Texas A&M Football: 5 Takeaways from the Aggies' Bowl Game

The Texas A&M football team defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 45-37 in the 2014 Liberty Bowl. The game revealed a lot about the 2014 team and what the future holds for the Aggies.

The bowl win was the Aggies' fourth in a row, which set a school record. The win gave head coach Kevin Sumlin 28 wins in his first three seasons, which is the best start for any coach in the history of the school.

The Aggies have a very young team, and the program definitely benefited from the 15 extra practices a bowl game provides. Multiple true freshmen stepped up and had solid games against West Virginia.

This is a look at a few takeaways from Texas A&M's 45-37 Liberty Bowl win.  

Future at Safety Looks Solid

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Texas A&M true freshman safety Armani Watts is the best defensive back on the team. He led the Aggies in interceptions in 2014 with three. The Aggies learned in the Liberty Bowl that they have another freshman safety who is pretty good. 

True freshman safety Donovan Wilson was forced into action when senior safety Howard Matthews was ejected for targeting. All Wilson did was lead the team in tackles with nine—and add a tackle for loss.

Wilson showed great range and was strong against the run. The 6'1", 192-pound freshman should benefit from a year in the offseason program and come back looking like a prototypical SEC safety.

The defensive coaches have to be excited about the potential at safety for the next three years with Watts and Wilson returning.   

Otaro Alaka Is the Team's Best Linebacker

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Texas A&M true freshman Otaro Alaka is the best linebacker on the Aggies. He finished the game with seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup. 

Alaka is always around the football and is a sure tackler. In a season that featured very poor play from the position, Alaka was a shining light for the unit. 

He finished the season with 33 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. He ranked third on the team in tackles for the linebacker position. That is impressive when you consider he did not play much until the Louisiana-Monroe game. 

With Alaka, Josh Walker, Shaan Washington and A.J. Hilliard returning in 2015, the Aggies have a nice nucleus at linebacker for whoever takes over at defensive coordinator. 

Kyle Allen Is Growing with Each Game

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Texas A&M true freshman quarterback Kyle Allen threw an interception returned for a touchdown with 5:05 left in the first quarter. That play put West Virginia up 17-7.

After that play, Allen proceeded to throw three touchdowns passes and rush for another in leading the Aggies to a victory. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 294 yards with four passing touchdowns and an interception for the game.

Allen has gotten better at utilizing his mobility to extend plays and find open receivers downfield. He rushed for 33 yards and was able to use his speed to get first downs on a couple of quarterback scrambles.

Allen still makes freshman mistakes, but he is getting better with every game. He should be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC in 2015.  

When You Feed the Right Backs, the Running Game Is Fine

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The Texas A&M offense has struggled to consistently run the ball all season. The Aggies were able to successfully run it against West Virginia because offensive coordinator Jake Spavital gave the ball to the team's two best running backs. 

Tra Carson set a season high for Aggie running backs for carries and yards when he had 25 carries for 133 yards against the Mountaineers. The 6'0", 230-pound junior is the kind of back who thrives on grinding away at defenses. 

It is a mystery why Spavital ignored him for much of the year in favor of Brandon Williams, but he fed Carson during the Liberty Bowl, and Carson rewarded the Aggies with the best game of his career. 

Junior running back Trey Williams also had a very good game. He rushed for 86 yards on 11 carries and added a 40-yard touchdown reception to go along with a rushing touchdown. 

Carson and Trey Williams have clearly been the Aggies' best running backs all season. The Aggies rushed for 235 total yards by constantly feeding their best backs. Hopefully this is a prelude to a 2015 season where Spavital will try to give his best running backs the ball consistently. 

Seniors Stepped Up to Get the Win

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Texas A&M won its fourth bowl game in a row because a couple seniors stepped up and had huge games. Senior receiver Malcome Kennedy led the Aggies in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions in his last game in a Texas A&M uniform. 

Kennedy caught seven passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. With 2:22 on the clock in the fourth quarter, the Aggies were clinging to a 45-37 lead and were facing a third down on their own 32-yard line. 

Kennedy pulled a play-action pass off the top of his shoes and ran for a 21-yard gain to give the Aggies a first down and put the game away. It was a big play by a senior who stepped up in his last game in uniform. 

Junior center Mike Matthews missed the game because of an injury. Senior center Ben Compton stepped in and played the entire game at center. 

The Aggies rushed for 235 yards with Compton leading the offensive line. He did not have a single bad snap in the game. Compton also played tight end and H-back for the Aggies in 2014. 

During his four years at A&M, he has seen time at nose guard, center, offensive guard, tight end and H-back. The Aggies are going to miss this versatile athlete who assumed whatever role was needed in order to help the team win.