Texas Longhorns-Texas A&M Aggies Game Preview

The Texas Longhorns, coming into this game with a record of 5-6, will host the Texas A&M Aggies this Thursday night in Austin.  The Aggies have a record of 8-3 coming into this game, and beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 9-6 last week.  The Longhorns beat the Florida Atlantic Owls, 51-17, last Saturday afternoon.

This game features two teams in a reversal of fortune so to speak.  The Longhorns are normally the team that is heading into games between these two schools at or near the top of the Big 12 and headed to the Championship Game.  That’s not the case this time around.

Instead, the Longhorns are not only fighting to get above .500 but they are also fighting to get the six wins that they need just to become bowl eligible.  They have to beat the Aggies this Thursday night or else they won’t be able to achieve those two all important goals.

The Aggies have been playing some good football this season and will give the Longhorns some problems but can a motivated Texas team pull out a win and get to .500?  Can they get that magical sixth victory so that they can play in a bowl game?

Let’s find out in this extended game preview.

When the Longhorns have the Ball

Texas got some good offensive output last Saturday against the Owls thanks to a crisp ball control offense that featured good running by running back Cody Johnson (in there for the injured Fozzy Whitaker) and some nice passing by quarterback Garrett Gilbert.  

One of the big reasons why the Longhorns were able to do what they did against the Owls was because their offensive line, which had been struggling during the season, finally started to gel and play better.  They can continue to do this against the Aggies this Thursday night.

Gilbert has attempted 404 passes completing 240 of those for nine touchdowns and 15 interceptions.  He is averaging 229 yards per game and his best game was the last game the Longhorns played (against the Owls).  The Longhorns will need to have Gilbert play a similar game this week in order to control the ball and win the game.

The Aggies are allowing teams an average of 242 yards per game through the air so things will be about even here.  The Longhorns need to do what they did last week against Florida Atlantic and limit mistakes in the passing game in order to win this game.

The leading wide receiver for Longhorns so far this season is James Kirkendoll with 655 yards and two touchdowns.  Gilbert has become comfortable with Kirkendoll and his other top wide receiver, Mike Davis and these guys should see some passes thrown their way this Thursday.  Let’s just hope they make their mark and are caught.

One other thing that the Longhorns did last week that worked well was run the football.  Running the football helps to control the ball and the clock and that will be very important for the Longhorns to do in this game.

Texas’ leading rusher this season is Gilbert (in yards with 499) and Johnson (in touchdowns with six while rushing for 495 yards).  The Longhorns, overall, are averaging 151 yards per game while the Aggies are allowing teams to gain 114 yards per game so their rushing defense may give the Longhorns some problems.

They should try to run the ball anyway and see what they can do because ball control will be a big part of the Longhorns ability to win this game.

When the Aggies have the Ball

Texas A&M has been doing their damage on offense this season and has some players on that side of the ball that could cause problems for the Longhorn’s defense.

Their offense is lead by quarterback Ryan Tannehill.  Tannehill has attempted 169 passes with 116 completions for 1306 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions.  Tannehill hasn’t started the whole season but he’s an effective quarterback.  

Texas A&M quarterbacks have two good wide receivers to throw the ball to.  The leader in catches, Ryan Swope has caught 65 passes for 760 yards and four touchdowns.  Jeff Fuller has caught 62 passes for 959 yards and 11 touchdowns.  The Longhorns defense will be charged with covering them both because both players can help pick a defense apart.  

Texas has allowed 164 yards per game through the air while Texas A&M is getting about 295 yards per game.  It can be rest assured that the Longhorns will have their hands full with this passing game and will need to have excellent coverage in the secondary coupled with a solid pass rush to stop the Aggies passing attack and win this game.

When it comes to rushing the ball, Texas A&M has been good, averaging 159 yards per game on the ground, but not great.  Their leading rusher this season, Cyrus Gray, has rushed 153 times for 844 yards and has 10 touchdowns.  The Longhorns are letting teams gain an average of 129 yards on the ground.  

So if the Longhorn’s defense is on target Thursday night, they should be able to keep the Aggies rushing attack under control getting the ball back and making an effort, on offense, to win this game.

Analysis

There is a lot at stake for the Longhorns Thursday night.  Winning will help salvage at least a little bit of their pride after a horrible season and could quite possibly help them get into a bowl game.  Needless to say, the Longhorns don’t need any more motivation than that.

The Aggies have been playing some solid football all season and will be trying to gain some position to earn a nice bowl game (and some more money from a nicer bowl game).  You can also bet that the Aggies will want to beat the Longhorns to get some revenge over the past few years of beatings that they have suffered at the hands of the Longhorns.

So which team is the better team?  Going into the game, the Aggies have been playing better and much more consistent football this season and have things much more put together on both sides of the ball.  Texas is coming into this game with some confidence from their win against the Owls last week and will be ready.

Gilbert needs to continue his growth and should be able to have a decent game against the Aggies but can he lead them to a victory?  What is the formula for a Longhorns victory?

Texas needs to control the ball as much as possible in order to keep it out of the hands of the Aggie’s offense.  If they can do that they will win this game.  Long strikes and come from behind type stuff isn’t going to happen with this team.  They need to build a lead and hold it.

Prediction

It would be nice to see the Longhorns win this game and get above .500 plus get a shot at a bowl game but after seeing how they have played against the Big 12 teams this season, the Longhorns look like underdogs in this game.  If they can possess the ball as much as possible and not allow Texas A&M a lot of possession, they have a good shot at winning this game but if A&M gets a lead, it’s probably a loss for the Longhorns.

Texas A&M 34 Texas 28