Texas A&M vs. SMU Complete Game Preview
The Texas A&M football team is 3-0 and ranked No. 6 in the country in the latest AP poll. The Aggies will take on the 0-2 SMU Mustangs on Saturday in Dallas.
The Aggies are one of five teams from the West division of the SEC to earn a Top 10 ranking this week. They will be attempting to improve their record to 4-0 before they enter the meat of their SEC schedule.
The Mustangs are coming off of a rather eventful bye week. SMU head coach June Jones resigned, leaving defensive coordinator Tom Mason in charge as the interim head coach.
The Mustangs have been one of the worst teams in college football during the 2014 season. They have been outscored 86-6 in their previous two games.
This is a look at how the Aggies and Mustangs match up with each other for their contest on Saturday.
Texas A&M's Keys to Victory
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The Texas A&M football team played uninspired football in their 38-10 win over Rice. They need to come out as a motivated team against SMU and show that they deserve to be ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation.
Rice was able to hang onto the football on offense with long, time-consuming drives that kept the Aggies' offense on the sideline. The Owls outgained the Aggies 481 yards to 477 yards mainly by grinding out yardage on the ground.
Rice was able to rush for 240 yards against the Aggies. One of the reasons for Rice's success on the ground was that the Aggies started backup linebackers Justin Bass and true freshman Josh Walker against the Owls.
The Aggies will need to play the run better against SMU than they did against Rice. They will need to force the Ponies' redshirt freshman quarterback, Kolney Cassel, to try to pass the ball to beat them.
SMU is not a very good team. The Aggies need to show up with the right mindset and limit turnovers and they will win this contest on the Hilltop.
SMU's Keys to Victory
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If the Mustangs are going to pull off the upset over the Aggies, then they are going to need to follow the formula that Rice used. They are going to need to run the ball successfully and keep the Aggies offense off the field.
SMU has been terrible at running the ball in 2014. The are averaging minus-seven yards per contest through two games. The Mustangs do have a couple of big backs who could give the smaller Aggies linebackers trouble.
K.C. Nlemchi is a 6'0", 225-pound junior running back for the Mustangs. He and 6'0", 228-pound sophomore running back Prescott Line could be a load to bring down for the Aggies' smallish linebackers, like Tommy Sanders.
The Rice game featured quarterback Driphus Jackson and other Owl players shrugging off tackle attempts by Sanders and gaining extra yardage on plays to extend drives. Nlemchi and Line have the size to do the same thing for SMU.
If Nlemchi and Line can run the ball successfully, that will take the pressure off of quarterback Kolney Cassel to carry the offense. On defense, the Mustangs are going to have to find a way to force turnovers, or Kenny Hill is going to slice up their secondary.
Texas A&M Players to Watch
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The Aggies are led on offense by triggerman Kenny Hill. He became the first player in school history to surpass 1,000 yards passing after the first three games of the season.
Hill has completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns with no interceptions through three games. He has completed passes to 16 different receivers on the team.
Senior receiver Malcome Kennedy has been Hill's favorite target. He leads the team with 24 receptions for 258 yards on the season.
An argument can be made that no defensive player in the country is playing better than true freshman defensive end Myles Garrett. With 2.5 sacks against Rice, he set the A&M record with 5.5 sacks in a season by a freshman.
Garrett is playing at an All-American level right now, and the SEC record of eight sacks in a season is definitely attainable for the talented freshman.
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SMU Players to Watch
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SMU senior safety Hayden Greenbauer has been an effective playmaker during the first two games of the 2014 season. He is third on the team in tackles with 12 and has added a tackle for loss and an interception.
Running back K.C. Nlemchi does not have impressive numbers with only 13 yards rushing in two games, but he is the type of power back who can give the Aggies trouble.
Senior linebacker Jonathan Yenga leads the Ponies in tackles with 15 and has added a tackle for loss. Expect him to be very active against the Texas A&M running game on Saturday.
What They Are Saying
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Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin on true freshman defensive end Myles Garrett, per Texas A&M's official website:
"He's tied the school record for most sacks in a season by a freshman and we've only played three games. I think it's safe to say the future is bright for that young man.
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In regards to changes in the way the Mustangs practice, SMU interim head coach Tom Mason told Bill Nichols of The Dallas Morning News, "We’re not going to tackle to the ground, but we’re going to put the pads on and we’re going to hit. It’s not going to be flag football."
Mason also said that a coach quitting in the middle of the season can be a huge distraction.
"When the head coach quits, that’s quite a transition for the team. My message was, ‘Hey, relax, we’ll get it right, sit down and take a deep breath. We’ve got a lot of football left, and you look at that schedule, it’s going to be hard but there’s a lot of winnable games.’ And I told them, ‘Let’s start having fun again.'
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Predicted Outcome
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The SMU Mustangs might be the worst team on the Aggies' schedule. They may be worse than FCS Lamar. The Mustangs should be motivated to play hard coming off of a bye week and with a new head coach.
If they play with a lot of passion and intensity, they could keep the game close for the first half. The Aggies simply have too much talent and depth for the Mustangs to handle.
The Aggies will beat SMU 62-3 in their first of two consecutive weeks spent in the Metroplex.
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