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The last month has not been kind to the Texas A&M offense, and it’s getting to the point where you wonder if there’s any turning back. The Aggies averaged 51 points in their first five games, but their average scoring output has dropped by 15 over their last four contests.
With Kyle Allen now holding down the starting quarterback in the wake of Kenny Hill’s benching and subsequent suspension, things looked to be getting back to normal in the first half of A&M’s game against Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. They put up 21 points and 193 yards, pedestrian totals for a peak Kevin Sumlin-led team but encouraging for a team that’s been in shambles. Things took a nosedive in the second half, though, as the Aggies didn’t score any points and totaled just 50 yards.
As Texas A&M gets ready to face Auburn on Saturday, they’ll certainly need the offense to wake up if they want to have a chance against the Tigers, ranked No. 3 by the College Football Playoff committee.
What can Texas A&M do to get back on track? Here are five ways for the Aggies to get going.
- Stop the drops. Dropped passes have plagued the Aggies for the past month, and the issue didn’t get any better against ULM. A review of the game showed Texas A&M receivers dropped at least six passes against the Warhawks, including one that would have been a touchdown, and had several other would-be catches hit the ground after a defender got involved. Especially with an inexperienced quarterback, A&M’s receivers must get better at holding onto the ball.
- Protect Allen. The touted freshman quarterback turned the ball over twice in his starting debut, and both came with defenders all over him. On his interception, Allen felt pressure and stumbled while throwing trying to get away from it, resulting in an inaccurate throw. Allen was swarmed by defenders when he fumbled in the third quarter, and although ball security is an individual’s responsibility, it’s still on the offensive line to keep pass rushers off of their signal caller. That task doesn’t get any easier going forward, as standout right tackle Germain Ifedi went down with a sprained knee ligament that may keep him out the rest of the regular season.
- Get Allen on the move. One thing that popped out about Allen, despite his rough day, was his mobility. He looks far more athletic than Hill, even breaking out some Johnny Manziel-esque moves. In the first quarter, he ran parallel to the broadcast’s yellow line for several yards before bursting forward for a first down, and a little bit later hew spun away from a defender to get a throw off. He looked confident and threw accurately when he rolled out, especially to his right, and it’s an element Kevin Sumlin and Jake Spavital can work in with their freshman.
- Get the run going. Brandon Williams and Tra Carson both showed their talent at various times against ULM, but the Aggies weren’t able to get any sustained running going after halftime until late in the fourth quarter, when they salted the game away with one solid drive on which they picked up 80 percent of their second half yards. It’s hard to run the ball when you fall behind big early, as A&M has done throughout this rough stretch, which might mean that Sumlin and Spavital will have to turn around and hand it off to their usually effective running game while games are still close.
- Create better field position situations. Some of the offense’s struggles can be attributed to poor field position, something the Aggies have been facing a deficit in for weeks. In the second half against ULM, their average drive started at their own 27 (excluding their final drive, when the Aggies took over on downs inside the ULM 20-yard line). Against Alabama, A&M’s average starting spot was inside their own 25-yard line. In the Ole Miss game, they started at their own 23 on average. They were all the way out at the 29 against Mississippi State, a far cry from where they’ve ended up the last few weeks. For the offense to pick up, they’ll need some help from the porous defense and the special teams game to get there.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.