The problems with Texas A&M appear to be many. The Aggies’ 17-14 loss to Appalachian State at Kyle Field can be attributed to many factors. No one player owns the brunt of the blame.
It was an overall uninspired effort. The run defense was surprisingly bad. The offensive line did not dominate as expected. Jimbo Fisher can at least give thanks for Devon Achane. The junior from Missouri City, Texas, scored both TDs, one a rushing score and the other a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Fisher didn’t have his team prepared to win this football game. The game plan was uninspired.
But maybe there was a reason for that? Maybe the offense was so vanilla because the Aggies have a starting quarterback that can’t execute more than that?
Offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey put together a set of plays that didn’t show much confidence in his quarterback. And the quarterback gave him no reason to believe otherwise.
Aggieland, Haynes King is not the answer. That may not be any great revelation. If anything, King regressed in Game 2 of his return to the starting lineup after an injury ended his 2021 season barely more than one game into it.
King threw for 97 yards on 13 completions. He was 3-for-5 on 3rd down but produced just 11 yards on those plays. That’s less than 4 yards per completion in those situations, where on Saturday the Aggies converted on just 2 of 8 opportunities overall. That will not get it done. Not against Appalachian State, not against Miami next week, and certainly not against the SEC West.
He was sacked twice and had one fumble. He was unable to move an offense that ended up running only 38 total plays in the game, as opposed to App State’s 80. King led the Aggies to just 9 first downs to the Mountaineers’ 22. He engineered an offense that amassed 186 total yards.
All the while, backup Max Johnson stood anxiously on the sidelines, helmet strapped on and ready to go. But Fisher, now in his 5th season at College Station, never called his name. And maybe that should be the most disappointing aspect of the unforgivable loss.
Unforgivable because in Year 5, you don’t lose to Appalachian State, especially at home. Those are losses reserved for Year 1, maybe Year 2, when the program is still building. But in Year 5, losses like that can’t happen. They can’t be accepted. Not if you expect to play for championships.
Yes, there was plenty of blame to spread around after Saturday’s debacle. But perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the game does not show up in the stat sheet. It is leadership, or lack thereof.
If King is going to step up, the first thing he has to do is lead. It’s obvious he does not have the confidence in his game to do so, certainly not at this stage in his development. And that’s a problem, a big one.
The fact that Fisher is convinced that King is further along than Johnson is telling. Sure, King probably knows the system far better than any other QB. But what has that produced so far? That’s a rhetorical question. It’s produced a 1-1 record and a ranking that’s about to plummet.
Where is this program headed? Great young talent. How many years have we heard that? When is that great young talent expected to produce? If this is a rebuilding year, and by all indications of Saturday’s performance, it certainly appears to be, then why not throw freshman Conner Weigman in there and let him grow with the rest of them?
Is a 3- or 4-win season that much different than a 6- or 7-win season, which seems to be where this team is headed.
It’s apparent that there is something very wrong with this program. Losing to a Sun Belt Conference team at home in your 5th year of the process, is alarming.
Changes must be made and both Fisher and King have soul searching to do before unbeaten and ranked Miami comes to town next Saturday.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
