Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
After Math: Mississippi State
Oct 05, 2015 | Football
Each Monday, 12th Man Productions' Will Johnson will take you inside the numbers of the last football game with "After Math".
Familiar territory usually brings a good amount of comfort with it.
This week, the Aggies found themselves in a situation they'd been acquainted with.
But it didn't necessarily have them at ease.
In 2014, an overtime win over Arkansas kept A&M undefeated--and ranked high--heading towards a matchup with a top-25 Mississippi State squad.
The 12th Man might have been accustomed to such a scenario.
This week, A&M was coming off an overtime win over Arkansas, and they remained unbeaten and highly rated. Mississippi State, entrenched in the Top 25, the upcoming opponent.
The Bulldogs started a three-game Aggie skid in '14. That's why familiarity didn't breed certainty this time around.
But, the '15 team is different. They have more capable bodies, even if some are young. An underclassman filling in here and there, perhaps on special teams, helps keeps starters fresh.
"Everybody is talking about Daeshon Hall and Myles (Garrett)," states head coach Kevin Sumlin. "But they're not talking about Qualen Cunningham and Jarrett Johnson. (They allow) the two premiere guys, so to speak, to play at full speed."
He then adds, "The more guys we can get involved that can play at an SEC level the better off we are."
Now to the numbers.
The Aggie offense was great to start, but grounded toward the finish.
A&M scored on 5 of its first 7 drives (totaling 27 points), but on only one of its last five (notching only a field goal).
As brilliant as they were at times, the offense didn't quite have enough to drop the hammer on Mississippi State, missing the chance to make this one a mere formality late.
"I still think we left a lot of yards and a lot of points out there," says offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. "We're still far from our best ball."
"We pushed the ball downfield, but didn't do a great job of finishing," Sumlin says looking back. "We've got to get better in the red zone."
Kyle Allen's stats depict the stagnation. The quarterback completed his first 10 passes, and was 19-of-25 at halftime (76 percent). In the 2nd half, he was just 6-of-16, hitting on only 38 percent of his throws.
This falls under the category of 'always having room for improvement' though. Because the offense, overall, had a quality night. They amassed 516 total yards on a defense that hadn't give up more than 413 coming in.
During the week, Spavital mentioned that the Bulldogs would be difficult to run on since they're so large up front. But Tra Carson topped 100 yards.
The offensive coordinator also spoke to how rigorous this matchup would be for his guards and center. Yet the interior offensive line stood up to the MSU mass all night. Mike Matthews, after the game, confirmed the size of the task.
"They're definitely one of the biggest teams we'll face this season," Matthews stated. "Lot of big boys."
Even when the offense bogged down, the Aggies were boosted up by a spirited effort on defense. They clamped down after the Aggies had built a lead.
The Bulldogs averaged 59.3 yards on their first 3 drives. They averaged just 20.5 on their last 10 possessions.
"The last seven possessions of the game (it) was really special the way our defense played," says defensive coordinator John Chavis.
A big point of emphasis here is the fact the Aggies got to the ball, close enough to get their hands on it.
The defense forced two fumbles, and recovered both. They also broke up a season-high 8 passes.
A&M had only broken up 3.8 passes per game before Saturday. Dak Prescott threw 14 incompletions, the Ags disrupting eight of those themselves.
Myles Garrett was around the pigskin all night, creating another incredible stat line for himself. He led the team with 7 tackles, mixed in a sack and a couple TFLs, forced a fumble and broke up one of the Prescott incompletions. He deservedly took home honors as the SEC's Defensive Lineman of the Week.
What does it all add up to?
Twenty…and zero.
The Aggies are one of 20 remaining FBS teams still with a zero in the loss column (only half of which are 5-0 like A&M).
Also, with the season now rolling into October, only seven teams are undefeated while beating 3 Power Five opponents. This list includes, Texas A&M, Florida, LSU, TCU, Northwestern, Iowa and Cal.
Many will say 'it's still early', and that's somewhat true. But 84 percent of college football didn't make it this far without a loss. The Aggies have.
A&M has hit their bye unscathed--a far cry from a year ago, when they entered it on that 3-game slide started by the Bulldogs. Sumlin will plan the off week accordingly.
"Last year we scrimmaged twice," Sumlin said with a boisterous laugh, knowing he's in a much better place now. "It was a different time."
A&M entered Mississippi State week in familiar territory, and it had Aggies on edge.
A&M had stalled going into the bye last year. They're rolling this year. This would suggest unfamiliarity.
But, while sporting an unblemished record and a top-10 national ranking, The Aggies look quite comfortable.
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