Texas A&M Aggies vs. SMU Mustangs: Complete Game Preview

The Texas A&M Football team will travel to Dallas to take on the SMU Mustangs at Ford Field on Saturday. It will be the Aggies' second game of the season and their first non-conference game.

The SMU game is an important one for the Aggies because it will offer them the opportunity to to play in front of Metroplex recruits.

For the Aggies, the game offers a chance to get the bad taste of their mouth after the loss to Florida. For the Mustangs, it offers a chance to validate the progress that has been made on the Hilltop.

A win over the Aggies would be a statement win for the SMU program, and all that June Jones has accomplished since taking over as the head coach. 

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

Game-Day Information

Who: Texas A&M Aggies vs. SMU Mustangs

When: Saturday 2:30 CDT

Where: Dallas, TX

Stadium: Gerald J. Ford Stadium

TV: FSN

Radio: WTAW 1620 AM, Sirius Satellite, KTCK 1310 AM, 104.1 FM

Rankings: Texas A&M UR SMU UR

Records: Texas A&M 0-1 SMU 1-1

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 SMU

OFFENSE

QB: Garrett Gilbert

Backup: Conner Preston

RB: Zach Line

Backup: Rishaad Wimbley

LT: Ben Gottschalk

Backup: Kris Weeks

LG: Jordan Free

Backup: Chewy Chamagua

C: Taylor Lasecki

Backup: Ashton Duhe

RG: Blake McJunkin

Backup: Sam Rice

RT: Bryan Collins

Backup: Seaver Myers

XWR: Der’rikk Thompson

Backup: Gehrig Dieter

HWR: Darius Johnson

Backup: Ryan Walker

YWR: Jeremy Johnson

Backup: Cole Loftin

ZWR: Keenan Holman

Backup: Arrius Holleman

DEFENSE

LDE Kevin Grenier

Backup: Zach Wood

NG: Torlan Pittman

Backup: Aaron Davis

RDE: Margus Hunt

Backup: Beau Barnes

SLB: Stephon Sanders

Backup: Cody Worthen

Buck LB: Cameron Rogers

Backup: Randall Joyner

MLB: Taylor Reed

Backup: Kevin Pope

WLB: Ja’Gared Davis

Backup: Robert Seals

Left CB: Chris Parks

Backup: Jeremy Gray

SS: Ryan Smith

Backup: Daniel Roundtree

FS: Jay Scott

Backup: Jeremy Gray

RCB: Kenneth Acker

Backup: Keith Robinson

What Happened to the Aggies Last Week?

The Texas A&M football team lost to the No. 23 Florida Gators 20-17 at Kyle Field on Saturday in its season opener. The Aggies took a 17-10 lead into halftime but were unable to get their offense going in the second half.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel had a solid debut, completing 23-of-30 passes for 173 yards and added 60 yards on the ground. He struggled to move the offense in the second half when the Gators stacked the line of scrimmage and tried to block all the running lanes.

The defense was led by junior defensive end Damontre Moore who tallied 10 tackles with three sacks. For his efforts, Moore was named the SEC co-defensive lineman of the week.

What Happened to the Mustangs Last Week?

The SMU Mustangs blew out the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 52-0 at Ford Stadium in Dallas. With the win the Mustangs improved their season record to 1-0.

The SMU defense led the way against the Lumberjacks. The Mustangs returned two interceptions for touchdowns and had a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown against SFA.

The special teams got into the scoring act when linebacker Kenneth Acker returned a blocked field goal 56 yards for a touchdown to give SMU a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Mustangs' offense was led by quarterback Garrett Gilbert who completed 19-of-36 passes for 205 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

What a Win This Week Would Mean for the Mustangs and the Aggies

A win for the Mustangs would qualify as their biggest victory in years. Even though the Aggies are currently unranked, they are still a name program and someone the Mustangs have not beaten in decades.

An SMU win would qualify as a huge upset. It would be June Jones' biggest win at SMU to date and would silence some of the grumbling from SMU alumni ever since Jones was rumored to be interested in the Arizona State job.

A win for the Aggies would be the first win of the Sumlin era at A&M. The Aggies are expected to win this game. A win would be positive in that it is a chance for Dallas area recruits to see the Aggies win a game close to their home.

Key Player for the Aggies

The most important player on the field for the Aggies will once again be quarterback Johnny Manziel. A&M fans want to see how much Manziel has improved from game one to game two after the Aggie offense was shut out in the second half against Florida.

Look for Manziel to have a big day against an SMU defense that has struggled to stop the pass against Bayor and SFA. After two games the Mustangs are allowing 385 yards passing per game.

It should be a game where Manziel and the wide receivers can get their issues sorted out.

Key Player for the Mustangs

If SMU is going to have any chance to win this game, it is going to need a great performance from Garrett Gilbert. The junior quarterback from Austin seems to have suffered from some form of PTSD since losing to Alabama in the 2009 national title game.

He transferred for SMU from Austin for a fresh start. He was handed the starting job at quarterback but has been mediocre in the Mustangs first two games.

Gilbert is completing 55 percent of his passes for 245 yards per game and three touchdowns with three interceptions. He threw two interceptions against Baylor and one against SFA.

If the Mustangs want to beat the Aggies, then Gilbert will have to protect the ball.

Ags Will Win If.....

The Aggies will beat SMU if they put the Florida loss behind them and play their own game.

Texas A&M has a sizable talent advantage over the Mustangs. The Aggies' defensive line should feast on a rebuilt offensive line that has struggled in pass protection so far in 2012.

The porous Mustangs secondary should be the perfect remedy for an Aggies passing game that struggled to get the ball down the field in the opener.

The Aggies just have to come into the game focused and take care of business on the field.

The Mustangs Will Win If.....

SMU can win the game if the Mustangs repeat their defensive performance from SFA and force nine turnovers against the Aggies.

SMU does not have a very good defense and its offense is inconsistent. Even with wide receiver Darius Johnson back from injury, the Mustangs cannot afford to get into a track meet with A&M.

The only hope SMU has for a victory in this game is to create a large number of turnovers. If the Mustangs defense can set up their offense with short fields and keep the A&M offense off the field, then they have a chance to shock the Aggies.

Prediction

Prediction: Texas A&M 48, SMU 20

This is a "get right" game for the Aggies. The Mustangs have the unfortunate combination of a poor offensive line and a porous secondary.

The Aggies should be able to take advantage of both in Dallas on Saturday. Expect the Aggies to run and pass the ball much better than they did against Florida. Aggies fans should see a lot of hurry-up offense and as A&M will try to run 80-90 offensive plays against the Mustangs.

This should be a comfortable win for A&M. Do not be surprised to see Darius Johnson get a long touchdown reception against the Aggies secondary. He will play on Sundays.