Keys to the Game | A&M vs. Lamar

A Short Memory

Last week's loss was disappointing, especially considering the amount of confidence the Aggies had going into Clemson. The Aggies fell two points short in 2018, and A&M fully expected to walk out of Death Valley with a win last Saturday. Opportunities were there. The Aggies had their chances, literally from the opening plays of the game. Early mistakes became contagious, and a near-perfect performance was needed against the top-ranked team in the nation. How will they respond to last week's setback in South Carolina? With just one more week to prep for conference play, the Aggies must use last week's loss as nothing more than a learning experience and motivating force moving forward.   
 
Coach Fisher Quote: "The worst thing about this game (Clemson) that we can come out of it with is we don't learn from it. That we don't learn and have the learning experience of how you have to go through it, how you have to play in it. I want us to come back this week ready to practice, ready to go, keep creating even better habits."

Don't Get Caught Looking Ahead

The Lamar contest falls between a trip to top-ranked Clemson and a home game with currently No. 8 Auburn. While the I-AA Lamar Cardinals shouldn't be able to physically match up with the Aggies, Saturday is an opportunity for A&M to respond and fully gear up for the upcoming SEC gauntlet. While the competition won't be at the same level, those better habits Coach Fisher speaks about can be worked on no matter who lines up on the other side. The Aggies preach a nameless and faceless opponent, and Saturday should be no different. 
 
Coach Fisher Quote: "Because like I always say, when you have great habits, when pressure comes, those habits come straight to the surface. And being able to do them in the biggest moments and not worrying about winning, because sometimes you go in and all you're focusing on is winning. It shouldn't be. You should go in focusing on playing well. When you play well, you win. And that's part of the growing experience which hopefully we can learn from this, and we do, then we can progress and we have plenty more opportunities as the year goes on. That's the other thing that's encouraged me about this too, is that attitude our players have taken and they knew it after the game. They knew that they had opportunities and they got to grow from this. And that's what I think they'll do."  

Next Man Up For the Running Backs

It was announced this week that Jashaun Corbin will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. It's a big blow, as Corbin was slated to handle the bulk of the carries this season. Looking from a glass half full perspective, the Aggies still have four very capable backs. Jacob Kibodi should return this week. Isaiah Spiller, who already has a 100-yard game in 2019, has a chance to pick up slack left by Corbin's injury. It also might mean more carries for Cordarrian Richardson and Deneric Prince. 
 
Coach Fisher Quote: "Jashaun has played pretty well, and he has all those skill sets, and so does Kibodi. Kibodi can catch the ball too very well. All of our backs have really good hands, none of them can't do that, but obviously Jashaun was doing it to a higher level, more consistent, because he was a starter and he'd been there. But those guys are very capable and can do that very well."
 

Back to the Basics and Fundamentals

The Aggies certainly didn't help themselves last week at Clemson. A&M finished with seven drops, some missed throws, blocks and coverages, plus some very costly penalties that were out of character. There is plenty of stiff competition awaiting the Aggies in 2019. Just like Clemson, those SEC foes will fully capitalize on mistakes, both physical and mental. Regaining confidence and clean play is vital.  
 
Coach Fisher Quote: "It's a team learning experience. Sometimes you want to win too bad. Sometimes you want to make a play too bad, and that's all part of it. People don't understand that going into a game with those expectations and knowing you can win that game in those situations, those are all learned things. You have to learn, our program has to learn, and each player has to learn. So have a good week of practice, bounce back, go right back to the fundamentals and basics."   

  Remember That All Is Not Lost

It's easy to lose perspective following a poor performance, but there is still plenty to be written about the 2019 season. The Aggies have upcoming home tests against Auburn and Alabama, plus road tests at Georgia and LSU. All of those teams are currently in the top 10 of the AP poll, and three of the four are in the top five. Last Saturday's loss was tough to take, but that Clemson team won the championship last season and has now won 17 games in a row. Texas A&M has plenty of time to make a lot of noise in 2019.   
 
Coach Fisher Quote: "It's the first time since we've been here we went into a game against the number one team in the country and people expect us to have one heck of a chance to win. And that's part of the learning curve which we have to go through. I love that the people had the expectations. That means the growth which we've shown...last year in any of those games we weren't expected to win they just say let's just go play well. People were hoping we play well. We were expecting to win and hoping to win and thought we should win, and I think we've made a lot of growth in that area. But you've got to play in those moments and grow in your organization and your experience in those situations to get to those situations."