Pride is What's Left for Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies need to win their last three games to be bowl eligible.

Playing for pride.

Is there anything else left for the Texas A&M Aggies?

Saddled with the program’s longest losing streak since disco, the Aggies enter the final three games of the regular season needing a sweep just to qualify for a mediocre bowl.

There was a time, like the beginning of September, when racking up a measly three wins a row seemed a given. For a squad sitting 3-6 and 1-5 in the SEC, it’s a task tantamount to winning the New York City Marathon.

With the flu.

The Aggies are sick, and it goes beyond the virus that ripped through campus and the football team. Don’t count on a remedy being found in the month, even if the Aggies somehow run the table to finish, um, 6-6.

But there’s pride at stake. At least according to Jimbo Fisher.

“No doubt,” the embattled fifth-year A&M coach said after Saturday’s 41-24 loss to Florida. “You’ve got another game to play and you’ve got three games to play. Just keep playing hard and doing your things. Like I say, you can show your character right now. Like I say, these tough times build character and I think these guys will keep showing it. They’ve got character and playing hard.”

This isn’t about questioning character. It wouldn’t be fair to a team full of teens. And they’re obviously playing hard to anyone watching, even if the results suggest otherwise.

Injuries and illness have played a part, too. The Aggies are shuffling quarterbacks on almost a weekly basis. From Haynes King to Max Johnson back to King to Conner Weigman and back to King.

That’s hardly a winning formula for continuity, much less success.

Jimbo rightfully deserves the blame for what’s gone wrong. An unimaginative offensive and a porous defense, especially against the run, fall at Fisher’s feet.

All that needs to be fixed in the offseason. If not, Jimbo’s buyout won’t be a problem for those well-heeled Aggies who write the checks.

But what the rest of this season comes down to won’t be measured on the scoreboard.

“You keep your chins up by just the pride of yourself, you know? As a person of faith, the battles that you’re going through,” offensive lineman Layden Robinson said. “You know you’re going through tough times right now. You never fold during tough times because that means you’re a weak-minded person. And I feel like this team is not a weak-minded team at all.

“That’s why we keep fighting every single time we face adversity. I feel like that’s the reason why we keep our heads up. You just have to take stuff like this under the chin. Even though it’s like a repetitive thing that’s happening, we just have to bear down and figure out what’s wrong. That’s the main thing. … For a problem, you’ve got to find a solution.”

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You can find Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.

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