Texas A&M Football: 7 Under-the-Radar Reasons This Season Has Been Underwhelming

Texas A&M started out the season ranked eighth in the AP Poll.  High hopes were bursting out of College Station, Texas, with BCS bowls being mentioned.  Sitting at six wins and five losses on the season, the only thing to look forward to is the end of one of the most storied rivalries in college football history.  The Aggies haven't lived up to the hype.  

We have seven reasons that the Ags have disappointed.  

The Loss of Von Miller to the NFL

Von Miller was the best linebacker to come through College Station since Dat Nguyen.  He's making his presence known right away in the NFL, on track to run away with the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.  The Ag's defense was thought to be able to hold up by committee without Von in the opponents backfield all game.  

The linebacking crew of Damontre Moore, Sean Porter, Jonathan Stewart and Brandon Alexander has been inconsistent all year.  They play tentatively with a less-than-competent secondary behind them.  Porter is tied for 11th in college football with 8.5 sacks, but outside of that the crew is mostly unimpressive.  

Von Miller required extra attention, extra blockers and special-game management from offensive coordinators, allowing other defensive players to shine.  The impact of his loss was felt throughout the defense.  

Poor Conditioning

After A&M's loss to Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy said that his team looked in better physical shape by "a long shot."  Sherman has since said that he knows his team is physically ready to play every time that they step on the field.  The numbers don't suggest that the Ags are prepared.  

Of their five losses this season, the Aggies were up double digits at the half in three of them.  The third quarter has been particularly concerning.  A&M has been outscored a combined 59-7 during the third quarter of their losses.  

Simply put, they're gassed after the first half.  It is visible and the numbers don't lie.  Cramps, fumbles and sloppy routes don't produce wins.  They need to be ready to play four 15-minute quarters.  

Mike Sherman

Any time a team is dominant in the first half and isn't mentally prepared to hold leads, you have to place some blame on the head coach.  After 2010 everyone was enamored with Mike Sherman—so much so that he got an extension through 2015 and a pay raise.  Few know what goes on in that locker room for 20 minutes while the Aggie Band is doing their thing, but it isn't working.  

Defenses adjust; offenses have to adapt.  The coaching staff has failed to hold leads with one of the best running back tandems in the country.  Gray and Michael are currently injured but have been healthy for a majority of the year.  The play-calling has been mind-numbing.  

Second-half collapses have forced the game the rest on the shoulders of Ryan Tannehill late.

Ryan Tannehill

Ryan Tannehill came into the season with high expectations.  After taking over for Jerrod Johnson in 2010, he was the heart of the team.  He had great game management, was quick with decisions and efficient.  Some were saying that he was the best quarterback prospect behind Andrew Luck in college football.  

The Aggies have counted on him this year and he's failed to pull through.  They've put him in a corner and he hasn't been able to fight his way out.  Turnovers have buried them in the second half.  Some of them have been tipped balls and blown routes but leaders have to find ways to win through adversity.  He's also failed to get multiple receivers going in a game.  

Tannehill is in this spot because of gutless second-half play calls from the sideline but winners find a way.  

Wide Receivers

Tannehill is one of the few players who can throw and catch.  He can't throw the ball to himself though.  This receiving corps has dropped a number of passes.  Their lack of ability to come up with the ball is one of the top reasons that A&M hasn't had anywhere near the success they were expected to.  

A number of people place blame on Troy Walters, who is TAMU's wide receivers coach.  The A&M consolidated graduate isn't likely to be leaving anytime soon.  Fuller, Swope and Nwchukwu absolutely have to start doing their jobs.

Conference Realignment

It's been a soap opera with the TAMU athletic department and the rest of the Big 12.  Their decision to jump ship for a better conference has been discussed by any and everyone.  Baylor threatening legal action, Texas stating that they aren't scheduling A&M as a non-conference opponent, every analyst deciding if A&M is ready for the SEC—the focus isn't on this season.  

Every email President Loftin sends out speaks to the fact that the move was a 100-year decision and how excited he is for the new challenges.  Everyone involved that isn't busy defending the move is busy scrutinizing it.  The move was necessary and the drama of their situation is a microcosm of what will surely happen throughout the country with conference realignment looking like a lock.  

Regardless, the focus has been 2012 football as opposed to making 2011's farewell tour a success.

Pressure

Eighth was the highest preseason ranking for Texas A&M since 1999 when they were No. 7 in the polls.  Aggie Land was more fired up than they typically are.  The thought was that if they could go to Norman and knock out Oklahoma then the rest of the season would take care of itself—clear your schedules for January 9th and book that Southwest Airlines flight to New Orleans.  

Things haven't quite panned out that way.

The pressure has gotten to the coaching staff like it typically does.  They've lost both bowl appearances under Sherman's group.  They haven't played well when it mattered either.  The expectation has caused the Aggies to play with an unearned sense of entitlement.  There isn't the sense of urgency you would expect from a team leaving their conference on their last stops through soon-to-be past conference rivals.

A&M football is turning into a predictable story.  The '99 team finished 8-4.  Best-case scenario this team ends up 7-5.  Fans will still stand and they won't leave until the clock is all zeros.  

Here's to a special ending to the Lone Star Showdown and a successful 2012.