10 Things for Tuesday
Looking back at the win over Auburn and looking ahead to Mississippi State in TTFT:
1. If you want balance, the Aggies had it on Saturday against Auburn. 414 total yards of offense, split at 207 yards a piece between the passing game and the running game. Taking away Marcel Reed’s sacks and kneel downs at the end of the game, the Aggies ran for 5.7 yards per carry.
2. A&M should have beaten Auburn far worse than they did and the stats tend to bear that out. In their last three games, Auburn gave up 68, 310 and 305 yards of offense to their opponents. A&M had 414 without even playing that well. Auburn came into the game giving up 53.8 yards per carry on the ground; A&M went for 207. Offensively, they had racked up 415, 495, 337 and 287 yards in their four games. Against A&M? 177.
3. One of the things that was most impressive about A&M’s defense Saturday were the angles they took on runs and quick passes to the outside. Not sealing the edge or not making tackles when there’s a one-on-one matchup on the outside has been A&M’s biggest problem in terms of stopping the run for two seasons. I can’t recall a single instance of them not being able to handle that situation Saturday and it showed. Auburn’s long run for the day was 9 yards.
4. I hope you’re not expecting a brisk game Saturday night, because it’s probably not going to happen. A&M is 133rd in penalties per game after picking up 13 each against Notre Dame and Auburn. There are only 134 teams ranked in the NCAA stats. So who’s 134th?
Mississippi State.
Oh, and Auburn is 131st.
5. It’s a shame that they only got noticed for their penalties, but the interior of the A&M line probably played their most complete game in five years Saturday. They repeatedly shoved Auburn’s interior linemen out of the way, making big holes for Le’Veon Moss, Rueben Owens and Amari Daniels. I don’t know if other programs can repeat it, but they showed a blueprint to how you beat Auburn — go right at them.
6. Yesterday, during his press conference, coach Elko said that their latest method of trying to stop Aggie players from committing penalties is forcing them to donate to the Texas A&M Football Coaches Cabo Fund every time they get busted. After the laughter, he looked to the next questioner and said, “You weren’t ready for that one, were you? Caught you a little off guard.”
Yes, he did.
7. Mississippi State may be missing three of their best players Saturday, though we’re not sure yet. Wideout Brenan Thompson, their top receiver; right tackle Albert Reese IV and safety Isaac Smith. Smith leads the team in tackles. All three got hurt against Tennessee and did not return, and Reese was later spotted with his arm in a sling. That would be a huge problem for the Bulldogs if they can’t play.
8. We all recall Mississippi State as the up-tempo, pass-crazy team that Mike Leach assembled. Not true anymore. They’re still spread, they’re still up-tempo, but they run a lot. In fact, they ran for more yards then they passed for against Tennessee Saturday (198 to 180). Their top two backs, Fluff Bothwell and Davon Booth have combined for 611 rushing yards so far this season, which is more than Moss, Owens and Marcel Reed combined — and then 50 more yards. So, counterintuitively, stopping the run is the key for A&M’s defense this Saturday.
9. One of Mississippi State’s biggest problems so far this season has been pressure on the quarterback — on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs are 106th in team sacks with just seven so far, while Blake Shapen has gone down 12 times, which is 90th nationally. Not a good thing against a team that is ranked sixth in the nation in sacks per game.
10. Last season, A&M had 24 total sacks, with Nic Scourton leading the team with 5. This season, the Aggies are on pace for 42 sacks, and Cashius Howell has already matched the second-best sack total from last year (his own) with 4. With teams like Mississippi State, South Carolina, Florida and Missouri all having trouble protecting their quarterback (90th or worse in sacks allowed), A&M probably won’t have much trouble surpassing last year’s total.
