Turn the Tide, Tannehill

Much has been made this year of the apparent Texas A&M senior quarterback curse. Mark Farris, Dustin Long, Reggie McNeal, Stephen McGee, and now Jerrod Johnson. All of these Aggie quarterbacks have suffered extreme disappointment in their senior seasons. It comes in a variety of forms, from injury to poor performance, but rest assured it has come, much to the chagrin of the Aggie faithful. The reason for the disappointment, though, stems from the expectation placed on each of these quarterbacks because of the job they did in replacing their predecesor.

While each of their final year falls have been well documented--Farris losing his job two games in, Long transferring to Sam Houston State, McNeal not living up to expectations and getting injured late in the season, McGee's recurring shoulder injury, and Johnson's turnover troubles and underperformance--we overlook the success that put them in the position that they were in. Farris amassed over 4,600 yards passing in his two seasons prior, and Dustin Long passed for the second most yards in a season in school history at that time, including a seven touchdown performance against Texas Tech. Reggie McNeal made one of the most historic debuts in school history, throwing away his redshirt to come off the bench against Oklahoma, ranked number one in the country. He led the Aggies to a 30-26 victory at Kyle Field with four touchdowns and 280 yards of offense as a freshman. Stephen McGee's introduction was less dramatic, but he did outrush Vince Young 108 yards to 19 in the final game of the year. In his first year as the full time starter he led the Aggies to a 9-4 record and set the school record for completion percentage. Johnson began his Aggie career setting the school record for most yards in a debut with 275 against Miami before setting the school records in passing yards and total yards against Kansas State with 419 and 487 yards, respectively, two starts later.

And wouldn't you know who just broke those passing records in his first start this past weekend against Texas Tech? That's right, junior Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill and the Aggie receiving corps torched a mediocre Tech secondary for 449 passing yards en route to their 45-27 victory. But hope abounds that Tannehill will be the one to reverse this troubling trend and continue his success. Going into his senior season he will have plenty of receivers, a stable of running backs, a talented, more experienced offensive line, and an offensive philosophy conducive to a high-profile attack. But first he must prove that he can keep up this level of play against opponents other than Kansas and a down Texas Tech team. The test begins this Saturday against the ninth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, and will continue through Thanksgiving night and, if he and the rest of the team perform well enough, into the bowl season. Recent history may not be behind you, Ryan, but the A&M faithful are. Godspeed as you go forth and conquer these last opponents, and for once can someone carry this success over? Please?