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What started out in a blaze of glory ultimately fizzled into a mediocre season for the Texas A&M Aggies in 2015. Ranked as high as No. 9 this season – in Week 6 after their 5-0 start – the Aggies lost four of their last seven games and fell into a tie for fifth place with Mississippi State in the SEC West, finishing ahead of only Auburn.
Here are five defining moments in that tumultuous year:
- 1. Aggies open with a bang: Texas A&M opened the season in Houston, where it dismantled No. 15 Arizona State 38-17 in a neutral-site game. A 21-point fourth-quarter explosion broke open a close game. Kyle Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. But we quickly learned that coach Kevin Sumlin had no hesitation in using two quarterbacks during a game. Freshman Kylar Murray saw action as well, and the juggling act with Aggies quarterbacks would be played out throughout the season. Unranked to begin the season, Texas A&M quickly moved into the top 20 at No. 16.
- 2. Alabama sends Aggies reeling: Texas A&M was undefeated and ranked No. 9 in the country when it hosted Alabama on Oct. 17. It was the beginning of the end to any hopes of winning a SEC West title. Allen entered the game having thrown 79 passes without an interception, but tossed up three picks and Murray added another interception. Alabama turned three Pick-Sixes into a 41-23 victory that started the two teams in opposite directions. The Aggies would lose three of four games to fall out of contention. Alabama would go on to win the SEC.
- 3. Ole Miss shuts down Aggies offense: Still hung over from the Bama debacle, Texas A&M didn’t even score a touchdown the following week in Oxford. While the Texas A&M defense began to show signs of improvement, intercepting Rebels QB Chad Kelly three times, the Aggies produced very little offense in a 23-3 defeat. Allen was 0-for-13 passing in the third quarter and was replaced by a third Aggies QB, Jake Hubenak, in the fourth quarter. It was a humbling experience for a high-powered offense and overshadowed an fine performance from the defense.
- 4. The wheels come off: The season came apart completely with a 26-10 home loss on Nov. 7 to an Auburn team that would win just two SEC games and finish last in the SEC West. Again, the Aggies could find no offense against a suspect Auburn defense. The revolving quarterback system wasn’t working. Murray, who replaced Allen, threw three interceptions and Hubenak took a turn. He accounted for the Aggies’ only touchdown, a short pass to Speedy Noil late in the third quarter.
- 5. Defense gets a shutout: The Aggies defense took matters into their own hands, shutting out Vanderbilt in Nashville on Nov. 21 with the regular season winding down. It was Texas A&M’s first shutout since 2004 (31-0 over Wyoming), first conference shutout on the road since 2002 (41-0 over Baylor) and first shutout outside the state of Texas since the Aggies blanked Kansas State 10-0 in 1975. Safeties Armani Watts and Justin Evans combined for 19 tackles and it was clear that new defensive coordinator John Chavis was making his mark on the Aggies defense.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
