2021 Mugdown Aggie Football Preview

They called me a mad man last year for predicting an undefeated season for Texas A&M football. While most “experts” (including every sports writer for The Battalion) speculated that Texas A&M would only be able to win 5-7 games on the season in an all-SEC schedule, the sport analytics gurus at The Mugdown (myself) were able to predict Texas A&M’s success with 90% accuracy. 2020 saw the Aggies post their highest winning percentage since the 1990s, and this time they did it without facing severe NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations. This season feels like the best (and possibly last) chance for Texas A&M to assert itself as one of the premier teams in not only the SEC but the entire country before Oklahoma and a certain team down in Austin join the conference.

Coach Jimbo Fisher has the Aggies on the exact same trajectory that his Florida State Seminoles were on when he took over for them in 2010. Year one saw a competitive team post four losses, but they finished strong with a bowl win and a top 20 finish. Year two saw the team regress slightly, losing one more game than the season before, but still ended with a bowl win and a respectable record. Year three saw the team improve drastically, winning the Orange Bowl led by a senior quarterback whose draft stock rose exponentially in the months after his final game. In year four at Florida State, control of Jimbo’s offense was given over to a redshirt freshman quarterback, and, with the help of a team loaded with NFL talent, they finished the season 14-0 and won the national championship.

Going into year four at Texas A&M, Jimbo is giving control of his offense to redshirt freshman Haynes King, and the team is loaded with NFL talent like Jaylen Wydermeyer, Isaiah Spiller, Demani Richardson, Demarvin Leal, and Kenyon Green. Despite having a completely new team, staff, and even athletic director, the stench of the Sumlin-era still lingers over the team like some green cartoon squiggly lines. Many national media members see this as another overrated Texas A&M team destined to ride the Aggie football rollercoaster right off the tracks by October. To raise the stakes even higher, if the Aggies were to make the College Football Playoff and play in the semifinal at Cowboy Stadium, it would line up with the 100th anniversary of the original 12th Man game at the 1922 Dixie Classic in Dallas. If there was ever a time for a school who cares about tradition above all else to win a championship, this would be it. With expectations this high, there are really only two possible outcomes: a conference championship or CAPS will have to officially offer counseling for Battered Aggie Syndrome.

Offense: 

Despite being the most criticized player (by his own fanbase) in the SEC for the last four years, the departure of Kellen Mond has raised a huge question mark for the Aggie offense. Luckily, Texas A&M has a long, storied history of highly-touted quarterback recruits succeeding as freshmen, such as Kyle Allen, Kenny Trill, and Kyler Murray. Regardless of his actual play on the field, Haynes King’s name is a headline writer’s dream. In the coming years we’re sure to see The Battalion and BCS Eagle write articles like “King of Kyle,” “King-slayer,” and “Return of the King.”

The main pass-catching duties on the team will once again go to tight end Jalen Wydermyer with help from receivers Chase Lane and Anias Smith, who is tasked with playing as many positions as possible like the fast kid on a middle school team. Meanwhile, the legend of Demond Demas has grown to near mythical proportions. The former five-star recruit has yet to actually see the field in a real game, but grainy practice videos and witness accounts on Twitter make him out to be a cross between Randy Moss and Batman. The most likely explanation is that Coach Fisher is keeping him in a cryogenic chamber until the team needs a deus ex machina to beat Alabama at the last second. Despite also losing four starting linemen from last year’s team, the run game looks to be one of the most effective in the country, led by the three headed monster of Spiller, Achane, and Smith. The smartest course of action with this group would be to mimic the 1939 Aggie National Championship team, which only threw the ball 78 times the entire season.

Defense: 

Heading into the season, Mike Elko’s defensive line currently has more players suspended than it does sacks. Luckily Jimbo Fisher seems to have prepared for this exact eventuality by signing 15 pass rushers in the last three recruiting classes. Ignoring the players who are missing for non-football reasons, the defense returns 20 of its top 22 players from last season. Some questions still remain about the secondary, which allowed 435 yards against Alabama last year, and the linebacking corps which lost its top tackler in Buddy Johnson.  Nevertheless, this is set to be the best Aggie defense since Dana Bible’s 1919 team that surrendered zero points for the entire season. At the very least this looks like the perfect opportunity to be the first team in the Jimbo era to hold Alabama to under 45 points, right?

 

Schedule Preview:

Instead of just previewing the schedule, I have decided to give an description of each opponent on Texas A&M’s schedule in a way that non-football fans can better understand.

Kent State (Kyle Field, Sep 4) – Whisper Sister Shots: Have you ever been to Whisper Sister or know anyone who has? This is how I feel about Kent State football. I guarantee most people could not tell you what conference or even what state they play in.

A&M 45 Kent St 13

Colorado (Mile High, Sep 11) – Duddley’s Draw: The only people you will find at Duddley’s Draw on a Friday night are those who are old enough to remember the last time Colorado was relevant at football on the national level.

A&M 41 CU 20

New Mexico (Kyle Field, Sep 18) – Chimy’s: Chimy’s serves Mexican food, so they are like New Mexico. Not every comparison is gonna be a winner.

A&M 59 UNM 3

Arkansas (Cowboy Stadium, Sep 25) – The Backyard: Despite how bad Arkansas is most years, the game in Cowboy Stadium is always fun. Sure, it might be a little expensive in comparison to other games, but you’re paying for the experience.

A&M 38 Arkansas 27

Mississippi St (Kyle Field, Oct 2) – O’Bannons: Both the air raid offense and an Irish pub are beloved gimmicks, although the staffs are still a subject of controversy. Coach Mike Leach, while seen as entertaining by some, has developed quite a reputation for being an a-hole. Similarly, the bartenders at O’Bannons aren’t known for being the most polite group.

A&M 48 MSU 24

Alabama (Kyle Field, Oct 9) – The Dixie Chicken: The most iconic team in college football has to be the most iconic bar on Northgate. Both Alabama and the Chicken have been the best of the best since your parents were in college, and both will still continue to be long after all of us have graduated. Of course, both have their detractors. Your edgy friend who thinks that the Chicken is overrated is no different from your friend that thinks Alabama is overrated just because they play an easy out of conference schedule most years.

A&M 35 Alabama 31

Missouri (Faurot Field, Oct 16) – Hurricane Harry’s: Yes, I realize that Harry’s is not really on Northgate, but bear with me. Think back to your freshman year when “going out” meant putting on your boots and jeans and walking a mile from your dorm to go dance at Harry’s because you were still a teenager. Well, Texas A&M’s freshman year was playing in the Big 12, and one of the last remaining relics of that era is getting to play Missouri.

A&M 45 Missouri 17

South Carolina (Kyle Field, Oct 23) – El Jefe: Going to El Jefe is never someone’s first instinct at Northgate, but once you get there and realize drinks are two dollars, you understand why it was a good decision. When the SEC decided to force a “rivalry” between Texas A&M and South Carolina, it didn’t make a lot of sense, but the Aggies are proud to play for the Bonham Trophy now that it is a guaranteed win on the schedule every year.

A&M 51 SCar 17

Auburn (Kyle Field, Nov 6) – Mama Sake: Playing Auburn sounds like a lot of fun on paper. It is usually a ranked matchup with A&M favored and almost guaranteed to be the 3 p.m. CBS game, featuring NFL talent on both sides. Then reality hits. If it is a close game and Texas A&M wins, you feel sick to your stomach the whole time and ultimately leave feeling like neither team deserved to win. If Texas A&M loses, it is in slow, excruciating fashion that leaves you feeling miserable for two hours. Mame Sake also sounds like a good time on paper. Do a couple sake bombs, share a couple laughs, and leave happier than you came in. The reality of the situation is that your friend will talk you into doing one too many shots, and you will end up throwing up in a public bathroom.

A&M 31 Auburn 27

Ole Miss ( Oxford, Nov 13) – Shiner Park: The clientele at Shiner is at least 70% cowboy dudes, wearing trucker hats, standing against a wall, waiting to find a girl to take home for the night. Similarly, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has gained a lustful reputation over the years after allegedly posing as a college student named “Joey Freshwater” to pick up girls at FAU.

A&M 48 Ole Miss 31

Prairie View A&M (Kyle Field, Nov 20) – The beers your underage friend is chugging in the public bathroom stall: Chugging beers in a public bathroom isn’t quite the same thing as drinking in an actual bar, just as beating Prairie View A&M is not quite the same as getting a major division one win.

A&M 56 PV 6

LSU (Death Valley, Nov 27) – Foundies: We all remember the one good time we went to Foundies so fondly that it’s easy to forget all the mediocre experiences we’ve had there. Similarly, LSU football is held in the same regard as other powerhouses like Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson despite the fact that outside of their two championship seasons (which were very impressive accomplishments) they have been fairly mediocre.

A&M 38 LSU 24

SEC Championship Game – The bar on the top floor of Rudder Tower: We have all had the annual conversation with a friend where we talk about how cool it would be to go up to The University Club and have a drink at the bar. We would get all dressed up, suit, tie, the whole nine yards and pretend that we were successful Aggie alumni. Similarly, every year we have another conversation about how this is our year and the team is finally going to win our division and go to the SEC championship game. Deep down though, we know that both of these are dreams and both have about the same likelihood of happening.

A&M 27 UGA 21

 

– Kushing Library