Coming off back-to-back wins over AP Top 13 teams, the Aggies travel to StarkVegas this weekend for a matchup against Mike Leach and the Bulldogs.
Saturday afternoon at Davis Wade Stadium, it’s #17 Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State, and here are 3 things to watch for from the Aggies.
Replacing Agent Zero
The Aggies lost punt returner/running back/leading receiver Ainias Smith last weekend, and it hurts. There’s no way around that. The senior is an undoubted leader in the locker room and on the field, and his skillset is not one that any single other player can replace. The abundance of riches in talent that A&M has will now have no choice but to either step up and by committee replace the lost production, or the Ags will seriously struggle to score any points at all.
The man they call Agent Zero has amassed 127 catches for 1,612 yards and 17 touchdowns over his career. How much does A&M lose in production with his absence? Smith ranks first in all 3 categories for current Aggie players. The total of the next four highest pass-catchers combined is 111 catches for 1,430 yards and 11 touchdowns. So, yes, losing 50+% of your passing game is going to sting quite a bit.
What to Watch for:
Freshmen phenoms Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall should have an opportunity to earn more targets. Veterans Jalen Preston, Moose Muhammad III and Chase Lane also should see more balls thrown their way, and thankfully Max Johnson still has a pretty decent option in superstar back Devon Achane as well. Having said that, expect a heavy running game from A&M all game long.
Less Cowbell
With all due respect to the Christopher Walken, the only prescription the Aggies need is less cowbell on Saturday. Mike Leach is a well-known thorn in the the Aggies’ side and has been over his entire career, posting an 8-3 record between stints as the head man at Texas Tech and Mississippi State against Texas A&M. The high-octane offense the Bulldogs run can frustrate and tire the best of defenses, and as more points get added to the scoreboard, the more those cowbells come out. Defensive Coordinator D.J. Durkin has had some success against Mike Leach’s offenses over the last couple years while he was at Ole Miss, so he will have to continue trying to match wits and schemes against the Pirate.
What to Watch for:
A&M is struggling on offense. They’ve yet to establish a true identity through three games, and they know they cannot get into a shoot-out with Mississippi State. Expect Jimbo Fisher to call a ball-control game, time-of-possession game to keep Will Rogers III and the Bulldog offense on the sideline for as long as he can. It’s easier said than done, as A&M currently sits 119th in TOP, but Fisher prefers to run a methodical offense and knows he has to do so to get the win.
Back to Level
Texas A&M is 9-10 as the road team under Jimbo Fisher. Included in those ten losses are defeats to the #1 team (twice) and #2 team (thrice). We all know the SEC is a gauntlet. The SEC West is a gauntlet-within-a-gauntlet. Texas A&M hired Jimbo to get the Aggies to the point in these marquee games where it was no longer, “Well, we played hard and kept it close!” and take them to the level of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and LSU. Anything less than that is no longer an acceptable outcome for Aggie fans.
A&M has proven it can compete – and beat – the best teams in college football. Wins over #1 Alabama in 2021, #4 Florida in 2020, and #7 LSU in 2018 prove that. The Aggies have also proven they can lose games they have no business losing.
What to Watch for:
Texas A&M is 9-2 as the road team in games against unranked opponents under Fisher. If they want to get their head coach his first road win of the 2022 season, and get his road record as the Aggie head coach to .500 overall, it’s going to take the most impressive performance of the year to do so. Losing Ainias Smith for the season makes the task harder, but A&M has a significant advantage in talent.
Prediction: Aggies 27 – Bulldogs 24
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