2011 Texas A&M Aggies Football Preview and Prediction

Mike Sherman and the Aggies ended last season with a flurry. Will they be able to continue the upward progression and live up to the preseason hype that is suddenly surrounding the program?

 Throughout Mike Sherman’s first three years in College Station, many began to wonder if he was the right man for the job. Following a blowout loss at the hands of Missouri and a 3-3 start to the 2010 season, the wonders became voices of displeasure.  However, that all changed the following game. Sherman inserted Ryan Tannehill for a struggling Jerrod Johnson and suddenly Texas A&M appeared to be a different team.

The Aggies rolled off six straight victories, including wins over Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas–quite an impressive ending to the season.  The season ended with an unimpressive loss in the Cotton Bowl to LSU, but that loss did nothing to dampen the excitement heading into the 2011 season. The Aggies have 18 starters returning, including ten from an offense that became increasingly potent as 2010 progressed, and are poised for a run at a Big 12 championship and a BCS bowl berth.

Quarterbacks

Ryan Tannehill burst onto the scene and earned the admiration of Aggie fans throughout the country with his performance to close out last season. Tannehill, a former wide receiver, led the Aggies to six straight victories after replaced the turnover prone Jerrod Johnson and is poised for a huge season in 2011.  He has the talent and weapons needed to produce a 3,500 yard, 28 touchdown performance for the Aggies.  Jameill Showers, Matt Joeckel, and Johnny Manziel–a talented incoming freshman–will be fighting over the back-up quarterback role.

Running Backs

The return of Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael has the Aggie fans clambering at the possibilities for their running game this season. The duo combined for nearly 1,800 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2010, and even better numbers are expected heading into the 2011 season. Gray is one of the most talented running backs in the entire country and is an All-American candidate this season. The Aggies possess, arguably, one of the nations best running back corps, and will top the tremendous production of 2010.

Receivers

Mike Sherman was expecting a talented group of receivers for Tannehill to throw the ball to this season, but when he received word that Jeff Fuller would be returning to school instead of entering the NFL draft, you know he began salivating at the possibilities for his offense. The Aggies return their top seven leading receivers from a year ago, and will be one of the most talented corps in the entire country. Ryan Swope and Uzoma Nwachukwu, along with Nehemiah Hicks form a group that will be nearly impossible to slow down at every position.  A rather terrifying thought for opposing defenses this season.

Offensive Line

The offensive line for the Aggies return nine of their top ten from the depth chart a year ago, excluding center Matt Allen, and are looking toward improving upon the production they produced a season ago. The line allowed a few too many sacks, and expected better push in their running game, but with the youth that existed that is tough to fault. With another year of experience to mature, this group may grow into one of the most talented groups in the Big 12, led by the talents of Jake Matthews and Luke Joeckel at the tackle positions.

Defensive Line

Coming out of the spring, rumors swirled that the defensive line unit was the most dominant group on the defense–leading to high expectations heading into 2011. They return five of their top six, excluding Lucas Patterson, and are looking to improve upon the 3.5 yards per carry they allowed last season. Jonathan Mathis and Tony Jerod-Eddie headline the unit, and incoming JUCO talent, LaMarc Strahan has an opportunity to crack the rotation at the defensive tackle positions. Overall, this unit is poised to have an excellent season and be a strength on this team.

Linebackers

The loss of Von Miller, one of the most talented and loved players in school history, will be a tough blow to the Aggie defense. Miller was the heart and soul of the entire defensive unit, and replacing a Butkus winner does not come easy.  To pour salt on the would, they also lost their leading tackler, Michael Hodges,  and you can see why there are serious question marks surrounding this unit. Garrick Williams and Sean Porter– the #2 and #3 tacklers in 2010–will attempt to stabilize the blow dealt by the losses of Hodges and Miller.  Even though this unit is talented, its tough to expect any other than regression in 2011.

Defensive Backs

Unlike the linebacker crops, the defensive backfield returns their entire 2-deep in check and is ready to solidify itself as one of the best in the country.  Last season they allowed nearly 230 yards per game, but with the entire unit back, there is no reason to expect anything over 200 yards per game passing against this defense. Correll Judie and Trent Hunter will provide solid experience to accompany the five incoming defensive backs as part of the 2011 recruiting class.

Final Synopsis

Texas A&M fans have been waiting patiently for the Aggies return to respectability, and in 2010 everything came together. This season there is too much talent on hand for the Aggies to not be able to contend–and only a massive collapse of epic proportions could prevent this team from reaching nine victories. However, the folks that support the program expect more–they expect to beat Oklahoma and Texas and they expect to contend for a BCS Championship. That goal is attainable if everything falls in place for the Aggies, including beating Oklahoma in Norman–no easy task.

Last Year’s Record:9-4

Projected 2011 Record: 10-2