Texas A&M’s opener brought the kind of uneven start that can happen when an offensive line is still learning how to breathe together.
The Aggies rolled past Missouri State 50-0 and posted their largest shutout since 1997, but the first half showed some of the cracks in a rebuilt front. Marcel Reed took heat early, with the new-look line missing assignments and allowing Missouri State to get to the quarterback for two sacks and several more pressures before settling in after halftime.
That sluggish start didn’t keep Texas A&M from moving in the polls, even if it came with a small slide. The Aggies fell one spot to No. 9 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and two places to No. 10 in the AP Top 25 after LSU’s 51-10 rout of Clemson and Ole Miss’ 41-38 win over ranked Louisville on Sunday.
Now comes another test. Texas A&M hosts Arizona State on Saturday, and the Sun Devils arrive after a 70-7 win over Morgan State in which Kentucky transfer quarterback Cutter Boley threw for 387 yards and six touchdowns in his debut. The Aggies will be looking to force Boley off his spot and take away the explosive plays, while their own offensive line has to avoid a repeat of the early breakdowns that showed up against Missouri State.
On Tuesday, LSU transfer and starting left tackle Tyree Adams described the line’s first-game adjustment as exactly that: an adjustment.
"It was some growing pains at first just getting used to all the new guys and everybody that was coming in (and) seeing what the tendencies are... seeing what they like, what they don't like like, but I feel like we actually came together as one o-line... the Maroon Goons," Adams said.
The issues are being addressed in film study, where the group is digging into the missed calls and the open lanes Missouri State found while chasing Reed. There was real progress in the second half, and junior left guard Blake Ivy also improved after halftime. With Alabama transfer right tackle Wilkin Formby expected to be healthy for Saturday after a minor injury, changes to the lineup don’t appear likely.
Adams said the goal is simple: keep getting tighter as a unit until the communication becomes automatic.
"Each and every day, each and every second, we're getting closer and that's the biggest thing with an offensive line. Just get closer to each other, just so we know if somebody's down, we can understand (and) they don't even have to say it. We automatically know what's going on, then after that we can build them up and we can be unstoppable," Adams said.
He also said the group is shutting out outside criticism and paying attention only to Mike Elko and Adam Cushing. If the mistakes get cleaned up and the consistency follows, Adams believes this line can become "unstoppable."
In Other News...
Rival Coach Just Turned LSUs SEC Controversy Into A Bigger Story
Mike Elko did not need much prompting to weigh in on LSUs recent run-in with the SEC, and the Texas A&M coach used a pointed analogy to describe what happened around Baton Rouge. Speaking after LSUs dispute with the league over its attempt to roster former NFL players, Elko compared the episode to a child pushing limits before the consequences arrive, a sharp way to frame a controversy that briefly had the Tigers staring at possible expulsion.
The SEC ultimately backed off after LSU filled those roster spots with eligible student-athletes and severed ties with the former NFL rookies, defusing a situation that had threatened to become much bigger. Elko said he expects things to settle down and LSU to remain in the league, but his remarks added another layer to a strange little saga that already had the SEC office and one of Texas A&Ms biggest rivals in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Elko Just Turned Up Texas A&Ms LSU Tension Again
Mike Elko has a way of making the SECs biggest rivalries sound a little more personal, and his latest remarks only added to the edge around Texas A&Ms meeting with LSU. The Aggies coach drew a comparison between the conferences disciplinary response and a parent correcting a child, a blunt way of saying LSU is being kept in check as the league weighs the fallout from the Tigers offseason activity.
For Texas A&M, it is the kind of comment that keeps an old SEC tension simmering in public view rather than letting it fade into the background. With future games between the Aggies and LSU looming, Elkos framing only sharpens the sense that this is about more than one isolated conference issue, because the rivalry already has enough history without needing any extra fuel. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Is Bringing Back One Of Kyle Fields Most Meaningful Traditions
Texas A&M will add a familiar layer of meaning to its upcoming Red, White and Blue Game against Arizona State at Kyle Field, using the matchup to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The Aggies are planning to wear special red, white and blue helmets and gloves, reviving a tradition that stretches back to the years immediately after 2001 and has long tied the programs on-field presence to a larger moment of remembrance.
The game has also carried a charitable side in the past, with previous Red, White and Blue Games helping raise funds for organizations connected to 9/11 relief efforts. For a fan base that values the symbolism attached to Kyle Field traditions, this one will once again be about more than just the opponent across the field. [Read more 🡒]