In the wake of back-to-back disappointing offensive performances against LSU and Missouri to end the season, Texas A&M will have a new play-caller working with star quarterback Johnny Manziel in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve as 28-year-old assistant Jake Spavital has been promoted to the role by coach Kevin Sumlin.
According to dallasnews.com, the school announced the move with a press release after Sumlin had held a news conference earlier in the day. And it's understandable why Sumlin might not care to answer questions about the removal of Clarence McKinney from the role. The Aggies, after all, averaged 538 yards of total offense and 43.6 points per game -- good for fourth and sixth in the entire NCAA, respectively -- despite the late-season struggles. LSU's talented but inconsistent defense found its groove at home against TAMU on Nov. 23, holding Manziel to 16-of-41 passing and intercepting him twice in a 34-10 win.
Still, it borders on stunning that Sumlin would make this move strictly based on the team's performance, given the offense's dynamic success for the vast majority of the season. Texas A&M's lowest-scoring output in its first 10 games was 41 points.
McKinney remains on the TAMU staff as a running backs coach.
While Sumlin might be looking for better results against the Blue Devils, Manziel shouldn't expect a vast difference between McKinney and Spavital, who already was Manziel's position coach and the team's co-offensive coordinator. He came from West Virginia, where he coached current New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith to a prolific season in 2012.
The Aggies will still ring in the new year with plenty of passing and, presumably, plenty of points.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
