10 Things for Tuesday

1. Ironically, Texas A&M has Texas to thank for their identity on both sides of the ball this year. The Longhorns dominated both lines of scrimmage in last year’s matchup between the two teams, which coach Mike Elko freely admitted after the game. But this year, the roles are quite different. The Texas A&M offensive line is one of the absolute best in the country, and they have worn down one opponent after another. The defensive line hasn’t been as dominant, but the Aggie defense is still second nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss per game. In their first season in the SEC, Texas showed A&M what needed to be done in order to win consistently. Elko and his coaches took notes, and now they’re looking for payback.

2. Texas has had trouble running the ball all season. They’re averaging 3.7 yards a carry (A&M is averaging 5.0) and are ranked 110th in the nation in rushing. The Longhorns and Aggies have had three common opponents, and you can see how they both fared on the ground:

Opponent	Texas	Texas A&M
Arkansas	28 carries, 97 yards	35 carries, 217 yards
Florida	26 carries, 52 yards	42 carries, 183 yards
Mississippi State	32 carries, 72 yards	54 carries, 299 yards

Short version: Texas had trouble running on teams A&M pulverized. If you had any questions about how important Arch Manning and the passing game will need to be for Texas, you have your answer.

3. Since conference play started, Texas A&M’s defense has given up 17 third down conversions in 99 attempts (17.1%). The Aggies have held six teams to two third down conversions or less: Samford and Auburn didn’t convert a single one in a combined 28 attempts; Florida and Mississippi State converted 1 each and LSU and Utah State both converted 2. Texas converts 40.8% of their third downs, which is 62nd in the country. The Aggies are number one in 3rd down conversion defense by a wide margin at 22.2%.

4. Texas is ranked eighth nationally in rush defense, but there are indicators that A&M may well be able to run as usual. Mississippi State’s Davon Booth, who ran really well against A&M (8 carries, 59 yards) had a lot more work against Texas (24 carries, 99 yards), and did pretty well. Georgia ran for 128 yards on 35 carries, which is 3.7 yards a clip. That’s not fantastic, but it keeps the chains moving. Then Arkansas ran all over Texas for 188 yards on 31 carries (6.1 YPC). We know how good Mike Washington and the quarterback run game is for the Razorbacks, but A&M’s not far behind. The Razorbacks are 20th in the nation in rushing offense, while A&M is 25th.

5. Last night in Monday Thoughts, I mentioned that Texas’ defense had played 76 snaps more than A&M’s defense has. I said that was essentially half a game, but someone pointed out to me that my premise was wrong. If there are 130 plays in a game, give or take, half of the time Texas is on offense. So the defense has, roughly, played an entire game more of snaps than A&M’s defense has.

6. The two biggest matchup battles may be Aggie OL Trey Zuhn and Dametrious Crownover vs. Texas DE Colin Simmons, and Texas tackles Brandon Baker and Trevor Goosby against A&M DE Cashius Howell. These are, bar none, the best two pass rushers in the SEC and if one goes off Friday night, their team’s going to be in great shape to win the game.

7. Good news for the Aggies Tuesday night as WR Mario Craver and RB EJ Smith are not on the injury report. Craver is especially important, because Texas has struggled in pass coverage down the stretch. They’re now 105th in the nation in passing yards allowed, at 242.8 YPG. In case you were interested, A&M is 23rd in passing yards allowed at 183.1 YPG. Again, a look at how common opponents did against both teams:

Opponent	Texas	Texas A&M
Arkansas (Taylen Green and KJ Jackson)	26-49, 324 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT	20-33, 259 yards, 3 TD
Florida (DJ Lagway)	21-28, 298 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT	21-37, 245 yards, 2 TD
Mississippi State (Blake Shapen)	26-42, 381 yards, 4 TD	15-20, 142 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Texas has an excellent pass rush, but if you can get the ball off you can do some damage. The Aggies are averaging 14.6 yards per completion, 6th nationally, and Ashton Bethel-Roman took off in Craver’s absence. On Friday night, the Aggies will start three receivers averaging 15.9 (KC Concepcion), 16.6 (Craver) and 24.6 (Bethel-Roman) yards per catch. Marcel Reed absolutely must take advantage of the favorable matchups his receivers should have.

8. This game could drag on for a while, and not necessarily because it’s a shootout. It’s because these are two of the most penalized teams in college football. Texas is 132nd in both penalties per game and penalty yardage, while A&M is soooooo much better at 119th and 114th, respectively.

9. One clear advantage Texas has is at kicker, where Mason Shipley is 16-20 on the season. A&M’s kickers are a combined 14-22. If it comes down to a field goal, someone for the Aggies (Jared Zirkel, probably) will have to do a whole lot better than they have to this point in the season.

10. Thursday is Thanksgiving, and I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your readership, your membership and your friendship.

This year has been a challenge in so many ways — personally, emotionally and professionally. It has been, without question, the most difficult year of my life.

Your support has been a lifeline. Your kindness has been an anchor.
Your messages, your presence, your belief in what we’ve built kept me going when I didn’t have much left in the tank.

Whatever the new year brings, I know this journey has been the ride of a lifetime, and I feel blessed beyond measure to be on it with you. Now, let’s do it the way coach Elko would want and “finish”.