'Room to Improve!' Aggies Focused On Getting Better Ahead of Arkansas

Albert Regis is proud of the Aggies' performance vs. Auburn but knows they must be much better if they hope to beat Arkansas on Saturday.

The Texas A&M Aggies have one of the most talented defensive line rooms in the SEC.

And coming off of a dominant performance against the Auburn Tigers in Week 4, they seem to be hitting their stride.

Despite that, Aggies defensive tackle Albert Regis believes there is still room for improvement. 

"We're all very proud of our performance, but there's still a lot of work to do and room to improve," Regis said. "We take the approach that we have to focus on today and we can't look at the end results."

The Aggie defense was able to contain the Auburn running game, totaling 15 tackles-for-loss on the game. This is a positive for A&M fans, as Texas A&M struggled with run defense in last year's disappointing 5-7 campaign. 

This year, A&M has looked much better against the run, something Regis attributed to several things, including gap integrity and controlling the line of scrimmage.

"We strain and fight to stay within our gaps and not let up as much movement," Regis said. "I would say that is the biggest improvement from this year to last year."

Texas A&M will need to continue to have success against the run on Saturday when they face Arkansas. The Hogs ran for 244 yards in last year's Southwest Classic, led by now-senior quarterback KJ Jefferson who had 105 yards himself in that game. 

When questioned about the Razorback play-caller Jefferson, Regis had high praise of the senior.  

"He's a great quarterback," Regis said. "I like the way he runs, he's not afraid to lower his shoulder and I respect him... We've all seen how hard it is to tackle him, if you don't wrap him up and group tackle him, you probably nine times out of ten aren't going to succeed."

Aggies defensive lineman Albert Regis / USA Today Sports

The 6'5, 250-pound Jefferson will undoubtedly be the main concern for the defense as they prep for Arkansas, but something else to consider is Texas A&M's recent struggles away from Kyle Field. 

The Aggies have lost their last seven road games, and while Saturday's game in AT&T Stadium isn't a true road game, it still serves as a test for A&M to prove they can succeed away from home. 

"The best way for us to fix it is to take the proper approach, learn from our mistakes, and figure out why we were lacking in energy," Regis said. 'We have to find the minor things in the system and just fix it."

Regis and the Aggies will look to bring the energy to AT&T Stadium on Saturday, as Southwest Classic Rivalry is renewed and both teams lobby for position in the SEC West.