SMU vs. Texas A&M: Sunday Night Game Preview

Sunday, September 4th

7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports Net 

Texas A&M

The Aggies are poised to have a big season as they return 18 starters, three of which are stellar skill players on the offensive side of the ball.

Ryan Tannehill will get the start at quarterback after taking over halfway through the season last year.  He threw 13 touchdowns in the final six games of the season as the Aggies finished the year on a 6-0 run before losing to LSU in the Cotton Bowl.

The defense was very good last year, and despite losing standout linebacker Von Miller, should once again be a very strong unit.  The defensive backfield will be tested against June Jones’ run and shoot offense, but should be fine as all four starters are returning players.

Players to watch: QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Cyrus Gray, WR Jeff Fuller, LB Damontre Moore, CB Coryell Judie

SMU

SMU’s history has been revisited in the recent wake of the Miami scandal in which players received illegal benefits from boosters.  SMU received the “Death Penalty” and have taken two decades to recover.

June Jones took the reins in 2008 and made an immediate impact on a program that had not made a bowl game since the mid '80s.  In 2009, they made the Hawaii Bowl, notching a blowout victory over Nevada, then made their way to the Armed Forces Bowl the following year.

Kyle Padron has shown flashes at quarterback and managed to throw for an impressive 31 touchdowns last year.  Like Texas A&M, SMU returns 18 starters this season and is hoping to make a push in the C-USA.

Defensively, the Mustangs hope to improve on the 25.6 points per game they gave up a year ago.  This will be difficult against a Texas A&M offense that is loaded at the skill positions.  SMU will hope to score enough points and use their experience to battle in the trenches to pull off a big upset in College Station.

Players to watch: QB Kyle Padron, RB Zach Line, WR Cole Beasley, LB Taylor Reed, FS Chris Banjo

Erik Underwood is the creator of Saturdays in the Fall.  Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/erikunderwood