I'm fixing to go back and watch the film and that will help me a little more as to views of what was going with some things that I couldn't see from field level.
That being said, I wanted to put a few thoughts out about yesterday's tough loss.
I have always always always fallen on the optimistic side of the coin in games like this and I am sure folks will be agitated by that, but such is life.
Obviously Kyle Allen had some problems yesterday, a lot of which are most certainly going to be traced back to the shoulder injury Kyle suffered. It was definitely having an impact on his delivery. So much so, that a lot on the sidelines where surprised to see him going back in, especially after the Kyler Murray interception. To be honest, he did better than I expected after that but was still not the same in velocity and accuracy.
I know a lot of folks among this fanbase wanted Kyler so bad to be in and to succeed. He is going to be a tremendous talent very soon and I still think he is the next big time two sport star in this country. I got a chnce to hear a little baseball intel on him yesterday before the game and the quote that came from within the baseball walls was that he "has lightning in his bat". That being said, he is just not quite ready yet as anything more than a change of pace and a "wrinkle" in the offense for now. He could accelerate that learning curve by playing live ball more, like Allen last season, but then you have to live through growing pain which is not necessary with Kyle Allen on the team and healthy. Allen is a very good QB and will continue to get better. There is no way to tell who will end up being the better QB but in a very good scenario, you might get to compare their career achievements when one moves on to the next level and the other takes over.
The job the defense did yesterday, especially after that first quarter barrage of Derrick Henry. It appears this defense takes a few minutes to settle in and find it's groove in most games against similar competition. Or maybe the staff makes quick adjustments early on depending on what they see. They were very good against a very good Alabama team and made some big plays when they needed them the most. The noise level on the field was pretty impressive and obviously made an impact on Alabama's ability to communicate at times.
It is so impressive seeing the safety play this year compared to last. Justin Evans is legit and he and Armani Watts feed off of each other so much back there during the game. Evans is one of the better run support safeties I have seen in a while and has that great characteristic of loving to come in and lay some hits. Watts is getting much better this season too, both from the natural maturation process and learning as well as having better help around him.
Let me tell you what the biggest problem is at the moment for A&M. They only have Tra Carson, who is a solid running back that looks even better in a rotation as a change of pace. I don't think Carson was ever meant to be a feature back. Whatever is going on with James White has had a huge impact on the run game and offense as whole. He has been said to be close to returning for a couple weeks now but, without him the Aggies as not able to be viewed as explosive at the position. Not having a solid running attack plays directly in the offense's ability to operate correctly. Jake Spavital has been much improved this season. He has had some plays that many question what the thought process is but has been much improved and can still be better. I don't feel he deserves as much criticism as he has gotten so far.
As for the recruiting end of it, great job by Fletch last night getting some reaction from visitors. We'll continue to follow up with guys today, including the official visitors once they leave campus later this afternoon. I did see Isaiah Chambers there, I know we weren't able to confirm with him ahead of time.
I'm going to watch the game again and see if anything pertinent comes up and I'll come back and add some more in a bit.
That being said, I wanted to put a few thoughts out about yesterday's tough loss.
I have always always always fallen on the optimistic side of the coin in games like this and I am sure folks will be agitated by that, but such is life.
Obviously Kyle Allen had some problems yesterday, a lot of which are most certainly going to be traced back to the shoulder injury Kyle suffered. It was definitely having an impact on his delivery. So much so, that a lot on the sidelines where surprised to see him going back in, especially after the Kyler Murray interception. To be honest, he did better than I expected after that but was still not the same in velocity and accuracy.
I know a lot of folks among this fanbase wanted Kyler so bad to be in and to succeed. He is going to be a tremendous talent very soon and I still think he is the next big time two sport star in this country. I got a chnce to hear a little baseball intel on him yesterday before the game and the quote that came from within the baseball walls was that he "has lightning in his bat". That being said, he is just not quite ready yet as anything more than a change of pace and a "wrinkle" in the offense for now. He could accelerate that learning curve by playing live ball more, like Allen last season, but then you have to live through growing pain which is not necessary with Kyle Allen on the team and healthy. Allen is a very good QB and will continue to get better. There is no way to tell who will end up being the better QB but in a very good scenario, you might get to compare their career achievements when one moves on to the next level and the other takes over.
The job the defense did yesterday, especially after that first quarter barrage of Derrick Henry. It appears this defense takes a few minutes to settle in and find it's groove in most games against similar competition. Or maybe the staff makes quick adjustments early on depending on what they see. They were very good against a very good Alabama team and made some big plays when they needed them the most. The noise level on the field was pretty impressive and obviously made an impact on Alabama's ability to communicate at times.
It is so impressive seeing the safety play this year compared to last. Justin Evans is legit and he and Armani Watts feed off of each other so much back there during the game. Evans is one of the better run support safeties I have seen in a while and has that great characteristic of loving to come in and lay some hits. Watts is getting much better this season too, both from the natural maturation process and learning as well as having better help around him.
Let me tell you what the biggest problem is at the moment for A&M. They only have Tra Carson, who is a solid running back that looks even better in a rotation as a change of pace. I don't think Carson was ever meant to be a feature back. Whatever is going on with James White has had a huge impact on the run game and offense as whole. He has been said to be close to returning for a couple weeks now but, without him the Aggies as not able to be viewed as explosive at the position. Not having a solid running attack plays directly in the offense's ability to operate correctly. Jake Spavital has been much improved this season. He has had some plays that many question what the thought process is but has been much improved and can still be better. I don't feel he deserves as much criticism as he has gotten so far.
As for the recruiting end of it, great job by Fletch last night getting some reaction from visitors. We'll continue to follow up with guys today, including the official visitors once they leave campus later this afternoon. I did see Isaiah Chambers there, I know we weren't able to confirm with him ahead of time.
I'm going to watch the game again and see if anything pertinent comes up and I'll come back and add some more in a bit.
