Despite Loss, Texas A&M's Defense Continues to Improve

The Aggies were unable to come away with their first road win in nearly two years on Saturday afternoon in Tennessee but showed flashes of dominance on defense throughout the game.

After another disappointing road loss for the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday afternoon, Jimbo Fisher and company will head back to the drawing board to prepare for South Carolina in two weeks.

Despite the Aggie offense not being able to get things going against Tennessee, D.J. Durkin's defense looked promising yet again as they held Joe Milton III and the Vols to just 13 points despite struggling to stop the run in the first half.

A majority of the defensive success came from bending but not breaking, as Tennessee drove the ball into A&M territory four times without scoring any points. The Aggies forced a missed field goal, two turnovers on downs, and had an interception in the end zone.

In the process, Texas A&M added three sacks to their nation-leading total of 26 and was able to consistently pressure Milton. 

The Tennessee quarterback only threw for 100 yards on 22 attempts, the lowest passing total ever in a game under head coach Josh Heupel. Freshman linebacker Taurean York stepped up for A&M, leading the team with three tackles for loss and nine tackles overall.

Head Coach Jimbo Fisher yells at his offense.  / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The defensive success in the weeks following the Miami game has been encouraging for Texas A&M, as they seem to be putting the pieces of their talent-filled recruiting classes together. They will continue to have opportunities to prove their dominance, with explosive offensive teams such as Ole Miss and LSU still on the schedule.

The major concern for the Aggie defense comes from the injury report, as key players Edgerrin Cooper, Walter Nolen, and Albert Regis all left the game with injuries. All three will have the bye week to get healthy, but worry comes for Nolen, who had to be carted off the field late in the game.

Jimbo Fisher will undoubtedly face scrutiny from the media for yet another week, but the Aggies will look to move on and enforce the "24-hour rule" as they get an extra week to prepare for South Carolina.