Arizona State vs. Texas A&M: Ticket Info, Date, TV Schedule and Live Stream
Prolific offenses take center stage to help start the 2015 college football season when the Texas A&M Aggies encounter the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday at 7 p.m. ET in NRG Stadium
Expect nothing short of a shootout as a seasoned Sun Devils offense enters somewhat hostile territory despite the neutral field. The Aggies have the ammunition to fight back, too, thanks to a strong returning cast of its own.
While games such as Wisconsin-Alabama and Texas-Notre Dame receive the lion's share of the hype, this one has the blueprint of a show-stealing collision thanks to firework-worthy offenses and improving defenses.
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Here's everything to know about the game.
Sticking With What Works
Other than a better display of depth and consistency on the defensive side of things, Arizona State doesn't have to change much going into Saturday.
Last year was a 10-win effort for the Sun Devils and a win in the Sun Bowl against Duke. Now coach Todd Graham gets to start Mike Bercovici full-time and keep him surrounded with a star-studded cast.
Brett Deckert of Cronkite Sports provided a bit of background on Graham's success:
Bercovici looked great last year when in the game for the hobbled Taylor Kelly, completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,445 yards and 12 scores. Continuity and years of experience lend credibility to the notion he'll do nothing short of improve.
Jaelen Strong might be gone, but D.J. Foster stuck around and will be the focus of the offense. He ran for 1,081 yards and nine scores last year while also catching 62 passes for 688 yards and three touchdowns. Don't forget bruising back Demario Richard, either, who last year averaged 5.7 yards per carry with 478 yards and four scores.
In other words, Saturday's contest figures to be right up Arizona State's alley, though there won't be much time to get warmed up against an opponent capable of matching stride for stride.
Finding a Balance
Like their opponents, it's hard to imagine the Aggies don't come out with a potent offense.
Quarterback Kyle Allen looked good at points last year before finishing with 16 touchdowns, while receiver Speedy Noil showed glimpses of elite play with 46 grabs for 583 yards and five scores.
An eight-win season wasn't what coach Kevin Sumlin and Co. had in mind, but the obvious area of improvement stuck out—defense. Now the team has highly regarded defensive coordinator John Chavis on board, who stressed the unit's new approach will mix well with flashes shown last year, per Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News:
"Football has changed a good bit, and we’ve had to tweak things. But ultimately, we’ve got a simple philosophy. We’re going to play the run with numbers, we’re going to try to outnumber you in the box, get an unblocked player to the point of attack, and we’re going to rush the passer with speed. When you say that, you better have corners that can handle those one-on-one situations.
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In fact, star sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett might dwarf anyone on the roster in popularity and importance at this point.
Garrett is one of the country's most-feared defenders after breaking Jadeveon Clowney's freshman sack record with 11.5. Even better, at least for Texas A&M, is the fact he'll get to run wild in the new scheme against an Arizona State offensive line debuting two new starters at tackle.
The Texas A&M offense gets the attention, but it's a revived defense that's ready to put the Aggies over the top, starting Saturday.
Viewing Info
When: Saturday, September 5, 7 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Television: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 69
- Spread: Texas A&M (-3.5)
Team Injury Reports
| Frederick Gammage | WR | Prob Sat |
| Grant Martinez | TE | Ques Sat |
| Laiu Moeakiola | LB | Ques Sat |
| Jalen Harvey | WR | Doub Sat |
| Sam Jones | OL | Ques Sat |
| Dillon Faamatau | OL | out for season |
| Tim White | WR | Prob Sat |
| Jay Bradford | RB | Out indefinitely |
Injury reports via USA Today.
Prediction
This one reeks of an upset, and not just because it's what Las Vegas seems to think will happen.
First of all, the contest goes down in Texas. Aggies faithful earned the moniker "12th Man" for good reason. But this also feels like last year, when the underdog Aggies went to then-No. 9 South Carolina to start the season and exploded for a 52-28 win.
Arizona State isn't a bad team by any means, but Garrett's talent in a new scheme against an unproven line smells of an exploitable situation. If the Aggies can jump out to a lead, it will also force the Sun Devils into a predictable attack, which might help Garrett even more.
Prediction: Texas A&M 42, Arizona State 34
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
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