After a preseason filled with high expectations, the Texas A&M football team’s offense has been a no-show to start the 2022 season.
The 17-14 loss on Saturday, Sept. 10, to unranked Appalachian State at Kyle Field was one of the program’s lowest points during the Jimbo Fisher era. Junior running back Devon Achane put the Aggies on his back versus the Mountaineers, tallying 191 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
The rest of the offense was a different story though. Freshman wideout Evan Stewart was held at bay with a team-high 48 yards on five receptions, while senior wide receiver Ainias Smith was kept to just 21 yards on four catches. Sophomore signal-caller Haynes King threw for just 97 yards with none of his 13 completions going for more than 19 yards.
As a whole, the maroon and white amassed a mere 186 yards on just 38 plays. For reference, the fewest plays ever run in a game by A&M was 29, which came against SMU in 1945.
“We had eight possessions in the game and did not execute at a high enough level,” coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It gets back to fundamental things there, and we did not do that. It was in those situations we’ve got to play a little bit better. [We] had opportunities in the game … We’ve got to execute better in the things that we’ve practiced and worked on.”
The Aggies’ recent performance, coupled with an underwhelming offensive showing against Sam Houston State, have renewed calls from fans for changes to the way the offense is run, whether it be a change at quarterback or other positions.
“We’ll evaluate everything we do, seriously,” Fisher said. “We’ll look at everybody and what goes on, and whatever we have to do to be successful, we’ll do … I believe in our players, and I believe in what we’re doing.”
This past week has shown that, while the puzzle pieces may be there for the Aggies to be successful, the offense won’t be productive this season unless they play with chemistry and communication. It’s imperative that the team corrects its mistakes quickly in order to avoid a freefall once the gauntlet of SEC play begins in less than two weeks.
However, the offense’s job won’t get any easier with a 2-0 Miami squad coming to town. The Hurricanes themselves have rode a strong scoring attack to outscore Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss 100-20 in their first two games.
Defensively, the “U” has reeled in four interceptions this season. Sophomore linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. has paced the team in tackles with 10 total, while sophomore safety James Williams has added eight this season. Last season, the Hurricanes allowed an average of 28.4 points per game as they finished with a 7-5 record overall and went 5-3 in the ACC.
“Coach Fisher, he’s a bright, bright football coach,” Miami defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. “The challenge is great, they’re very talented. It’s at home in College Station, so that’s a different place to play … It’s different, so all of those things that shouldn’t matter, you have to factor in and prepare for — crowd noise and all those kinds of things.”
