10 Things for Tuesday

Here’s your latest dose of 10 Things for Tuesday, as the Aggies prepare to head into Baton Rouge to face LSU:

1. I’ve seen some people saying that they’re worried Mike Elko might leave for Penn State after hearing his strong response to a question about it that did not include the word “no”. For what it’s worth, I don’t see this being a real issue to worry about. First, Elko has the No. 3 team in the country and it’s not a finished product yet. They’re 7-0 in the toughest conference in the nation, while Penn State is 3-4 and hasn’t beaten a Power 4 team yet. They’re arguably a bigger mess than Texas A&M was when Jimbo Fisher got fired. A&M’s got a better team, better resources, more money and better facilities. The argument from Penn State people is that it’s close to New Jersey. If that was such a big deal, he would have taken the Temple job when it was open a few years ago. Since he left the Northeast, he’s gone to North Carolina twice, Indiana and Texas twice. Does that sound like a man in a hurry to get back up to that neck of the woods?

2. Coach Elko is still really steamed about the performance of his defense against Arkansas, but I’m going to give flowers to Arkansas QB Taylen Green. That was one of the most remarkable performances I’ve seen from a college quarterback since Joe Burrow in 2019. Pressured essentially half the times he dropped back, he still found ways to run around, buy time and find open receivers or just take off and get chunk plays himself. A&M should have stomped Arkansas like a waterlogged bug, but he kept them in it. He’s my pick for first team All-SEC quarterback. It’s done.

3. In spite of the troubles the defense had against Arkansas, they still had four sacks and eight tackles for loss — which is about par for the course lately. That could be a real difference-maker against LSU, which is down left tackle Tyree Adams for at least this weekend. His replacement, normal center DJ Chester, struggled mightily against Vanderbilt. Right tackle Weston Davis has also struggled, which is not a good situation when Cashius Howell is about to come calling.

4. But, while Howell is getting all the attention (rightfully so), A&M’s opponents have more than one issue to deal with. Defensive end Dayon Hayes (who, humble brag, I was excited about from the minute he transferred) has hit his stride and is now second on the team in sacks with 3. And freshman Marco Jones, who got a lot more playing time this weekend, had 3 tackles and a sack against Arkansas. If A&M can get pressure against LSU without blitzing, the Tigers are in trouble.

5. The Aggies had 25 sacks all of last season, even with Shemar Stewart, Shemar Turner and Nic Scourton. A&M already has 25 sacks this season, with 12 different players having at least half a sack.

6. LSU’s lack of a running game (116th nationally) has gotten a lot of attention, but overall they’ve had trouble moving the ball. They’re 91st in the nation in explosive plays (plays of 20 or more yards), tied with Florida in that category (South Carolina, Auburn and Kentucky are even worse than that). A&M is tied for 14th nationally with Tennessee in explosives.

7. If the weather is lousy Saturday night, as is possible (but looking less likely) A&M will likely look to pound away at LSU with Rueben Owens and EJ Smith in the running game. LSU’s overall stats against the run are solid (41st nationally), but they’ve given up almost exactly 200 yards rushing per game in three SEC matchups, including 239 to Vanderbilt last weekend. After seeing Diego Pavia’s success last weekend and what he did last year, Marcel Reed may get the green light to run a lot more. Knowing what’s coming is one thing; stopping it’s another.

8. I heard someone on a podcast this morning say that A&M has been “terrible on third down.” And they have a point, to an extent. A&M has only converted on 39% of their third downs, but here’s what they’ve done in SEC play:

Mississippi State: 7 of 15

Florida: 9 of 17

Arkansas: 5 of 11 (3 of 3 on 4th downs)

So that’s 21 of 43, or just under 50%. They seem to have picked things up several notches, as they’ve gone from being in the 100s nationally three weeks ago to 72nd now.

And, on defense, A&M has allowed six 3rd down conversions on 44 tries (13.6%) in conference play. Add in fourth downs and it’s 7 of 49 (14.3%). So is A&M “terrible” on third downs right now? No. Are opponents terrible against them? You’d better believe it.

9. The Aggies definitely need to get better play from their linebackers and safeties. When Elko talks about misfits against the run, it’s those guys. They’d avoided it for a month until last weekend, and it will definitely be something that gets talked about a lot this week. Also, the safeties really struggled in pass coverage. I liked how Dalton Brooks was used as a blitzer, and he caused problems that way. But that would be a perfect role for Bryce Anderson, should he be able to play this weekend. Those blitzes may be more effective against less mobile quarterbacks — and everyone’s less mobile that Green.

10. This is, seriously, the best chance A&M has had to win in Baton Rouge since joining the SEC. But the Tigers still have plenty of talent and they’re desperate. Three losses, all in conference, and they’re toast for the SEC Championship, the College Football Playoff and possibly a top flight bowl game. Brian Kelly’s job may be on the line. So, while a lot of things may look like they’re going A&M’s way, never go to a game in Death Valley at night without your guns on.

That’s a rhetorical statement. Don’t take a gun to the game.