2017 MMR Week 1: Aggies at Bruins (whatevs)
Alright, I have been waiting for this week since the “Let Down in H-town”, or what I called the Texas Bowl. There is so much anticipation coming into this season for the Aggies that UI have to jump right into my analysis:
2017 is Kevin Sumlin’s year to get things done – while wining seasons might be enough to keep a coach in their job at most schools, this is the SEC…specifically the SEC West. The division is a who’s who of national champions for the last 10 years. While the Aggies have been able to rest on multiple 8+ win seasons, the number of times the Aggies stumbled at the end of the season show the world not to trust the Aggie’s season until November.
Have you seen our quarterback? – no, really, who is our quarterback this year? Another slam on Sumlin is that this is the 5th new starting quarterback since JFF left Kyle Field. There is a three-man race, each with their positives and negatives. One is a freshman pro-style quarterback with a strong arm, another is a freshman dual-threat top ranked recruit, and the last is a senior with the only QB experience with this team. No matter who you pick, that QB will be looking over their shoulder unless it’s the reincarnation of JFF.
Can the SEC ever be “weaker”? Well, maybe – this year the SEC, specifically the SEC West, looks a little less like themselves with so much movement and change in the coaching ranks and the loss of key players across the board. Expect Alabama to win the division and the conference, but the goal for the Aggies should be to finish right behind them in the standings this year.
So how do these Aggies look this year? Well, like any pre-season hype engine, all I know are the facts about returning players. While there are plenty of talented players on both side of the ball, they also come with key gaps that could get filled and take our team to a great year, or bring the team down to an average season.
Offense: the returning players build a very solid base for this team to do great things. Christian Kirk, Travyeon Willliams and Keith Ford provide our mystery quarterback the right tools to succeed. The talent at running back and wide receiver give the Aggie no excuses to score, and score often. Add into the mix Jhamon Ausbon, and this could be a barn burning team…depending on the man under the center taking snaps. Something to keep an eye on is the performance of our offensive line. While we have three key returning players, how well this line comes together and stays healthy is the X factor to how well this offense can execute this season. We can’t read into anything from the returning talent to indicate which QB is a better fit, but the starter will definitely dictate how this offense will be used.
Defense: oh where is my beloved Wrecking Crew of old? While my continued desire of moving back to a 3-4 defense with speedy and strong linebackers may not return any time soon, the fact that the Aggies lost two amazing defensive lineman last year leave a massive hole to fill talent wise. However, all is not lost as we look at the strength of the secondary this year. Returning starters Priest Willis, Armani Watts, and Donovan Wilson will make it difficult for teams to throw down field without a contest on the receiving end. The big question mark is how well will the front seven defend against the run? Any breakdown will force the secondary to plug holes and leave the secondary exposed.
Again, so many questions to ask this season, so maybe the Aggie's first opponent will help us find some answers in our first game. The UCLA Bruins will show us something, but not provide all of the answers we need.
The Bruins bring in a high-round NFL draft prospect in Josh Rosen. I hope this year he keeps his mouth shut and not supply bulletin board material for the Aggies. The challenge facing Rosen is whether he will have any support in the running game to throw off the Aggie defense, or will Rosen be forced to throw downfield and hope his wide receivers are better than our secondary? This will pit their question mark of a running game against the question mark of the A&M running defense. One may come out on top, but does not prove the worries are over for either team. Now, the passing game versus the passing defense will be exciting to watch, and a great test for both teams.
The Bruins defense will be tested with the aforementioned talent at wide receiver and running back from A&M, but could the Bruins take advantage of the quarterback issues? If UCLA can blitz and get into the backfield, they will force A&M to either make a mistake or turn the Aggie playbook on it’s head. The Aggies have the players to get into the end zone, but can the Aggies get the ball into their hands?
This is what makes this game intriguing, not two top teams playing for a top spot early in the season, but a game that defines the teams’ seasons for 2017. The drama and the back stories make this a compelling game to watch, so the only question left is who will win?
The best of all worlds for the Aggies is to come out strong with their rushing defense, and for our quarterback to be the perfect fit from the first snap. Unfortunate for the boys in maroon, both will not happen. I do see one of these two outcomes coming to fruition. I see the Aggie defense stepping up for game 1. While this will not answer the question for the season, it will be a positive step for the defense to build from for the rest of the season, especially on the road. Our QB question will not be resolved. I think we will do just enough to score, and just enough to move the ball, the QB question will not be answered in this game. There will be more questions, not matter who starts. Having said that, look for the Aggies to win comfortably on the road, 32-17.