Texas A&M Football: Why A&M Will Beat Oklahoma

The Texas A&M Aggies take on the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday at Owen Field in Norman. The Aggies are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12. The Sooners are 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

A&M is coming off an overtime loss to Missouri, while OU blew out previously undefeated Kansas State in Manhattan.

If the Aggies want to resurrect a disappointing season, then they need to start on Saturday against the Sooners.

Oklahoma is a top 10 football team who tends to play great at home. They had won 39 games in a row at home before dropping a game to Texas Tech two weeks ago. The Aggies have the talent on hand to give OU a two-game home losing streak. 

The Aggies will need to put together four good quarters of football together for the first time all year. Now that everyone in the country is expecting the Aggies to lose this game, I expect them to step up and show the nation why they were so highly thought of entering the season.

Let's takes a look at some reasons why A&M is going to beat OU in Norman on Saturday.

A&M's OL Is a Bad Matchup for Oklahoma

Oklahoma's defense at its foundation is based on their excellent defensive ends controlling the line of scrimmage and harassing opposing quarterbacks.

Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis are having excellent years for the Sooners. Alexander leads the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Lewis has 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

Tech showed everyone that if you can keep those two out of the backfield then you have a chance at winning. While Alexander and Lewis had two sacks against Tech, they were not constantly harassing Seth Doege. OU does not have the defensive tackles to dominate a game and their secondary is suspect. When given time, opposing quarterbacks have had success passing against OU.

A&M's bookend pair of offensive tackles in Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews should be able to handle Alexander and Lewis one on one. If need be the Ags can have Cyrus Gray or Christine Michael chip on them when coming out of the backfield.

The Ags OL will given Ryan Tannehill enough time to pick apart the Sooners secondary.

OU Struggles to Consistently Run the Ball

The Sooners have struggled to consistently run the ball all year. Dominique Whaley was their leading rusher and he was lost to the season with a broken ankle against Kansas State.

The diminutive Roy Finch is the Sooners second leading rusher with 259 yards rushing for the year. OU is expected to use a running back by committee approach against the Aggies. The issue for OU is that even with Whaley they struggled to find a consistent running game.

The Aggies will be able to make the Sooners one-dimensional on offense. Despite a poor showing against Missouri the Ags run defense has been solid this year. OU has struggled to run the ball when they had to run it and this should continue against A&M.

Tim Deruyter should be able to dial up some exotic blitzes to pressure Landry Jones. The Aggies do not need to sack him, just pressure him into mistakes.

A&M's Two Headed Rushing Attack Is the Best OU Has Faced

Oklahoma has not faced a pair of running backs like Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael.

In 2010, Gray led the Aggies to victory with 122 yards rushing. He may again lead the Aggies in rushing against OU as his patient running style is perfectly fit for Oklahoma's penetrating defense.

Gray will make the OU defensive ends pay for rushing up field and losing containment.

Michael can hit the Sooners up the middle and keep their linebackers honest.

Oklahoma struggled to stop the Missouri running game earlier in the year with the Tigers rushing for 241 yards in Norman.

The Aggies should be able to move the ball on the ground and keep the OU offense on the sideline.

Landry Jones Turns the Ball over When Pressured

Landry Jones struggles to be an effective quarterback when he is pressured.

While OU has only allowed three sacks on the year, it is not necessary to sack Jones to negatively affect his game. He has shown throughout his career that if you pressure him, he will make mistakes.

The Aggies have the second best blitzing offense in the country behind OU. The Aggies are very good at pressuring and sacking quarterbacks. A&M defensive coordinator Tim Deruyter excels at finding ways to pressure quarterbacks in spread offense like the Sooners run.

The Aggies will be able to pressure Jones and should be able to force errant throws and interceptions.

Mike Sherman Responds Well After Losses

Mike Sherman has received a lot of criticism, some of it deserved, during his four seasons in Aggieland.

One of the Sherman's best attributes is his ability to remain on an even keel. He does not get too low after losses, and his team has responded after losses during his tenure at A&M.

You can expect the A&M football team to come out fired up and ready to play in Norman because that has been the history of the team under Sherman.

The team under Sherman responds after losses and gives maximum effort on the field.

Oklahoma Has Not Faced a QB Like Ryan Tannehill

The Oklahoma defense is allowing 214 yards per game passing and has only faced one real passing offense this year.

Ryan Tannehill is averaging 290 yards passing per game and is also a threat to take off and run.

The Oklahoma secondary has some good individual talent in it like Jamel Fleming and Tony Jefferson, but they do not always play well as a unit. When Fleming missed the Tech game, Seth Doege shredded their secondary.

Florida State's backup quarterback had some success throwing the ball against OU.

Tannehill is a better offensive threat than either of those two quarterbacks and has better weapons at his disposal than either of those two teams.

Other than Oklahoma State this will be the best offense that Oklahoma faces this year.