Saturday, September 26, 2015

Aggies Beat Arkansas - The Takeaways

Here are some first blush takeaways from tonight's 28-21 Aggie victory over the Razorbacks.

Start With The Positives

First, oh my goodness, how impressive was that for the team to respond to a real punch in the mouth? Arkansas had this game in the bag, and the Aggies found a way to still win it. Game balls to Christian Kirk and Josh Reynolds.

Second, we saw a number of other players step up and find a way to make plays against the flow of the game. Myles Garrett rose to the occasion to make a key stop late. It didn't turn into the game winning points, but it did keep Arkansas from driving for their own FG attempt. Kyle Allen made the important throws late - and frankly was money for those last few series.

Third, more props to Allen for the composure when they brought in Murray again. It really takes someone with a special focus to handle that. And winning the turnover battle? Me likey! Drew Kaser showing he can tackle does not bother me one bit.

Finally, a little perspective - the Aggies won the first half. It may not have felt like it, but they did. They stole a possession with an interception, and they got another stop. Holding an opponent to 7 points in a half is a good thing. Yes, things got real loose in the second half, and we all had doubts, but for much of the first half, it seemed like this was a game the Aggies would survive. Little did we know how close the shave was going to be...

But unfortunately, while there were positives that came out of the game and clearly, this team is better than they were last year, it is also very clear this team is not championship caliber and there is much to fix. To wit:

Offensive Line - not as bad as it could have been, but certainly there are issues. In a huge game that meant a lot, they were not able to dominate. In the SEC, that is a real problem. Especially when the other positions on offense are not clicking. The Aggies won today because they made some really key plays at the right time, not because they were able to dominate the game, frankly, at any point.

Defense - there was a sense of accomplishment from the Arizona State game, and it was deserved. They overwhelmed a young offensive line with one of the best pass rushes in college football. But that masked other issues. Specifically, a run defense that was clearly exposed - granted, but a formidable running game. Also, surprisingly, a short passing game that Arkansas used early to score their first touchdown. True, it was a surprising tactical move and one that I did not expect to succeed, even with the element of surprise on their side. But we knew coming into this game that the linebackers and corner-backs were potential liabilities, and we saw that for much of this game.

While there is gobs of talent on the defense, it is not the Wrecking Crew, and probably won't be this year. What they are, though, is a significant improvement over last year, even after today's showing. They have clear work to do, but they found a way to win and now know where the gaps are. They will be better for it.

Offense/Passing - this is what should really scare people. The Sumlin Offense is supposed to be full throttle, dangerous and effective. For long stretches tonight, it was anything but. While Allen, Reynolds, Kirk and Carson made key plays down the stretch, the pressure this offense is supposed to put defenses under has really not materialized this season.

And I can't tell what the cause is. Certainly, the offensive line struggles don't help. But also for a lot of passes, it appears that the quarterback and the wide receivers are not in synch, outside of Kirk almost all of the time and Josh Reynolds often enough. The smooth plays that Allen makes to Kirk sure makes me think that it is not Allen but the wide receivers, but maybe it is just that Allen has worked with Kirk more? I don't know, but this offense won't be what it needs to be until that changes. Noil, Ricky Seals-Jones and others need to be viable threats otherwise the opposing defense can just focus on Kirk and Reynolds and shut it all down.

One final note - Taylor Bertolet has been good until today, and today he missed a game winning kick. Needles to say, that is not good, but don't jump off the deep end - he has been consistent at the "gimme" stuff that he was missing at times before John Lambo. So let's just know that he will most likely make the stuff we need him to make, but he has work to do on the mid-range stuff.

Summary points

1 - They survived an absolutely desperate SEC foe that certainly has enough talent to win. That shows some real effectiveness under pressure - pressure they will feel again and again. Certainly next week's game against Mississippi State will be at least as intense. And in the games against Auburn, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, there will need to be composure.

2 - They learned a lot about themselves, especially in terms of what they need to work on. There is always value there, if the coaching staff and team leadership sets things up right and the players put in the work to make it pay off.

3 - At least for now, we can slow our roll about beating Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. That isn't to say that there isn't the talent, or that this team can't find a way to win those games. But for now, we have good reason to believe this team is going to have to work to earn wins against Mississippi State and the teams listed in Point 1.

Bottom Line

A win is a win. And a win against a talented but desperate team is big. Eight wins before a bowl game is an improvement for this team from last year, and deserved improvement. But let's not waste the learning opportunity this team got tonight by enjoying the success of the team - rather, let's recognize the team is still a work in progress and make the most of it.

No comments:

Post a Comment