant coaches, in particular the defensive coordinator, and after a 2-5 finish to the season, the players could’ve decided there wasn’t anything for which to play Monday in Memphis, Tenn. When WVU scored two touchdowns within 18 seconds in the first quarter to take a 17-7 lead, things looked bleak.
But the defense did just enough and Texas A&M dominated the third quarter.
OVERALL: B-
The Aggies managed to win a sloppy Liberty Bowl against a West Virginia team competing without its offensive coordinator and its starting quarterback. Texas A&M needed a few breaks to win the game, and it still finished the season 3-5 after a 5-0 start lifted it to a lofty pre-October ranking.
But four consecutive bowl wins is impressive, and spending an entire offseason on a winning streak is a nice mental boost. An 8-5 ranking is about what most expected from this team before the season.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
