Jimbo Fisher’s Next Big Goal for Texas A&M? Consistency In Starkville
Jimbo #Jimbo
The Aggies will need to be on-point defensively against Mississippi State’s offense.
Everyone has their kryptonite. For Jimbo Fisher, it very well could be Mike Leach. Better yet, it could be any high-tempo offense from the state of Mississippi.
Despite beating programs like Alabama and Auburn, Texas A&M has had its struggles against schools from the Magnolia State. Since 2018, the Aggies have posted a combined record of 4-3 against Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
No one is going to wave the white flag following Saturday’s game at Davis Wade Stadium, but the pressure will be on both the Bulldogs (3-1, 0-1 SEC) and the No. 17 Aggies (3-1, 1-0 SEC) should they drop the ball. It’s not as if the schedule gets easier for either team moving into October.
“[With] our schedule, especially what’s coming up, it would be pretty tough to look ahead,” Bulldogs coach Mike Leach said.
Following Saturday, the Bulldogs will remain in Starkville to take on No. 20 Arkansas. After that, MSU hits the road to face No. 7 Kentucky before heading to Bryant-Denny Stadium to go toe-to-toe with No. 2 Alabama.
Perhaps the Aggies are just a game ahead in terms of competition level. Last week, A&M marched into AT&T Stadium to take on the then-No. 10 Razorbacks, picking up the 23-21 win in the process. Following Starkvegas, the road trip continues to Tuscaloosa for the rematch of the year against a Nick Saban roster out for blood.
Yes, the hype is at an all-time high following the Aggies’ 41-38 win at Kyle Field last October. CBS has already dubbed it the game of the week thanks to its 7:00 p.m. kickoff time.
The hope for Texas A&M is that it won’t use a crushing loss as fuel to take down Saban and the Tide in their own backyard. Last season, MSU quarterback Will Rogers torched the Aggies in a 26-22 upset at Kyle Field the week before. He completed 46 of 59 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
One of the biggest reasons the Bulldogs were able to add so many yards through the air was due to the subtraction of the Aggies’ pass rush. While A&M featured standouts such as DeMarvin Leal, Jayden Peevy, Michael Clemons, and Tyree Johnson attacking up front, MSU’s protection was near flawless.
The Aggies registered just nine pressures and three sacks.
“It’s going to come down to the secondary,” cornerback Jaylon Jones said. “We’re going to get the rush up front and things like that. As the backend, we have to execute. We know they like to throw the ball, so it’s going to come down to us doing our jobs.”
Rogers wasn’t the only SEC quarterback to have success against A&M last season. Arkansas passer KJ Jefferson totaled 262 yards of offense and two touchdowns en route to a 20-10 victory in Arlington. That was the beginning of the end of A&M as it closed out the year 8-4.
Jefferson was contained for most of Saturday after the first quarter. He managed to throw a pair of touchdowns to make it 14-0, but the Aggies’ defense responded after the first 15 minutes. Electing to run more of a three-man front with a rover linebacker, Jefferson was asked to rely more on his legs than his arms.
The results showed in the form of a 98-yard fumble recovery in the second quarter, ultimately changing the game’s outcome and shifting momentum in favor of the Aggies.
Jefferson and Rogers are two vastly different passers. Over his two seasons as the Hogs’ starter, Jefferson has relied on his size and legs to pick up the hard-pressed yards as a runner. Rogers is more of a mechanic in terms of passing, trusting his arm to push the ball downfield in Leach’s Air Raid offense.
“One’s much more throwing, and one was much more running,” Fisher said this past week. “But Rogers can still run and scramble. He’s a good athlete.”
Taking away Rogers’ ability to throw is A&M’s best chance of improving to 2-0 in conference play. Currently, the MSU quarterback ranks second among all FBS passers in yards per game with 346.5.
The good news for A&M? Its secondary has only improved on a weekly basis under the direction of new defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. Currently, the Aggies rank 10th among schools in pass defense, holding opponents to 153.2 yards passing per outing.
“We have to have a great tempo lining up,” cornerback Tyreek Chappell said Monday. “They beat us last year (with tempo), so this year we’ve got to make sure we have a better tempo and better eyes as well. We know if we make plays, we’re going to get paid.”
Kickoff Saturday is set for 3 p.m.
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