Texas A&M football: What Aggies must work on during the bye week

Texas A&M football: What Aggies must work on during the bye week

Tough losses have a funny way of exposing some hard truths.

For the No. 14 Texas A&M football team, the Week 10 loss to South Carolina may have laid all the cards on the table for them. The Aggies (7-2, 5-1) had a shockingly poor spell of tackling and penalties in Columbia and, as a result, lost the sole possession of first place in the SEC.

With the first college football playoff ranking released Tuesday night, A&M now knows where it stands and what it will take to make the playoffs.

In Week 11, the Aggies run through their final bye week of the year before finishing out the season with a defining three-game stretch. As head coach Mike Elko and Co. get the team ready, we analyze three things they may need to spend extra time on during the time off to be ready for the final push:

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Limiting the penalties

Penalties have been a season-long issue for the Aggies, and Saturday night against the Gamecocks was no different. A&M finished with seven accepted penalties for 68 yards. On the season, A&M is 120th in the country and tied with Alabama for 13th in the SEC with 69 penalties, good for 7.66 per game.

Star defensive lineman Shemar Turner had two personal fouls against the Gamecocks, one of which negated a turnover by the Aggies defense. Turner also had a personal foul against LSU the week prior and has found himself in a trend head coach Mike Elko is hoping to correct.

"The conversation is not going well enough because it is not being fixed," Elko told reporters Monday when asked about Turner's penalties. "I've got to find a different way to get that message across because it is clearly not working."

It's not just Turner making the mistakes; it's a team-wide issue. A false start on third down; a late second-quarter defensive hold with South Carolina on the cusp of field goal range (Gamecocks would make the resulting after 5 yards); there were a range off issues Saturday.

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Tackling needs to be better

As bad as their penalties were Saturday, the A&M tackling performance may have been even worse. The Aggies missed 25 tackles against the Gamecocks, and it felt like a new problem for a defensive that had been key in the previous win streak.

"That will be a huge point of emphasis after watching Saturday's tape," Aggies' defensive coordinator Jay Bateman told reporters Monday. "The minute you say, 'We're good.' That's when you get embarrassed. As a coach, you constantly see things and try to fix them. Our kids see it... It's getting back to the basics of playing defensive football."

A&M watched South Carolina's freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers and senior running back Raheim Sanders run all over them, tallying 250 rushing yards combined. With Auburn and Texas still on the schedule, ranked 58th and 65th in the country in rushing offense, respectively, the emphasis on honing in the fundamentals, starting with tackling, is crucial.

Adjusting the run game without Le'Veon Moss

The Aggies have been dealt some tough blows on the injury front this season. With players such as running back Rueben Owens and cornerback Tyreek Chappell being lost for the year, the latest injury to Le'Veon Moss is another tough blow for A&M.

Elko confirmed that Moss will be out for the rest of the season due to the lower-body injury he suffered against South Carolina. Now, the attention turns to running back Amari Daniels and the offensive coaching staff as they look to fill the missing production from Moss' absence.

"I think we will try to look at everything on the table. We are confident in Amari (Daniels). EJ (Smith) will be the primary backup. At this point, everything is on the table," Elko said.

Daniels will now step into the RB1 role, and the junior from Miami, Florida, should be more than capable of doing so. Thus far this season, he has 466 rushing yards on 94 carries and six touchdowns. Confidence is there that he can carry the load with increased production, but what's behind now is a bit more murkier.

The new RB2 looks to be EJ Smith, the son of NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith. However, the production from the senior has left more to be desired. Smith has just 107 rushing yards on 33 carries, good for 3.2 yards a touch, and zero touchdowns.

He will see his role expand, and if he is able to step up with the increased opportunities, it could keep the Aggies' 14th-ranked rushing attack on track.

Another wrinkle that may be explored is the dynamic former five-star playmaker Terry Bussey. The freshman speedster has been used primarily on special teams but has also been useful as a wide receiver, totaling six receptions for 93 yards this season.

Elko spoke about the potential of getting him more touches to help alleviate the loss of Moss. "Terry (Bussey) is talented... Understanding he is still a freshman, that is maybe lost a little bit," said Elko. "He is effective in the role he's in, and we are trying to expand that role."

Texas A&M is idle this week before they welcome New Mexico State to Kyle Field on Nov. 16.