Texas A&M football: Grading the Aggies' victory at Ole Miss
It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t pretty, but anytime you can get a road victory in the SEC, it’s a good win. That’s how Aggieland must view the 24-17 victory over Ole Miss on Saturday night in Oxford.
It was a must-win for an Aggies program still building in its second season under head coach Jimbo Fisher. With Texas A&M improving to 4-3, a bowl game appears imminent as the second half of the season gets under way.
Here are five things I liked about the victory, and three more things that I did not like about it.
Things I liked
1. Clutch Braden Mann
The Ray Guy Award winner made an All-American punt late in the fourth quarter, a 55-yard boot that pinned the Rebels inside their own 1-yard line as the Aggies clung to a 17-14 lead. It was the final nail for Ole Miss, and the Aggies got the ball back on a punt and used the short field to drive down and score what proved to be the winning touchdown. Mann averaged 52 yards on five punts.
2. Utilizing TE Jalen Wydermyer
The Aggies’ offense is far more productive with its tight end involved. That was evident early, when Wydermyer was targeted in the passing game. He finished with a game-high 67 receiving yards on four catches, and he probably should have been targeted far more than the four times that Kellen Mond looked for his talented young athlete.
3. LB Buddy Johnson’s game-changer
In addition to leading the team with 10 tackles, five solo and one for a loss, Johnson came up with the play of the game when he scooped and scored after a strip sack of Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Dashing 62 yards for a touchdown, Johnson erased a 14-10 deficit midway through the third quarter and gave the Aggies a lead they never relinquished.
4. Steady DE Tyree Johnson
With a nose for the football, Johnson was in on eight tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. He also had a QB hurry and played a big part in the Aggies’ bend-but-don’t-break defense.
5. Big-play DL Justin Madubuike
When the Aggies needed a big play, Madubuike came through … twice. The first time, the big lineman broke through and aided in the strip sack that resulted in a scoop-and-score. The second time, Madubuike blocked an Ole Miss field-goal attempt that seemed to take the air out of the Rebels’ sails. For the game, he recorded five tackles and had a QB hurry.
Things I didn’t like
1. Pass blocking
Ole Miss’ pass rush hampered the ability of the Aggies’ offensive line to protect Mond, who was sacked three times in the first half alone. Mond was harassed on many dropbacks and wasn’t comfortable in the pocket for much of the night. The line allowed a total of four sacks and three quarterback hurries.
2. Mond’s decision-making
Mond is still forcing passes, and it cost him in the first half. The junior QB threw two interceptions near midfield in the half, putting an end to potential drives that could have given the Aggies some breathing room at halftime. Mond did enough, completing 16 of 28 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown, to beat an Ole Miss team that doesn’t appear to be headed for the postseason. It isn’t good enough against the better teams in the SEC.
3. Missed FGs
Seth Small missed an opportunity to put the game away much earlier than having to recover an onside kick at the end. His 51-yarder went wide at the end of the first half, but the 28-yard chip shot he pulled wide late in the fourth quarter could have been devastating. Fortunately, Mann’s stellar punt, and a subsequent TD drive, bailed him out this time.