For a Texas A&M squad with a 3-4 record, the goal seems to be less a national championship and more just a bowl game.
The Aggies’ time under head coach Jimbo Fisher can be hard to categorize, mainly because they nearly upset then first-ranked Alabama this season, despite being beaten by Appalachian State University earlier in the season.
They narrowly beat an Arkansas squad that stood in the top 10 nationally at the time of the contest, but lost to the chronically unranked South Carolina Gamecocks.
They acquired the No. 1 recruiting class last season (according to 247Sports), but have a head coach who may not see the new year from his seat in College Station because A&M is, quite simply, impossible to get a read on.
Ole Miss, on the other hand, can be solidly placed at a crossroads in the season. After a 7-0 undefeated streak prior to last weekend’s matchup with the 5-2 LSU Tigers, the Rebels fell in a devastating 45-20 beatdown, knocking down Lane Kiffin’s squad to No. 15 in the latest AP poll and No. 3 in the SEC West.
Coming away from the loss in Baton Rouge, Ole Miss has a choice to make in their team’s identity. It has been said that the Rebels are good, but they need consistency to be great.
They don’t lack the tools to succeed, not by any means. The team can boast two top five SEC running backs, one of which (Quinshon Judkins) leads the nation in games with multiple touchdowns (five games), a top-ranked wide receiver in the nation and a quarterback that often shows signs of first-round caliber talent with throws and runs that would make Archie Manning himself gasp for air.
These boons are often balanced, unfortunately, with play calling that can turn the team into a “ground-and-pound” unit, despite leads coming primarily from a balanced attack, from the running backs, the quarterback and his wide receivers.
Ole Miss entered last week’s second quarter with a 14-3 lead but saw a second half shutout, thanks to a stagnant offense that has been a perpetual issue for the team.
Death Valley in Baton Rouge and Kyle Field in College Station are some of the most hostile environments in college football, and playing these teams at these venues back to back will be a considerable “prove it” period for the Rebels.
Texas A&M is not a perfect team, far from it in fact. The play calling gets just as conservative when the going gets tough, as proven by the team’s inability to finish off the Crimson Tide, despite being within Alabama’s five yard line in the closing seconds. Jaxson Dart will serve Ole Miss well by exploiting that fear in the closing quarters.
The remainder of this season is absolutely winnable. The Aggies will be tough, and Alabama will be tougher, but if the Rebels can continue the dominance they often show in the first two quarters, Texas A&M will be a team to be easily put into the rearview mirror, as Oxford and all of Mississippi looks ahead to finish a season that has been nothing short of miraculous.
Ole Miss will head over to College Station and play Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. CDT on SEC Network.
