VOL-uh-tile
Accept me into your immortal oath
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2016
- Messages
- 757
- Likes
- 669
The look I took at Georgia last week was met with fairly positive reviews on here, so Im back with another. Stats are obtained from cfbstats.com and supplementary info from Phil Steeles CFB Preview.
---------------------------------------------------------------
As youve likely been hearing all week, weve only played TAMU twice, and only in the post season. They have also only scored a total of 7 points on us. I read on rockytoptalk a couple days ago of the traditions the aggies have going on, and they are extensive and fairly interesting. A link to that fan made post is here: A Vols Field Guide to Texas A&M Game-Day Peculiarities - Rocky Top Talk
---------------------------------------------------------------
Texas A&M is a hard team to predict from year to year. People say theyve had midseason collapses the last couple years, but that is simply when their schedule starts to toughen up. Theyve had losses to bama, lsu, ole miss each of the last 2 years (which they have yet to play this year), a loss to Louisville last postseason and to #12 Miss St a couple years ago. So theyre generally a team that takes care of non-conference opponents, and drops a few to their peers in the SECW.
---------------------------------------------------------------
So far this year, they are looking mean on defense, only giving up 15.4 ppg (12th in nation) (a shutout of a FCS team will help that) and scoring 39 ppg (31st in nation)(putting up 67 points on a FCS team will also help that).
---------------------------------------------------------------
Quarterback
A&M has had a dynamic QB since Ryan Tannehill, but a whole lot of drama disrupted that situation last year. They got a great transfer in Trevor Knight, who weve played before, and is one of the only QBs to have beaten Bama recently. On the year he has 54% completion (Dobbs is 58%), 1261 yds (Dobbs 1035), 7ypa, 7 TDs & 3 INT (Dobbs 13 & 6). His QB rating is 24 points lower than Dobbs, but he has the 23rd highest total QBR compared to Dobbs 35th. This can be attributed to his rushing numbers and the fact that hes only been sacked 3 times. He has rushed 50 times for about 400 yards at nearly an 8ypc average. Scary.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Offensive Line
That 3 sack total made me question what kind of OL TAMUs working with. Phil Steele shows that they returned 22 career starts this year (very low), but 4 starters have pretty good talent. Still, Phil placed them at 10th in the SEC in the preseason. I looked at the last 3 games worth of rushing stats to get a better idea of them without inflated stats. TAMU absolutely gashed Arkansas for 360 yards, who has a good DL (13 sacks) and good linebackers. They got 230 yards on Auburn as well. However, in both of these games they capitalized on huge run plays. A 90-yard run accounts for 40% of the rushing yards against Auburn, and 42, 48, 33, 23, 22, and 62 yard runs against Arkansas (64% of their rushing yards) (and a 92-yard pass) sealed the deal on that game. They had 215 yards against South Carolina, with about 20% coming from one play. We need Shoop to scheme to limit the big rushing play with us missing DKJ and JRM. We could really use one of them back this week.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Running Backs
Trayveon Williams is the 23rd leading rusher in FBS with 480 yards. This guy was the #8 all purpose back in the 2016 class, and he's already averaging 9 ypc as a true freshman. He's not particularly big (5'9" 180lbs) or fast (ESPN has a 4.65 40 time for him), but he apparently has the vision of a great back, as he had a 90 yard run against Auburn, with 30 and 50 yard runs against Arkansas and S.Carolina as well. Trevor Knight is their second leading rusher, but Keith Ford and Kendall Bussey are really good backs too.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Receivers
We hear about A&M's receivers just about every week, and for good reason. Josh Reynolds has been great the last 2 years, with 1750 yards & 18 TDs over the L2Y. This year he's leading with 400 yards at a 20 ypr average (3 TDs). Christian Kirk hasn't been able to really get going this year (8 ypr), but he had a 1000 yards last season so he's definitely a threat. Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil have combined for 16 catches and 260 yards & 1TD, but they can likely do some damage as well. Our DBs will need to be on their toes for this one. Can't take bad angles, nor can they sellout trying to make the big play (cough*Cortez McDowell) or stop playing before the play is over (cough*Moseley).
---------------------------------------------------------------
Defensive Line
On the other side of the line, Texas A&M obviously boasts one of the best DLs in the nation. The production is heavy on the DEs, so its hard to say how good the interior is (Ive heard their situation is similar to ours- being able to rotate a lot of guys), but Daeshon Hall and Myles Garrett obviously make up for any deficiencies so far. I have no idea how our OL is going to be able to match up against them, so Im expecting 3 sacks on Dobbs. If we can establish the Dobbs run very early, that could disrupt their lines efficiency and open the run for us.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Linebackers
A&Ms linebackers have accounted for 5 sacks, but are only 2 of the top 5 tacklers (other 3 are DBs). Shawn Washington in particular is someone to watch out for. He is a monster with 2 sacks, 5 PBUs, 38 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles. TAMU is 45th in rushing yards allowed per game, and they allow about 3.5 ypc. Going along with the Dobbs runs, pounding the rock may be more of an emphasis in this game, as it appears their LBs are more suited for rushing the passer.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Defensive Backs
As hinted previously, A&Ms DBs are great tacklers and can play the run game. They have 5 interceptions (3 in one game) to our 3, and have only been allowing a QB rating of 109.7 (we allow 126.4). Keep in mind that the aggies have played against 2 really good QBs in Josh Rosen and Austin Allen, however the Aggies did give up over 300 yards to both of them and overall are giving up 250 passing yards per game.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Special Teams
On special teams, their kicker has a pretty good leg, making all 5 field goals w/i 30 yards and 3 of 4 between 40 and 50 yards (long of 48) for an overall 78%. Their punter is really good, averaging 44 ypp, and hes had to punt 6 less times than our Trevor Daniel. As a team the aggies have averaged around 23 yards per kickoff return, letting 3 guys take the duty, and thankfully no returns. Of their 6 punt returns, 1 went 73 yards for a TD, and the rest have gone for about 5 yards each.
---------------------------------------------------------------
In conclusion, on offense the man that really makes them click is Knight. Im thinking hes been opening up the big play potential the aggies have been capitalizing on, much like weve been relying on Dobbs to do. Hes not a great passer, but he can make big time plays both with his arm and his legs. It really is eerily similar to Dobbs. We shut down Jerod Evans earlier this year, and Im hoping we can slow down Knight. That gets a lot harder without either Kirkland or JRM. Shoop absolutely must get our defense in position to limit the big play, since that is what A&M has been thriving on. On defense, their main focus is rushing the passer. Screen passes may actually be welcome in this game for us. The Hurd/Kamara 2 back set could really help us open up on offense, especially with a few more designed Dobbs runs. Ive been nervous about this game since this January, and after going through this team I actually do feel a little bit better. If our coordinators can come up with a good gameplan, there is a good chance we can win this game.
Please let me know if you found this informative or helpful, and any info you would like to see in addition. I enjoy writing these up, as it really helps me get a grasp on the opposing team as well as ours in comparison.
Go Vols
---------------------------------------------------------------
As youve likely been hearing all week, weve only played TAMU twice, and only in the post season. They have also only scored a total of 7 points on us. I read on rockytoptalk a couple days ago of the traditions the aggies have going on, and they are extensive and fairly interesting. A link to that fan made post is here: A Vols Field Guide to Texas A&M Game-Day Peculiarities - Rocky Top Talk
---------------------------------------------------------------
Texas A&M is a hard team to predict from year to year. People say theyve had midseason collapses the last couple years, but that is simply when their schedule starts to toughen up. Theyve had losses to bama, lsu, ole miss each of the last 2 years (which they have yet to play this year), a loss to Louisville last postseason and to #12 Miss St a couple years ago. So theyre generally a team that takes care of non-conference opponents, and drops a few to their peers in the SECW.
---------------------------------------------------------------
So far this year, they are looking mean on defense, only giving up 15.4 ppg (12th in nation) (a shutout of a FCS team will help that) and scoring 39 ppg (31st in nation)(putting up 67 points on a FCS team will also help that).
---------------------------------------------------------------
Quarterback
A&M has had a dynamic QB since Ryan Tannehill, but a whole lot of drama disrupted that situation last year. They got a great transfer in Trevor Knight, who weve played before, and is one of the only QBs to have beaten Bama recently. On the year he has 54% completion (Dobbs is 58%), 1261 yds (Dobbs 1035), 7ypa, 7 TDs & 3 INT (Dobbs 13 & 6). His QB rating is 24 points lower than Dobbs, but he has the 23rd highest total QBR compared to Dobbs 35th. This can be attributed to his rushing numbers and the fact that hes only been sacked 3 times. He has rushed 50 times for about 400 yards at nearly an 8ypc average. Scary.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Offensive Line
That 3 sack total made me question what kind of OL TAMUs working with. Phil Steele shows that they returned 22 career starts this year (very low), but 4 starters have pretty good talent. Still, Phil placed them at 10th in the SEC in the preseason. I looked at the last 3 games worth of rushing stats to get a better idea of them without inflated stats. TAMU absolutely gashed Arkansas for 360 yards, who has a good DL (13 sacks) and good linebackers. They got 230 yards on Auburn as well. However, in both of these games they capitalized on huge run plays. A 90-yard run accounts for 40% of the rushing yards against Auburn, and 42, 48, 33, 23, 22, and 62 yard runs against Arkansas (64% of their rushing yards) (and a 92-yard pass) sealed the deal on that game. They had 215 yards against South Carolina, with about 20% coming from one play. We need Shoop to scheme to limit the big rushing play with us missing DKJ and JRM. We could really use one of them back this week.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Running Backs
Trayveon Williams is the 23rd leading rusher in FBS with 480 yards. This guy was the #8 all purpose back in the 2016 class, and he's already averaging 9 ypc as a true freshman. He's not particularly big (5'9" 180lbs) or fast (ESPN has a 4.65 40 time for him), but he apparently has the vision of a great back, as he had a 90 yard run against Auburn, with 30 and 50 yard runs against Arkansas and S.Carolina as well. Trevor Knight is their second leading rusher, but Keith Ford and Kendall Bussey are really good backs too.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Receivers
We hear about A&M's receivers just about every week, and for good reason. Josh Reynolds has been great the last 2 years, with 1750 yards & 18 TDs over the L2Y. This year he's leading with 400 yards at a 20 ypr average (3 TDs). Christian Kirk hasn't been able to really get going this year (8 ypr), but he had a 1000 yards last season so he's definitely a threat. Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil have combined for 16 catches and 260 yards & 1TD, but they can likely do some damage as well. Our DBs will need to be on their toes for this one. Can't take bad angles, nor can they sellout trying to make the big play (cough*Cortez McDowell) or stop playing before the play is over (cough*Moseley).
---------------------------------------------------------------
Defensive Line
On the other side of the line, Texas A&M obviously boasts one of the best DLs in the nation. The production is heavy on the DEs, so its hard to say how good the interior is (Ive heard their situation is similar to ours- being able to rotate a lot of guys), but Daeshon Hall and Myles Garrett obviously make up for any deficiencies so far. I have no idea how our OL is going to be able to match up against them, so Im expecting 3 sacks on Dobbs. If we can establish the Dobbs run very early, that could disrupt their lines efficiency and open the run for us.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Linebackers
A&Ms linebackers have accounted for 5 sacks, but are only 2 of the top 5 tacklers (other 3 are DBs). Shawn Washington in particular is someone to watch out for. He is a monster with 2 sacks, 5 PBUs, 38 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles. TAMU is 45th in rushing yards allowed per game, and they allow about 3.5 ypc. Going along with the Dobbs runs, pounding the rock may be more of an emphasis in this game, as it appears their LBs are more suited for rushing the passer.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Defensive Backs
As hinted previously, A&Ms DBs are great tacklers and can play the run game. They have 5 interceptions (3 in one game) to our 3, and have only been allowing a QB rating of 109.7 (we allow 126.4). Keep in mind that the aggies have played against 2 really good QBs in Josh Rosen and Austin Allen, however the Aggies did give up over 300 yards to both of them and overall are giving up 250 passing yards per game.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Special Teams
On special teams, their kicker has a pretty good leg, making all 5 field goals w/i 30 yards and 3 of 4 between 40 and 50 yards (long of 48) for an overall 78%. Their punter is really good, averaging 44 ypp, and hes had to punt 6 less times than our Trevor Daniel. As a team the aggies have averaged around 23 yards per kickoff return, letting 3 guys take the duty, and thankfully no returns. Of their 6 punt returns, 1 went 73 yards for a TD, and the rest have gone for about 5 yards each.
---------------------------------------------------------------
In conclusion, on offense the man that really makes them click is Knight. Im thinking hes been opening up the big play potential the aggies have been capitalizing on, much like weve been relying on Dobbs to do. Hes not a great passer, but he can make big time plays both with his arm and his legs. It really is eerily similar to Dobbs. We shut down Jerod Evans earlier this year, and Im hoping we can slow down Knight. That gets a lot harder without either Kirkland or JRM. Shoop absolutely must get our defense in position to limit the big play, since that is what A&M has been thriving on. On defense, their main focus is rushing the passer. Screen passes may actually be welcome in this game for us. The Hurd/Kamara 2 back set could really help us open up on offense, especially with a few more designed Dobbs runs. Ive been nervous about this game since this January, and after going through this team I actually do feel a little bit better. If our coordinators can come up with a good gameplan, there is a good chance we can win this game.
Please let me know if you found this informative or helpful, and any info you would like to see in addition. I enjoy writing these up, as it really helps me get a grasp on the opposing team as well as ours in comparison.
Go Vols
