By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Thursday’s win over Oklahoma State gives the Aggies some positive traction moving forward.

Sometimes, momentum can be hard to come by. Especially when you play the nation’s toughest schedule. For Texas A&M, with losses to Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and LSU, a constant barrage of elite competition came with setbacks that resulted in a record not necessarily reflective of reality. That challenge was one that was understood and well documented entering the season, but one, for a rising name, that was often difficult to process nonetheless.

Thursday’s win over Oklahoma State gives the Aggies some positive traction moving forward.

Texas A&M was able to overcome a slow start in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl to hold off the nationally-ranked Cowboys for a needed 24-21 victory. The postseason triumph stands as the Aggies’ signature win of the year, success that stands as a springboard into what could be a banner year in 2020. Playing with poise and resolve down the stretch, Texas A&M took control of the contest in the fourth quarter, taking its first lead of the game on a 67-yard touchdown burst by quarterback Kellen Mond with 10:45 remaining. Down 14-0 early on, the Aggies finished the night on a 24-7 run.

Looking ahead, that pace will only pick up.

Given the unrelenting gauntlet that this season was, the finish to the Texas Bowl was both an exclamation point and an exhale alike. Don’t simply dismiss the win; it’s meaningful affirmation after a trying couple of months. Texas A&M, facing yet another quality opponent, stayed the course, earned the victory and now has a clear direction ahead of a spring and summer that will undoubtedly come with high expectations. Pundits have been talking about this upcoming year, for Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies, for years.

With the ink still drying, there is more to this 8-5 record than some first might think. It was a learning experience, lessons, all of the way up to the last game of the season, included.

Relatively quietly, with the other storylines in the mighty SEC West taking center stage, Texas A&M has gone 5-2 since mid-October, the two defeats coming at Georgia by six points and at top-ranked LSU. In that same span, the Aggies, along with Oklahoma and Baylor, are the lone teams to top Oklahoma State. Even in a season with a brutal schedule and unfortunate injuries, Texas A&M still finished on a notable uptick. As a foundation continues to be laid, every building block continues to be important.

Though the Aggies were not able to pull off a major upset as some predicted, each of their losses came to foes currently slotted in the national top eight. Two of them are in the College Football Playoff. Texas A&M was one of just two teams to play defending national champion Clemson within 31 points this season, losing by only 14, fell to Auburn by just one score and was Georgia’s closest win of the year, another one score difference.

The Aggies certainly took their lumps; call them growing pains for an emerging power.

Deliberate, but determined, the Texas Bowl was, in some ways, a fitting finish. Texas A&M had to earn every opportunity. In the end, Mond rushed for 117 yards and had the aforementioned play of the game, the Aggie defense recorded four sacks, nine tackles for loss and had a critical fourth down stop in the fourth quarter. Fisher’s team willed its way to victory and now enters the off-season with more energy and excitement. It wasn’t pretty, but it was important.

Get ready to hear a whole lot more about Texas A&M. The Aggies have proven leadership, a lot of returning talent and, now, an extra boost forward.