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Here's this week's AggieYell Mailbag:
Q: I hear more people talking about their weak schedule…but they haven’t been punished for it. Lose to us and they will…I imagine a 2nd loss to us would give them a Georgia-like plummet in the rankings. Hell, if Georgia is any indication, we may be able to knock them all the way out.
Please explain to us why texasU is rated so high, doesn't SoS or quality wins count? (Big Smoothie)
A: Honestly, I think a lot of is just the preseason expectation they were going to be really good. And that has carried on, at least in part because their schedule is a joke. They’ve played one good team and got spanked. But, since everyone just expected Texas would be a top team this year, they’re ranked as such. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, and (to this point) not an intelligent one.
Q: Please consider my TE question from the last 5 Mailbags. (Richard23)
A: Didn’t I answer it the last three?
Q: Is the offense fully installed with Marcel, Amari, and others? I won't ask the follow up Q as only Klein can tell us if he's going to actually use it all.
A: I assume so. The question really is if the fully installed offense has been tweaked with the loss of Le’Veon Moss. I have to think that it has been, at least somewhat.
It appears that the NMSU Aggies are almost exclusively a run team. Does that mean we stack the box and go man v man on the outside?
A: You got it. Force them to throw, because they are bad throwing the ball. A&M’s numbers are low because they want to run the ball a lot. NMSU’s are bad because they have to run the ball. They’re horrible in the passing game.
Are you happy this week with 200 yds. passing? 250? 300? Where's your comfort level that progress is being made. (Tsip despiser)
A: I’d like at least 250. A&M can line up and bash NMSU into submission if they want to, but this isn’t just about winning this game, it’s about getting ready for Auburn and Texas. And the sooner you get the vertical offense going, the better.
Q: Who do you see playing RB other than Daniels and Smith?
A: Terry Bussey, AJ DiNota and, possibly, Jayvon Thomas.
Is Klein’s passing offense unsophisticated, unsuccessful, or undermanned? (BC93)
A: I think it’s largely undermanned, but there’s definitely been a disconnect with the receivers and tight ends when it comes to adapting to his scheme. Coach Elko has mentioned repeatedly that there’s issues consistently getting open (not all the time, of course), but also not being where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there. Part of that may be the quarterbacks going back and forth, but I think it’s more than that. I just wish I knew exactly why they continued to have that issue.
Q: So is A&M winning out the only way to the playoffs? We go 10-2 but lose in SECCG, are we probably out at 10-3? Would be a bummer to basically be penalized for going to that game and being bypassed by 10-2 teams. (Naytch)
A: If A&M gets to the SEC Championship Game and loses but isn’t blown out, I think they’re in. They may be in even at 9-3, depending on how things shake out.
Q: Has there been any update on Chase Bisontis injury and when he might return? The two RGs playing in his absence were a significant liability against SC and a big reason the offense struggled! (Sefox21)
A: We won’t see him this weekend, because there’s no need for him to play. I wouldn’t be surprised if other players with minor injuries are held out (not that his is minor). But it’s a possibility, from what I’ve been able to gather, that he returns for Auburn.
Q: Is A&M targeting any USC commits? (Ag20)
A: You bet. They’re still after 4-star wideout Jerome Myles, for obvious reasons (and the fact that 2026 QB commit Helaman Casuga is his quarterback). But I also expect USC to come after Husan Longstreet again, even though they’ve had little to no success there so far. And Longstreet’s brother is already playing for the Aggies, so that’s a plus for A&M.
Q: I haven’t seen a dominant SEC team that ran the ball as much as we do in probably a decade. Alabama and Georgia have had what seems like more balanced offenses with downfield passing game. At KState, CK ran the ball more than he threw it, but was still a bit more balanced than this year’s Aggie team. Can this offensive scheme consistently compete with the best teams in the SEC? Or is the bigger problem personnel and injuries? Do you think Elko will seek any changes in the offseason or is this the “modern offense” he promised us? (98 Percenter)
A: I’m going to be blunt here: I think they’re doing the best they can with the personnel they’ve got. Even though I still think tight end (Tre Watson) should be seeing a lot more passes thrown their way, the receiver corps is both inexperienced and underperforming. At the start of the year, the idea in many people’s minds was that Noah Thomas and Moose Muhammad would be key players. Thomas has been ok, but just ok; Muhammad is a non-factor. Cyrus Allen hasn’t gotten the ball much. Jabre Barber is just now really breaking out. But what do you have after that? A 5-star true freshman who made the switch out of sheer need in training camp and…a bunch of guys who haven’t done anything.
They need more and better receivers, and they need the young guys to get to the point where they can contribute. In my mind, the receiver group is by far the biggest disappointment this year.
Q: What’s the feeling around Longstreet right now? I expect USC is coming after him hard with all the JuJu rumors out there.
A: I think they’re still feeling good. He’s been back multiple times this season and he has a good rapport with Klein and Elko. And, like I said, his brother is here. It comes down to this (and money), really: do you want to be the first choice of the better program that’s farther from home, or the second choice of an inferior program closer to home?
Is there a chance that if Longstreet does flip, Casuga reclassifies to 2025? (AggieAppraiser)
A: I haven’t heard anything about that idea.
Q: Given their players' commitment as military cadets with training commitments to the military during their student lives, and after graduation as officers with 5 year commitments to the services, how do the Military Academies handle NIL and Portal issues? (AginAfIII)
A: Portal issues seem to be consistent with everything else. I see a lot of academy guys getting in there when I look. As for NIL, that’s a good question. I don’t know how that works, with the regulations involving their commitment to the armed forces.
