The Aggies became bowl eligible for the 10th consecutive season with a tough 38-24 victory over Ole Miss on Saturday. It was a big win in the first of three home games for Texas A&M to close out the regular season.

There was plenty to build on, and some things that still need to be improved upon. Here are five things I liked and three that must be corrected moving forward.

Things I liked

1. Coming out in the second half with a strong run game: The Aggies moved the ball all day on the ground, but they used a strong running game to perfection in the second half. The Aggies came out with the idea of running it down the Rebels’ throats, and they accomplished that feat. The Aggies rolled up 220 rushing yards in the second half as they pulled away.

2. Fisher not giving up on his QB: Some have been calling for backup Nick Starkel, and after Kellen Mond fumbled away a golden opportunity to score on the first possession of the second half and followed with an interception, who could blame them? But Jimbo Fisher knows the situation better than anyone in Aggieland, and he stuck with Mond, who rewarded his new coach with a solid performance after that.

3. Run defense: The Aggies were content to give up the passing yardage to Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. But what they would not compromise on was their stellar run defense. The Aggies, who lead the SEC in run defense, turned in another outstanding effort, holding the Rebels to 67 yards rushing. That’s even fewer than the 81.44 average against the Aggies going into the game.

Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

4. Ball control: Texas A&M hangs its hat on controlling time of possession. They entered the game leading the conference by averaging 36:17 per game. Behind a strong running game, the Aggies were once again able to win the time of possession battle, nearly doubling the Rebels’ TOP in the first half before ending up with 36:55 for the game.

5. All-around aggressiveness: If there’s one thing Fisher has brought to College Station, it is an aggressiveness not seen in a long time. That was evident again on Saturday. The Aggies did not sit on their late lead, staying aggressive with Mond still throwing the ball in the waning minutes. It backfired in the Auburn game but proved the right philosophy against Ole Miss. The Aggies scored twice in a three-minute span late in the fourth quarter with a balanced combination of run/pass.

Things that need improvement

1. Mond not taking care of the ball: The sophomore quarterback is still learning how to protect the football. He committed turnovers on back-to-back possessions to start the third quarter. Normally that would prove to be fatal, but he was able to overcome it this time. The hope is that with continued playing time and maturity, Mond will become a better caretaker of the football.

2. Pass defense: Granted, they were facing the top passer in the SEC and the third most prolific passer in the nation. But pass defense continues to be the Aggies’ Achilles’ heel. They rank 11th in the SEC against the pass and didn’t do anything to improve on that, allowing Ta’amu to throw for 373 yards. That’s above his average of 333.4 passing yards per game.

3. Penalties: The Aggies are in the middle of the SEC pack in average penalties per game. Averaging 7 infractions for 54 yards coming into the game, Texas A&M committed 7 for 59. Some came at very inopportune times and could have been fatal. For this game, the Aggies were able to overcome. But penalties continue to be a problem.