Bye Preps Texas A&M For Final Push

Games with Auburn, Ole Miss and LSU determine how Aggies' season is judged

Opening the season with games on eight consecutive Saturdays can scramble the brain, so forgive Demani Richardson for losing track of the schedule.

“I thought we had a bye game after Bama, to be honest,” the Texas A&M junior defensive back said. “And I was like dang, we got two more games?

“But it’s been tough. I love the fight our team has. We fought until the bye week, and we ran into the bye week, just like Jimbo said. And we’ve got to keep getting get better from here on out.”

No. 14 Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2 SEC) did enter the bye week fighting, just as Jimbo Fisher hoped. The Aggies rebounded from a two-game losing streak that nearly derailed the season with a three-game run that has brought new confidence and outlook.

It’s also time to heal some nagging injuries and get some reinforcements back. Fisher actually wishes there was more down time built into the season.

“I’m telling you, eight weeks is tough,” he said. “I’ve always been an advocate … in these 12-week seasons, I think college football needs two off weeks, if you really want to take the kids into consideration. I really do. I believe you do need that.”

The weekend off allows the Aggies to regroup for a finishing four-game sprint that will determine how much of a success the season really is. While this campaign is destined to be remembered for upsetting No. 1 Alabama at Kyle Field, other memories are still to be made.

“I feel like we’re in a really good position,” tight end Jalen Wydermyer said.

The remaining SEC contests against Auburn (Nov. 6), and at Ole Miss (Nov. 13) and LSU (Nov. 27) will determine Texas A&M’s bowl destiny. A clean sweep means at outside shot at the SEC title game, and likely a New Year’s Six Bowl. Drop any of those three and a middle-tier bowl is the probable destination.

The Aggies, who also have a layup against Prairie View A&M (Nov. 20), look like the team Fisher envisioned before the season kicked off.

“We’re starting to mold,” he said. “Now, we’ll find out. We’ve got a heck of a run. We’ve got Auburn, you have Ole Miss, you’ve got Prairie View, and then you’ve got LSU, two of those four on the road. You have a big stretch coming.”

The Aggies are working through the break in the schedule, with players vowing not to let the intensity wane just because they’re not putting on game uniforms Saturday. The final push is coming soon.

“We have to maintain and remember why we’ve had success and continue it,” Fisher said. “We’ve got a heck of a grind left, but there’s a lot of football left to be played.”