Texas A&M has done just enough to win close games against Miami and Arkansas, and is ranked in the top twenty again (#17) with a 3-1 record. Tomorrow the Aggies play their first real road game (on the opponent's home field) against Mississippi State, also 3-1 (on SEC Network at 3:00 PM).
Mississippi State has beaten Memphis (now 3-1), Arizona (now 2-2), and Bowling Green (now 1-3). The bulldogs were thumped 31-16 in their toughest game, against LSU. Coached by longtime Aggie nemesis Rick Leach, MSU beat A&M last year and is favored by 3 1/2 points to win again tomorrow.
College Football News expects the Aggie defense will be helped by a so-so MSU running game, but Jimbo won't be able to control the ball for most of the game with his own rushing offense. The Aggies will score points, but MSU will ultimately win 24-20. For me, the big questions are whether Max Johnson will finally have his breakthrough game at QB, and whether the A&M O-line can bust Achane loose on a few long TD drives.
Update 4:31 PM Saturday: It's an exercise in futility. The A&M offense is almost completely ineffective, and the defense collapsed in the second quarter. Put those things together and it equals 14-0 at halftime. The Aggies get the ball to begin the third quarter, and if they don't score on that drive, I'll probably call it quits rather than endure thirty more minutes of this crap. Just a random observation, but MSU's running game looks pretty stout to me.
Final update 6:36 PM Saturday: The Aggie disintegration was complete in the second half, with MSU scoring instant touchdowns on a blocked FG kick and a pass interception. The final score was 42-24, which makes it look slightly more competitive than it actually was. If they can be owned by MSU, this team may lose by 40 + points at Alabama in their next game.
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