10 Friday observations
After letting the results of last night percolate a little bit, here's 10 things that stood out to me:
1. Jimbo is right -- Kellen Mond is better than the 2018 model, and "it isn't even close."
Mond's numbers weren't eye-popping (19-27, 194 yards), but he had to deal with a bunch of drops. Most of his passes were right on the money and had plenty of zip. He worked his progression well and found the right guys. Texas State played zone a lot and he made them pay for it. The deep passes to Quartney Davis and Jhamon Ausbon were high difficulty throws that he made look easy. Fisher was very pleased after the game and he should have been.
2. Good luck covering Quartney Davis.
Short passes, deep balls, crossers -- Davis had everything coming his way last night. With the exception of the near touchdown which he lost when he hit the ground, he caught everything and made things happen after the catch. He's faster than ever and knows how to find holes in the defense. He looks like he'll be tough for anyone to stop.
3. Jhamon Ausbon looks like a new man.
I've been harping on this for weeks, but it really is true -- Ausbon looks fantastic after losing 10 pounds. He's faster and a lot more agile. His 40-yard reception was a career long and his touchdown catch was his first since the Belk Bowl in 2017. He's got to stop with the weak drops, and if he does he will also have a big year.
4. Jimbo trusts his wideouts more than his tight ends
And that's ok. He's got six (at least) ones he feels good about right now, and Beal and Wydermyer are still getting their feet wet. I'll bet A&M used the 4-wide set last night more than they did the whole of last year, and it should provide some matchup problems.
5. The O-line needs to get smart and play tough
The Aggies ran for 246 yards last night, but if there was ever a frustrating 246, that was it. Now, the scheme was simple and vanilla, but there were still too many busts and not enough physical play. It was lackadaisical at times, and they need to be consistently fierce. The almost seemed disinterested at some points.
6. The D-line is just fine, thank you.
I've seen some complaints about the lack of pressure from the defensive line. Keep this in mind: A&M blitzed about 5 times last night. One was a sack, one led to an interception. Otherwise, it was pretty much a straight bull rush up the field. Texas State used a lot of very quick passes to negate the rush (and largely didn't get much out of it); still, there were a lot of instances where Tyree Johnson, Tyree Wilson, Jeremiah Martin, Max Wright and Micheal Clemons pushed the tackles back into the backfield to disrupt the play. Sometimes you don't need sacks, you need to throw the other guy off schedule. The sacks will come as the defense shows more. And doesn't get held as much. There was one play where Jayden Peevy got in between the left guard and tackle and one of them (I can't recall which) literally jumped at him to grab his jersey. No call.
7. Speed kills. And finally, A&M has some.
Even last year, as the Aggies were stout against the run, they weren't the most athletic of teams. This year, the defense is very athletic and extremely fast. Tyree Johnson, Tyree Wilson and Jeremiah Martin also showed their stuff at times last night; Justin Madubuike ran down a wideout on a bubble screen. But it was at linebacker were the difference was clear. Buddy Johnson and Anthony Hines made plays across the field, and Andre White and Aaron Hasnford showed their speed as well. I feel a lot better about linebacker after last night.
8. Leon O'Neal has the knack for making plays.
Two starts, two interceptions for O'Neal, who just attacks the football. He was playing with essentially one hand last night, which hurt him on a few tackles, but he's always around the ball. And there is no quit in him. On one play, he hit a Texas State receiver, but couldn't wrap him up. O'Neal jumped back up and got him on the second try for a tackle for loss.
9. Turning around works.
The secondary as a whole was much better against the pass. It seemed like Texas State didn't feel comfortable challenging Elijah Blades, so they threw at Myles Jones. Mistake. Jones was outstanding, showing excellent anticipation and being ready for two interceptions. If Roney Elam doesn't win SEC defensive player of the week, Jones may win it instead. The secondary, as a unit, looks much improved.
10. A&M can come at you in waves.
The Aggies aren't going to pull all their starters and put in a backup unit, but they rotated constantly last night. Keldrick Carper played both safety spots; Hansford and White were in at linebacker; Jayden Peevy played both tackle spots and Martin and Max Wright got plenty of playing time. The dropoff was minimal if there was any at all. That's how you win in the SEC.