The Texas A&M football team is 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Big 12 play. This is the same team that was ranked as high as No. 7 earlier in the year.
The question for Aggie fans and coaches is: how did this happen?
How did a team that returned 18 starters from a 9-4 squad fall so far, so fast?
The Aggies have lost five games for a variety of reasons, some which are their fault and some of which are not.
This is a look at why the Aggies have fallen from a top-ten team into a team that could potentially miss qualifying for a bowl game.
Failure to Replace Graduated Talent
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Texas A&M fans knew that they were not going to be able to simply plug a player into the lineup and replace Von Miller. I do not think they had any idea how hard it would be to replace Michael Hodges.
The Aggies spent the first five games of the season looking for an inside linebacker combination that would work for them.
it seems that the coaches have finally settled on Jonathan Stewart and Steven Jenkins on the inside. It took them almost half the season and multiple starting lineups to get to this point.
The Aggies missed Hodges' ability to calm the defense down and get them into the right scheme for every play. it was obvious in the loss to Arkansas that the inside linebackers were lost in the Aggies' zone pass defense.
The Aggies started the season facing three of the best passing offenses in the country in their first five games. Those teams took advantage of the confusion in the middle of the Aggies zone defense.
Seniors Have Failed to Step Up
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Multiple seniors have failed to step up in their senior seasons and be playmakers for the Aggies.
Jeff Fuller has battled injuries and suspect hands the entire year. As a result, he has not played anywhere close to the level of his junior year.
No player has been a bigger disappointment than Garrick Williams. The senior inside linebacker was so ineffective that he lost his starting job. He was simply invisible on the field for the first few games of his senior season and was benched.
Lionel Smith has gone out of his way to prove to everyone that he cannot play man coverage. He is a fifth year senior who has simply not improved enough over his tenure in Aggieland to merit a starting position.Unfortunately, injuries have forced the Aggies to start Smith and he has struggled mightily.
Instead of seeing seniors step up and have their best seasons at A&M, the Aggies have watched while multiple seniors have taken steps back during their last go around.
Injuries, Injuries and More Injuries
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The Aggies have lost multiple starters to injury.
Starting defensive end Jonathan Mathis was lost for the year to a knee injury. Backup DE Steven Barrera has missed the entire season due to leg injuries.
The secondary has been decimated by the injuries to corner Coryell Judie and safety Steven Campbell. Both have missed multiple games.
Christine Michael was on his way to a 1,000 yard rushing season but was lost for the year to a torn ACL against Oklahoma.
Jeff Fuller has been hampered by multiple injuries all season long. Ryan Swope and Steve Jenkins both missed a game due to a concussion.
Every team has injuries, but the sheer number of injuries to starters this season has been alarming.
Conservative Play Calling
Aggie fans have watched in disbelief as Mike Sherman has played not to lose multiple times this season. Too often this has led directly to losing the game.
Mike Sherman needs to understand that college is different than the NFL and he needs to play for the win. He needs to go for the jugular when he has the lead.You saw this a little bit in the Kansas State game when he threw deep on 3rd and 1 with the game tied to try to win it right there.
You also saw him kick a field goal on fourth down from the half yard line in overtime.
The coaches have not taken enough chances this season in order to help the team win. Too often they have tried to play the percentages. How many times must you see that philosophy fail before you try something different?
Plain Old Bad Luck
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A&M defensive coordinator Tim Deruyter will tell you that the reason A&M defenders are not forcing enough turnovers this season is because they are not all running to the ball enough.
When you force your opponent to fumble into the endzone on two separate occasions and they recover the ball for touchdowns, there is some luck involved there. Too often this season, the ball has just bounced the wrong way for A&M.
In a game of inches, the Aggies have come up short time and time again this season.
Unfortunately, the Ags have not been good enough on the field to overcome these minor setbacks.
When a pass gets tipped up and intercepted, the defense needs to bow its neck and get a stop. Too often that has not happened and the Ags' 5-5 record is the result.
Failure to Execute Consistently on Offense
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The A&M offense has simply failed to execute in the second half of most of their games this season.
Whether it is dropped passes, missed blocks or fumbles, the Ags have simply not gotten the job done. The offense puts up lots of yards but has struggled to score any points in the second half of their losses.
The wide receivers have dropped passes at key moments for the past three games. That is simply unacceptable.
You cannot score points when you do not execute on offense, and the Aggies have put on a clinic of how not to execute this season. The Aggies scored 13 points combined on offense in the losses to Oklahoma State, Missouri and Arkansas. They have not gotten the job done.
Some people want to blame the coaches, but the coaches cannot catch the ball for receivers. The coaches can put their athletes in position to make plays. At some point, those players just need to make the plays.
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