Texas A&M Football: Ranking the Aggies' Top 5 Defensive Players

Michael Taglienti — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:43:05 -0400

The Texas A&M Football team will have one of the top offenses in the nation in 2013. Whether or not the Aggies will compete for a Southeastern Conference or national championship will depend on the play of their defense.

The Aggies lost six starters from the 2012 defense but should be a deeper unit overall in 2013. The Aggies will be solid on defense as long as a few of the incoming freshmen are ready to contribute from the opening game.

The 2013 defense will be a younger unit overall but should be more flexible as a unit than the 2012 defense. Mark Snyder will have more pieces to plug into his multiple schemes than he did in 2012 when he basically went with the same 11 starters for the entire season.

The Aggies return All-Conference caliber players at every level of the defense. This is a look at the top five players on the 2013 Aggie defense.

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Coach Sumlin's Biggest Challenges for Texas A&M in 2013

Michael Taglienti — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:02:50 -0400

The Texas A&M Football team turned in a surprising 11-2 record during their inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference in 2012. There are a number of challenges facing Aggie head coach Kevin Sumlin as he and his team prepare for the 2013 season.

Sumlin led the Aggies to a top five finish in his first season at A&M. There is not much room for improvement after a season like that.

The Aggies' coach has repeatedly pointed out that the team finished third in the SEC West. The A&M football team will have to make great strides in all phases of the game in order to meed or exceed their performance in 2012.

Texas A&M lost a very talented group of seniors to graduation from the 2012 team. The key to success in the 2013 season is replacing the leadership and play from that group.

This is a look at the various challenges facing Sumlin as the Aggies approach the 2013 season.

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If Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel Rushes for 1,400 Yards, Something's Wrong

Barrett Sallee — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:50:50 -0400

While Johnny Manziel lives the good life this season—playing Pebble Beach, taking batting practice with the San Diego Padres and hanging out on Bourbon Street—the biggest question heading into the 2013 season is what he will do for an encore.

Fair or not, Manziel raised the bar for himself after passing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushing for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last season. His accolades last season—which resulted in the Heisman Trophy—are big reason why Texas A&M finds itself squarely in the mix to be in the preseason Top Five of most major polls and a legitimate threat to intra-division foe Alabama.

So, what should we expect from "Johnny Football" in 2013? Fewer rushing yards would be a good start.

Manziel was simply magical on both designed runs and scrambles last season, but if he tops the 1,400-yard mark on the ground in 2013, something probably went terribly wrong for the Aggies.

Why?

Outside of Tuscaloosa, Texas A&M boasts the deepest and most talented backfield in the SEC. Ben Malena returns to lead a stable that includes Oklahoma transfer Brandon Williams, the lightning-fast Trey Williams and Oregon transfer Tra Carson.

But it isn't just raw talent that makes this group so dangerous. The best part for Aggies fans is that they all bring a little something different to the table.

Malena, who rushed for 808 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago, will be the feature back. The 5'8", 195-pound senior led Aggie running backs in rushing last season and possesses the versatility it takes to be a star in the SEC. In addition to his work as a running back, he caught 18 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield a year ago.

But it isn't just his work with the football that makes him so effective. Malena's work in pass protection is what makes him a weapon for the Aggies.

"What Ben has given us is a steady guy who understands everything, who is a potent threat with the ball in his hand and also a pass-catcher and a protector," head coach Kevin Sumlin told ESPN.com last season.

In the video above at the 3:42 mark, Malena—who is lined up next to Manziel in the shotgun—steps up in the pocket and picks up the blitzing linebacker, allowing Manziel to find Thomas Johnson in the end zone in the third quarter of the Aggies' win over Louisiana Tech.

While Malena may be the unquestioned starter, Brandon Williams may be the rising star.

The Oklahoma transfer rushed for 219 yards with the Sooners in 2011 before sitting out last season after transferring to Texas A&M. You saw a glimpse of what Williams was capable of during the Aggies' spring game, when the 6'0", 192-pounder rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 29 yards and another touchdown.

"He's impressive," Manziel told the Associated Press (via AggieAthletics.com) after the Aggies' spring game. "He works hard and he's one of my favorite people on the entire team."

In the highlights from A&M's spring game above, take a look at the first play. Brandon Williams flashes his speed and shows quickness, exposing the bad angle taken by the safety.

While Brandon Williams is the rising star, Trey Williams epitomizes the definition of a "changeup back."

The 5'8", 185-pounder rushed for 376 yards and five touchdowns last season, averaging a whopping 5.78 yards per carry in the process. He's incredibly dangerous in space and has breakaway speed when he gets to the second level.

Whether it's as a running back or out of the backfield as a receiver on screen passes, Trey Williams adds a different dimension to the Aggies offense and can be in the lineup along with one of the other running backs, giving head coach Kevin Sumlin options and flexibility with play-calling.

Scary.

At 6'0", 227 pounds, Carson will likely find the majority of his work as a short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Not a bad gig. But don't be fooled by his size, Carson is every bit as versatile as the his mates in the backfield and could evolve into a bigger role as his career in College Station develops.

Four players, all of whom are talented but possess slightly different traits. Texas A&M may have lost some key pieces on the offensive line, but the four-headed monster at running back will allow the coaching staff plenty of options offensively, even if the offensive line struggles to gel.

Manziel will get his share of yardage on the ground. But he visited quarterback coach George Whitfield, Jr. this month with the stated goal of becoming a better pocket passer. Part of what makes a pocket passer good is faith in the running game.

With the four running backs lining up alongside him this season, that trust should be on display early and often. If it's not, something's wrong.

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Read more Kevin Sumlin news on BleacherReport.com

Bleacher Report - Kevin Sumlin

Texas A&M Football: Ranking the Aggies' Top 5 Defensive Players

Coach Sumlin's Biggest Challenges for Texas A&M in 2013

If Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel Rushes for 1,400 Yards, Something's Wrong