FOOTBALL 2022: Third Week

It's been a very long time since I was in a classroom as either a teacher or a student, so I'm not familiar with the current methods of assigning grades. Still, I'm pedantic enough to grade football teams, particularly Texas A&M, based on my personal opinion (despite my lack of knowledge or experience as a player or coach).

The Aggies began this season ranked in the top ten despite their relatively disappointing 8-4 record last year. Back in August, I imagined they could earn nine wins, with a bowl game win pushing their season record to 10-3, enough for a final grade of A-minus, and no worse than B-plus.

Their first game against Sam Houston State was as unimpressive as a 31-0 win can be, and what I thought might be an A- performer looked like a C- at best. The Aggies didn't maintain even that level of mediocrity last week, getting rolled over by underrated Appalachian State of the Sun Belt Conference. The Aggie defense was moderately effective, but the offense was non-existent most of the game. I decided this was no better than a D+ outfit, pending proof that App State is actually a powerhouse of some sort.

Which brings me to #24 Texas A&M's first legitimate test against #13 Miami as a 5 1/2 point home favorite (ESPN at 8:00 PM). The 'canes haven't played anybody tough yet, and App State might be much stronger that either UM opponent. That's the only rationale I can see that justifies A&M by 5 1/2 points. Haynes King hasn't produced much as A&M quarterback, except three long TD passes in the SHSU game, and I have no confidence in his ability to beat Miami. College Football News is predicting the A&M offense might be able to put 23 points on the scoreboard, and the defense might be able to hold on for dear life and a 23-20 win for the home team. That would at least be a step in the right direction.

Update Saturday 11:35 PM: In the final analysis, Miami made a few more mistakes and bad plays than Texas A&M, and the Aggies survived, with the final score 17-9. Max Johnson replaced Haynes King at quarterback, and was at least a marginal improvement. Several key A&M players weren't on the field for various reasons, and A&M might have been more effective if they had played. Any win is a good one, but it's hard to judge from this win whether or not A&M is ready to play SEC West teams.