Florida Gators vs. Texas A&M Aggies: Complete Game Preview

The offseason for the Texas A&M Football team has almost come to an end. After their opening game against Louisiana Tech was postponed due to weather concerns, the Aggies are set to take on the No. 24 Florida Gators on Saturday at Kyle Field.

It will be the opening game of the season for A&M and their first ever game in the Southeastern Conference. For the Aggies it is an opportunity to prove that they belong in the league of champions.

For Florida it is a chance for them to prove that they are still a prominent program in the SEC. After consecutive mediocre seasons, a 2-0 start for the Gators would be a welcome sign in Gainesville.

This is a preview containing everything you need to know about the matchup between the Aggies and the Gators.

GameDay Information

Who: Florida at Texas A&M

When: Saturday 2:30 CDT

Where: College Station, TX

Stadium: Kyle Field (82,589)

TV: ESPN

Radio: WTAW 1620 AM, Sirius Satellite, WRUF 103.7 FM

Internet Stream: 12thManTV

Rankings: Texas A&M UR Florida No. 24 AP

Depth Chart for Texas A&M

OFFENSE

QB: Johnnie Manziel

Backup: Matt Joeckel

WR: Mike Evans

Backup Derel Walker

LT: Luke Joeckel

Backup: Germain Ifedi

LG: Jarvis Harrison

Backup: Shep Klinke

C: Patrick Lewis

Backup: Mike Matthews

RG: Cedric Ogbuehi

Backup: Ben Compton

RT: Jake Matthews

Backup: Joseph Cheek

TE: Michael Lamothe

Backup: Nehemiah Hicks

WR: Uzoma Nwachukwu

Backup: Sabian Holmes

WR: Ryan Swope

Backup: Malcome Kennedy

WR: Kenric McNeal

Backup: Thomas Johnson

TB: Christine Michael

Backup: Ben Malena

DEFENSE

DE: Gavin Standbury

Backup: Julien Obioha

NG: Kirby Ennis

Backup: Jonathan Mathis

DT: Spencer Nealy

Backup: Ivan Robinson

Rush: Damontre Moore

Backup: Tyrone Taylor

WLB: Steve Jenkins

Backup: Donnie Baggs

MLB: Jonathan Stewart

Backup: Justin Bass

SLB: Sean Porter

Backup: Michael Richardson

CB: Deshazor Everett

Backup: Dustin Harris

CB: De'Vante Harris

Backup: Tremaine Jacobs

BS: Steven Campbell

Backup: Johntel Franklin

FS: Steven Terrell

Backup: Tony Hurd Jr.

Depth Chart for Florida

OFFENSE

LT: Xavier Nixon

Backup: Kyle Koehne

LG: James Wilson

Backup: Ian Silberman

C: Jonatthan Harrison

Backup: Sam Robey

RG: Jon Halapio

Backup: Jessamen Dunker

RT: Chaz Green

Backup: Trip Thurman

TE: Jordan Reed

Backup: Clay Burton

RB: Mike Gillislee

Backup: Mack Brown

QB: Jeff Driskel

Backup: Jacoby Brisett

FB: Hunter Joyer

Backup: Trey Burton

XWR: Frankie Hammond

Backup: Andre Dubose

ZWR: Quinton Dunbar

Backup: Soloman Patton

FWR: Trey Burton

Backup: Omarius Hines

DEFENSE

End: Dominique Easley

Backup: Earl Okine

Nose: Omar Hunter

Backup: Leon Orr

Tackle: Sharrif Floyd

Backup: Damien Jacobs

Buck: Lerentee McCray

Backup: Dante Fowler Jr.

Sam: Darrin Kitchens

Backup: Neiron Ball

Mike: Jonathan Bostic

Backup: Michael Taylor

Will: Jelani Jenkins

Backup: Antonio Morrison

CB: Jaylen Watkins

Backup: Loucheiz Purifoy

SS: Matt Elam

Backup: Valdez Showers

FS: Josh Evans

Backup: Jabari Gorman

CB: Marcus Roberson

Backup: Cody Riggs

Nickel: Matt Elam

Backup: Jaylen Watkins

Dime: Matt Elam

Backup: Brian Poole

What Happened to the Aggies Last Week?

The Aggies were supposed to play on Thursday against Louisiana Tech. The game was postponed until October 13 by the WAC commissioner who was afraid that Hurricane Isaac might endanger the athletes and fans at the game.

The Aggies have not played a game yet in 2012.

What Happened to the Gators Last Week?

The Florida Gators beat the Bowling Green Falcons 27-14 in Gainesville, FL on Saturday. The Gators rode Gillislee on offense as he rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns against Bowling Green.

Florida entered the game with a question at quarterback. Both Brissett and Driskel played a quarter in the first half. Driskel started the second half of the game and played the entire half.

The Florida defense held Bowling Green to 327 total yards. That is 28 yards more than Florida gave up on average in 2011.

The victory over Bowling Green extended the Gators win streak to 23 games in opening day wins. That is the second longest streak in the nation behind Nebraska's 26 games.

What a Win This Week Would Mean to the Gators and the Aggies

A win by the Gators would add some credibility to the hire of Muschamp as the head coach. Muschamp led the Gators to a 7-6 record in 2011. He cannot afford another mediocre record. A win would also give the Gators a nice start on their conference season.

A win would be monumental for the Aggies. It would quiet all the naysayers who predicted that A&M would get blown out in every SEC game they played. A win would offer a quick validation of the hire of Kevin Sumlin as the Aggies' head coach. 

The Texas A&M fan base has been fired up about the SEC ever since the possibility of joining was mentioned in August of 2011. A win in the Ags' inaugural game in the conference would earn a lot of respect for the program from their conference brethren.

Key Player for the Aggies

The most important player for the Aggies against the Gators is going to be Manziel. When the redshirt freshman lines up under center for the first time, it will be the first snap he has received in his college career.

Manziel does not need to win the game for the Aggies; he needs to make sure he does not lose it though. The reason Manziel is the most important player is because the easiest way for the Aggies to lose this game is through turnovers.

If Manziel can play within himself and limits the turnovers that the offense produces, then the Aggies have a great chance to win the game.

Manziel is a 6'1", 200 lb quarterback who has great speed. He is a threat to make plays with his feet and his arm. The Aggies need him to simply run the offense against the Gators. The last time A&M stepped onto Kyle Field they lost a game because the quarterback turned the ball over instead of simply throwing it out of bounds and punting. 

The Ags need Manziel to protect the ball against the Gators if they want to win the game.

Key Player for the Gators

Gillislee is the Gators' offense for all intents and purposes. Muschamp wants to win games by running the ball and playing defense. If the Ags can contain Gillislee then they will likely shut down the Gator offense.

Gillislee had 148 yards and two touchdowns rushing on 24 carries against Bowling Green. That is an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Gillislee entered the game with a 6.2 yards per carry average for his career.

If Gillislee is able to run the ball against the Aggies it means that the Gators will be able to extend drives and keep the Aggie offense on the sideline. Sumlin wants the Aggies to average 100 offensive snaps per game. Muschamp and the Gators will try to bleed the clock and keep the Ags' offense on the sideline where it cannot hurt the Florida defense.

Gillislee is the Gators' greatest offensive threat. As he goes, so goes the Gators' offense in 2012.

Aggies Will Win If...

The Aggies will win against the Gators if they limit turnovers and silly mistakes. More often than not, the opening game of the season is lost, not won. If the Aggies want to win the game then they have to limit all the typical mistakes that plague teams on opening weekend.

The Aggies need to play with good ball security and need to limit silly penalties. They also need to play with good fundamentals on defense and wrap up when they tackle. It is a lot to ask of a team to be good tacklers on opening day, but that is what the A&M defense will need to do if they want to open the season with a victory.

If the Ags do not shoot themselves in the foot, then they should have enough offensive firepower to outscore the Gators even if the Gators have an excellent defensive game.

Gators Will Win If...

The Gators will beat the Aggies if they can force two or more turnovers. If they can force the Aggies to turn the ball over, they will be able to grind on the Aggies' defensive line, which does not have a lot of depth.

They would also be able to keep the Aggie offense on the sidelines. Florida does not have the offensive firepower to get into a shootout with A&M.

They do have an excellent defense and dynamic players on special teams. If they can give their offense extra possessions through turnovers, then they can win the game on the road.

Prediction

Prediction: Texas A&M 24, Florida 19

A fired up 12th Man will keep the Aggies' defense playing hard for four quarters. The Aggies will make plenty of mistakes on opening weekend, but the defense will limit the Florida offense to field goals.

A&M will be able to produce enough of a running game with Manziel, Christine Michael and Trey Williams to score in the red zone against a tough Florida defense.

The Aggies will win their first ever game in the SEC in a game that is not settled until the last second ticks off the clock.