The Texas A&M Aggies lost to the Ole Miss Rebels 28-31 at Kyle Field. The Aggies are now 3-5, and they will play the Florida Gators next week at home. Texas A&M faced a lot of adversity this week due to the suspension of several freshmen, but the Aggies responded well to the challenge. Different players were put into new starting roles, and the offense looked better at times with Connor Weigman behind the helm in his first start. Here’s a quick recap of Texas A&M’s close loss to Ole Miss.
Running Backs Dominate
Ole Miss might have the best running back duo in the nation with Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins. Judkins had over 200 rushing yards, and the Rebels finished with nearly 400 rushing yards on the night. Texas A&M’s defense has struggled to stop the run all season, and that was the same story on Saturday night.
Devon Achane carried a part of the load once again for A&M finishing with almost 200 all-purpose yards. Weigman missed him a few times in the flat otherwise Achane would’ve filled up the stat sheet. After scoring two touchdowns on the first two possessions, the Aggies chose to shy away from running the ball on first down; it was surprising to say the least.
The Rebels were really effective with tempo on offense, and the Aggies could’ve done the same. Texas A&M had open dig routes and one-on-one matchups when playing quick to keep Ole Miss’ defense on its heels.
QB Future Promising for A&M?
Weigman is the third quarterback to start for A&M this year, and he’s clearly the best. Honestly, it’s hard to figure out why it took Jimbo Fisher and his staff this long to put Weigman on the field. He finished with nearly 350 passing yards and four touchdowns. Weigman could’ve thrown for more if not for a drop on the Aggies’ last possession.
Injuries on defense were devastating for Texas A&M. Since Antonio Johnson‘s injury, the Aggies have really lost depth on the defensive side. DJ Durkin did make adjustments throughout the game, but it was tough to stop the double-headed monster in Evans and Judkins. Even with Texas A&M controlling the line of scrimmage on defense, it seemed that there were two different defensive fronts in the passing game and the running game.
The Aggies’ linebacker core will definitely improve over time, but that unit had to do a better job of spying Jaxson Dart. Dart almost had 100 rushing yards, which frequently kept the Rebels on the field after third down. Moreover, the defensive line should’ve contained Dart instead of allowing him to freely roam outside the pocket. He was a capable thrower when running to his right side.
Concluding Thoughts
Following Texas A&M’s loss to Ole Miss, the Aggies will have to go 3-1 to make a bowl game. Texas A&M’s matchup against Florida will feature two teams who are 1-4 in conference play. The Aggies still play three SEC opponents in Auburn, Florida, and LSU, so there are still chances to improve heading into next year.
It’s important that Fisher and his staff focus on the development of players who look to return next season. There’s absolutely no reason to not start Weigman for the rest of the season; he will likely be the starter in 2023, and he does a better job of connecting with young receivers such as Evan Stewart and Noah Thomas. The future of the Texas A&M program starts now.
