Louisiana - Monroe: Saturday, September 15th - 6:00 p.m. @ Kyle Field

This week's preview will focus less on the opponent and have more to do with Texas A&M.

That is not an attempt to discredit the University of Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhakws' football team has proven to be a quality match
against a number of top BCS teams over the last several years. Just last weekend, for example, UL-M had two 100 yard rushers and
scored 26 points on the road against 23rd ranked Clemson, a convincing winner the week before over Florida State. The UL-M
offense, currently ranked 17th in the nation and averaging 241.5 yards per game on the ground, accumulated 419 yards of total
offense against the Tigers.

The Warhawks will definitely have Texas A&M's full attention at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

The Aggies, however, after a gritty, hard-fought and extremely draining three-overtime win over Fresno State, will more than likely
have a bigger fight on their hands this weekend - The Aggies themselves.

Everyone knows that college football is a game of emotion. Intensity and desire play such a huge part in determining the outcome of
virtually every contest, and momentum usually rides on the shoulders of the team possessing the ability to play for a full 60 minutes.
Teams that are consistently successful in accomplishing this task are usually rewarded with win(s), but the type grittiness, heart and
internal will with which we saw the Aggies display last week is sometimes difficult to duplicate on back-to-back weekends.

It's not going to be easy, at all, but this A&M team appears to be cut from a different cloth.

In my 35 years of watching Aggie football, I've never seen a team as close-knit as this one. I've never witnessed a group of players
pulling in the same direction as much as this one does.

And if it hasn't already, that will eventually begin to show up in the results. We saw it last year against Army; it was clear against
Texas; and then again last weekend versus Fresno State. With the outcome hanging in the balance and a game-changing drive
staring them in the face, this Aggie team - as is seemingly always the case - stood tall and delivered.

You can talk about certain areas of the team that need improvement. You can discuss any topic about the program you'd like, but
one item not up for debate is the way these guys go about their business.

The Aggies simply refuse to lose. Whether it's the goal-line stand versus Army; a sick quarterback sucking it up and leading his
team - at the close of the fourth quarter - to a game-clenching drive versus Texas; or whether it's what we all witnessed against
Fresno State. These Aggies have something special that not many teams possess - heart and moxie.

All good coaches try and get their respective teams to pull in one direction. "Hold the rope," and "play with one heartbeat" are
common themes. But the character exhibited within the confines of this team is, well, unparalleled.

Texas A&M offense versus the Uiversity of Louisiana-Monroe defense

There's been much talk over the past two weeks regarding Texas A&M's ability to pass. This preview won't attempt to change your
opinion on that matter, but through two games last year the Ags had thrown for an average of 235.5 yards per game. I'd look for at
least that number this weekend as the Warhawks have allowed an average of 313 yards per game thru the air against their first two
opponents - Clemson and Tulsa. The UL-M defense has allowed an average of 513 total yards per game, so you can expect to see
the Ags control the ball and control the clock in this contest. One area of caution - A&M may very well accumulate sizeable passing
numbers before this game is concluded, but that may not be the primary approach in the beginning (see run game). The offense of
UL-M is where most of the weaponry resides and it would be a smart move on the coaches' part to use every advantage at their
disposal in keeping the Warhawks off the field.

Advantage: Texas A&M

Texas A&M's defense versus the University of Louisiana-Monroe offense

Doak Walker award candidate Calvin Dawson has 7 consecutive 100-yard rushing games and ranks 4th all-time in UL-M history
with 2,235 yards. He has rushed for over 100 yards against four-consecutive BCS conference schools - Alabama, Arkansas,
Kentucky and Clemson - with the latest being the 121-yard effort last weekend against Clemson. Led by senior center Adam Hill
and senior tackle Kyle Cunningham, the UL-M offensive line returns for their third consecutive year as starters. Make no mistake,
this Warhawk offense has some explosive players and will gain yardage against anyone, and it will be an extremely tough test for
A&M's defense following last week's marathon game against FSU. Led by Davey O'Brian award candidate, QB Kinsmon
Lancaster, UL-M gained 419 total yards on the road last week at Clemson.

Advantage: Even

Special Teams - Other intangibles

The Warhawks possess one of the nation's top kickers in Lou Groza award candidate Cole Wilson. Wilson has made good on his
last 14 field goal attempts and currently holds the UL-M record (set at Clemson) for consecutive kicks made. He's knocked down 18
of his last 19 attempts and has 7-straight from 40-49 yards. The Aggies have the advantage in this department, however, because
of their superior depth, kick-return teams, home field advantage and having two fine kickers at their disposal as well.

Advantage: Texas A&M

PREDICTION:

As has been mentioned, this might not be such an easy assignment for the Aggies. UL-M has played a number of BCS conference
teams close over the past several years, and the Warhawks possesses some explosive players on offense. But the Aggie offense -
in the end - is the one that should prove too powerful for the UL-M defense to contain. I expect the Aggies to get healthy in a number
of different areas on the field this weekend and to control the game for a majority of the contest. I'd expect us to open by establishing
the run, attempting to keep the UL-M offense off the field, and to try and gain control of the clock and the game from the onset. I'd
then look for us to work on other areas that need improvement as the game progresses. I'd also look for a number of different
players to get time on the field because we're following a game that went 7 periods with another coming in 5 days on the road after
this one.

Texas A&M 48 - Louisiana-Monroe 23