After a thrilling overtime win against the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats, coach Jimbo Fisher's Texas A&M Aggies have a 4-2 record and are second in the SEC West division. Coincidentally, they were 4-2 this time last year under former head coach Kevin Sumlin.
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However, the Aggies finished last season with a 7-6 record and were just 4-4 in SEC play, finishing in a tie for fourth place in the Western division. They even lost to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl to cap off an altogether disappointing season. Although the records are the same to this point, Coach Fisher has this team looking like they are taking a massive step forward in his first season.
Some people thought that Coach Fisher was going to treat this season like a rebuilding year for the program. After their first win over a ranked opponent this year, they are ranked No. 22 in the AP Poll through six weeks and are positioned to climb up the rankings in the next couple of weeks.
Coach Fisher is emphasizing a culture of accountability in the locker room, and this team is responding.
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The first thing Fisher did was made the right decision to keep sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond as the starter after a tough competition in camp with Nick Starkel splitting reps 50/50 with the starters. That decision gave Mond additional confidence, and it's paying off on the field.
With a leader in place and a solid running game, which the Aggies have with running back Trayveon Williams, the offensive side of the ball was ready to compete.
The second thing was that he has improved this defense. The Aggie defense has stepped up and are currently ranks 23rd in total defense in the nation (327.3 YPG) where they finished last season ranked 87th. They have a great run defense that's currently ranked No. 4, which forces teams to try to beat them throwing the ball downfield.
This team is not just trying to win games to save their coach's job anymore. They believe that every week, they are prepared and have the personnel to go out and win.
With six games left to go, four of them are definitely winnable games, and Auburn and LSU will be their biggest tests the rest of the way. Coach Fisher can definitely lead this team to an 8-4 record or better with a Bowl game win!
As of right now, he has a B+ from me for what he has done so far this season.