BIG 12 27
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Time for changes after blowout loss
By David Harris The Battalion
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Embarrassing. Blasphemous. Humiliating. Shameful. Pathetic.
I could sit here with a thesaurus for about an hour and come up with more words to describe your "Fighting" Texas Aggies' performance Saturday in Manhattan.
62-14. Come on sunshine pumpers, let that resonate for a second.
I've been watching Aggie football religiously for the last 10 years, and I have never seen a team more unprepared for a game. I've never seen a team quit like that. I've never seen a loss so embarrassing.
Losing by 48 points to Kansas State is worse than the 77-0 beatdown handed down by Oklahoma in 2003. That Sooner team was undefeated and was the No. 3 team in the country.
This Wildcat squad was 3-3 going into Saturday. They had slipped by Massachusetts, a Football Championship Subdivision team, by a mere four points at home in week one. They had lost to Sun Belt "powerhouse" Louisiana Lafayette. Just last week, they left Lubbock after being obliterated 66-14 by
Texas Tech. Plain and simply, Kansas State was the perceived doormat of the Big 12.
After seeing 59-0 on the scoreboard in the middle of the third quarter, I think it's safe to call it a misconceived notion. I also think it's safe to say this A&M squad may be the worst team in the entire conference.
Yes, the once-proud program has been relegated to bottom-feeder status. The once storied tradition of hard-nosed defenses, spirited play and conference championships has since been replaced by a tradition of blowout losses, apathetic play and irrelevance.
It's time to start holding people accountable. And that starts all the way at the top.
After Saturday night, it is more than fair to start questioning both Athletic Director Bill Byrne and coach Mike Sherman.
"We will now begin a national search for a new head coach," were Byrne's exact words in 2007 following Dennis Franchione's resignation.
With coaches such as Kevin Sumlin (head coach of No.17 Houston), Chris Petersen (head coach of No. 6 Boise State), and Bobby Petrino (head coach of Arkansas) available, Byrne's "nationwide search" led him to interview one person, Mike Sherman, and offer him the job.
Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson is sacked by Kansas State defensive tackle Jeffrey Fitzgerald during the first quarter Saturday in Manhattan. The Aggies lost to the Wildcats 62-14. ASSOCIATED PRES
THE WAVE OCTOBER 23, 2009