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Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech - September 30, 2:30 PM (ABC TV) @ Kyle Field Don't worry; I'm not going to be filling up empty space discussing the number of players that return off each team from last year. No need to mention who plays where and which player does what because these two schools know each other like brother knows sister. Nope, I won't bore you with all that useless information because this game simply boils down to who will execute and make the fewest number of mistakes - from the coach, to the player, to the fan, yes…the fan (see intangibles below) - over 60 minutes of a football game. Just to make the point, Texas Tech changes quarterbacks year after year and their offense never misses a beat. Same scheme, different players - same result. Texas Tech will always get yards, no matter the personnel, but will they get the points this weekend? When Texas Tech has the ball: Assuming no turnovers, the team that wins this match-up on Saturday will probably end up on top. One key question...…does the young Texas Tech quarterback, Graham Harrell, shake off the difficulties of having to play in an intimidating enemy environment and take Tech over the top? Or does A&M's 4-2-5 defense offer a similar resistance to what the TCU Horned Frogs provided in their 12-3 victory over Tech in Forth Worth? The Red Raiders will continue to do what they've always done. Ranked #3 in the country in passing offense, Tech will throw the football 50 times or more during the course of the game and they will get their yards. It's not a matter of whether they pile up the yards, but more a question of can they get the ball into the end zone against an A&M defense ranked 19th in scoring? On A&M's side, what can the Aggies do to slow Tech? Ask one group of A&M fans and they'd probably say blitz more so that you can confuse Harrell, taking him out of his game and forcing him into mistakes. Well, you're right. Ask another group of Aggies and they'd likely say you'd be better served to get enough pressure with your front four (or three depending on alignment), keeping everything in front of you (nothing over the top), tackle well and punish everything in your path. Well, you're right, too. I think the key for A&M is to keep the young Tech quarterback out of his rhythm, changing up and not showing the same look time after time. Blitz some, but also drop 6-7 guys into coverage at times as well, run to the football and punish the Tech receivers whenever they catch it. An interesting side bar here is that TCU coach Gary Patterson coached for Dennis Franchione at TCU. How much A&M learned from the TCU/TECH tape and in conversations with Patterson - and whether or not it helps them in being more effective - is at least something to consider. Advantage EVEN Key Match-Ups: Texas A&M DB's and linebackers against Texas Tech's receivers; Texas A&M's DL and the Kyle Field fans against Graham Harrell. When A&M has the ball: The A&M offense ranks #15 in rushing, #37 in passing, #15 in total offense and #7 in scoring. The Tech defense ranks #57 in rushing, #20 against the pass, #32 in total defense and #20 in scoring. Though Texas Tech has steadily improved over the last several years on the defensive side of the ball, it would appear that A&M holds more of the clear-cut advantages. I think A&M must stay balanced in this game - at least early - so that Tech won't bunch-up to try and stop the run. A&M's receivers are more talented and significantly more physical than Tech's inexperienced DB's and I think the Raiders can be exploited with mismatches throughout the course of the game. However, A&M's ability to control the ball on the ground against a solid Tech front will probably determine the winner on this side of the ball. I'd love to see a little option game like we saw against Texas and Oklahoma to end the year last year, just to see if Tech can handle it. I mentioned above that Tech would get their yards and then asked the question if they'd get their points. On A&M's side, when the Aggies are near the goal line they'll go to the nation's leading scorer, Jorvorskie "J-Train" Lane, and points, especially inside the 5 yard line, are all but assured. Advantage A&M Key Match-Ups: Texas A&M's OL against the DL of Texas Tech. Texas A&M's Stephen McGee against Tech's inexperienced secondary. Special Teams - Other Intangibles: Texas A&M's games are at Kyle Field. Players change, coaches come and go, but Kyle will always be intimidating for anyone that visits, usually giving the Aggies the heavy edge. Since 1985, the Aggies are 110-20-1 at Kyle Field for an 84.4 winning percentage. The home team in this Tech/A&M series is 16-4 over the last 20 games played. The last 10 home games for A&M vs. Tech show the Aggies with an 8-2 advantage. Dennis Franchione's old school (TCU) runs the same defense the Aggies do and Gary Patterson (who was the DC for Fran) shut down Tech with a like system. That information has been passed on and the blueprint was there for all to see. Aside from the place-kicker (and this could be a factor in a close game), A&M holds every advantage in this very important facet of the game. Advantage A&M PREDICTION: The Aggies should have an easier time moving the football, and a significantly easier job scoring inside the red zone against Tech than Tech against A&M, especially at Kyle Field. Coach Dennis Franchione should have an advantage over Mike Leach in that he's working with the luxury of having witnessed his old school (TCU) - with arguably less talented players and with the same 4-2-5 defense - keep Tech out of the end zone in a 12-3 win two weeks ago. Texas A&M 31 - Texas Tech 24 Texas A&M Depth Chart Texas A&M Roster Texas Tech Roster |