With games against No. 2 Clemson and No. 1 Alabama now completed, head coach Jimbo Fisher said the Aggies need to learn how to capitalize on opportunities and understand how to win going forward with their season.
In the team’s weekly press conference Monday afternoon, Fisher and several players discussed Saturday’s loss to Alabama, along with what they see on the road ahead.
Addressing the loss to Alabama, Fisher said improving their knowledge on the field is the new focus for the team.
“From a competition standpoint and a competitive standpoint I thought we played hard, but now what we have to do is play more intelligent and understand momentum swings in the game to control those situations,” Fisher said.
Fisher also applauded his team’s ability to respond to adversity, noting A&M’s 99-yard touchdown drive following the Tide’s opening one-play drive for a touchdown.
“That’s what we have to learn as a football team, how to seize those moments, and capitalize on them,” Fisher said.
Fisher addressed issues on the defense, specifically within the Aggies’ secondary, which allowed Alabama starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to throw for 387 yards and four touchdowns.
“We held our own in the run game, but didn’t create enough pressure on the passer with our pass rush,” Fisher said. “We got some eye violations in the secondary which created some open guys, and we didn’t tackle well.”
A&M junior cornerback Charles Oliver said his unit in the secondary needs to create more turnovers.
“We have zero picks right now, and we do need to change coming up later on in the season,” Oliver said. “When the opportunities come, that’s something that we need to engage on.”
Oliver said he’s grateful for the opportunity to look at film and improve the team as the Aggies look forward to the game against Arkansas.
“Once the game is over, [we] look back at the mistakes, get a good plan from coach [Mike] Elko and coach [Maurice] Linguist, and move on,” Oliver said.
Offensively, A&M ranks seventh overall in the nation, but Fisher said he still sees room for improvement.
“We ran the football ball well with the quarterback, but that was designed,” Fisher said. “[Alabama is] hard to run against on the inside, and we also ran the ball a couple times well with the backs. Pass protection needs to get better. We gave up some sacks early that shouldn’t have happened, and that resulted in a turnover.”
However, Fisher did see promising signs from the offensive side of the ball, especially with sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond. He averaged 255 passing yards a game with an average rating of 144.9.
“He’s played very well this season,” Fisher said. “Is every throw perfect? No. Is every read perfect? No. But especially with how he steps up against the competition he’s seen, he’s done a good job.”
Mond said the Aggies left a lot out on the field, but their execution still needs improvement.
“We had our opportunities, and we just didn’t convert on a lot of those missed assignments,” Mond said. “We just [need] to go clean it up. When we’re moving the ball, we find a rhythm.”
The Aggies, now 2-2 (0-1 SEC) will travel to Arlington this Saturday for the annual Southwest Classic against Arkansas in AT&T Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN with kickoff set for 11 a.m.