POST GAME THOUGHTS: A&M COMES BACK TO BEAT OKIE STATE

We had a lot working against us in this game. Down to one running back who apparently was hobbled by turf toe. We were playing a WR at running back which is not a good thing against a ranked team. We were missing our best defensive player.

And we still win.

No this game was not pretty and yeah sure there’s a lot to nit pick but we spotted them 14 points in the first half due to piss poor play and we still came back to win the game. That’s a big damn deal for a team full of promising freshmen. Huge damn deal and everyone should be really really happy tonight. Let’s break it down.

KELLEN

This game encapsulates Kellen’s time at Texas A&M. He has made his fair share of mistakes and put us in bad spots, but then he has those moments where he is allowed to play his game and makes things happen. Kellen almost lost us this game, but he damn sure won us this game with that 67 yard run to nab us our first lead and with that second 20 something yard run to get us into scoring position.

I’m not saying Kellen is perfect. Because man he’s not. Not by a longshot. He’s got a lot to work on to be the QB that he can be. But on flip side Jimbo has to find a way to use him better. We’ve got a round hole square peg situation and given that we don't have anyone better on roster right now, something has to give. Maybe we see a QB battle in the spring. But smart money is on Kellen being the starter next year, and I think perhaps we’ve gotta find a way to expect him to play ugly and build around that somehow.

Final line wasn't pretty. 13/19 for 95 yards with 2 turnovers and 117 on the ground and one TD. But he gets that MVP trophy and hat from the Texas Bowl.

THE DEFENSE

Weird day for the defense. They were absolutely dominant at times. But they also gave up TD drives of 97, 82, and 59 yards. Hubbard averaged 8 yards a carry. But we did what we had to do in the second half. We gave up 54 passing yards in the second half. That’s pretty damn good. We sacked their QB 4 times. The defense had a good night against a team that, quite honestly, gave me nightmares coming into the game.

I think what’s most exciting about this game was that this defense was led by guys like Demarvin Leal and Demani Richardson. True freshmen were out there getting the job done. The future is bright as hell.

OVERALL

8-5 isn't ideal. I thought we’d win at least one of the big 4-5 games on our schedule, but this win is exactly what we needed. Maybe we are a fringe top 25 team who just ran into a buzzsaw of a schedule. That’s something to build off of going into 2020.

It’s been a fun and exhausting year. I appreciate y’all for putting up with me. On to the offseason.

BTHO abilene christian