[Now that we've got a decent-but-not-good-and-far-from-great sample size of games to work with, Fit4LifeLLC and I - but mostly him - will work to give you a look at the numbers heading into our opponents for the remainder of the season. This week, the Texas A&M Aggies come to town.]
Date and Time: Saturday, October 12th, 7:30 PM Central
Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
Television: ESPN or Watch ESPN
Favorites: Texas A&M by 6.5
Texas A & M, led by Johnny "Football" Manziel (Texans come up with very clever nicknames, y'all), come to Oxford for the second year in a row. Last year's contest was very competitive and ultimately frustrating for Rebel fans, with the Aggies scoring 13 points in the games final 5 minutes to win 30-27. This season, the Aggie offense has proven to be very deep, talented and efficient. Many detractors of Texas A&M thought that the losses along the offensive line might cause some slow down of the up tempo style they play. Those detractors were wrong because, if anything, they seem to be better. Manziel's play making ability once the play breaks down is one of the difficult things to defend about this offense. The Aggies boast a deep receiving corps led by a future NFL draft pick Mike Evans, but don't be fooled into thinking this is all the Aggies have. Even after losing a top recruit in Ricky Seals Jones to a knee injury, Aggie QB's have completed passes to 18 different receivers. Ben Malena is also a force to be reckoned with in the rushing game, meaning that Texas A&M isn't as much a "Johnny Football and ten other guys" type of team that fans seem to assume they are.
The Aggie defense on the other hand has appeared to be shaky and unable to shut down opposing teams to this point in the season. They are currently last in the SEC in total offense (476.8 ypg) and second to last in scoring defense (30.8 ppg). Naturally, this is partially a function of their high scoring offense (more possessions for one team does lead to more possessions for the other, and therefore more opportunities to score), but they've generally struggled to stop their opponents, particularly on the ground. Due to a lack of depth on the defensive side of the ball the Aggies have had to pull redshirt status from several this year. Making matters worse, the Aggies lost starting defensive tackle Kirby Ennis for the year against Arkansas with a torn ACL.
The Rebels desperately need to get back into some semblance of rhythm this week as they have had difficulty getting the running game going the last two weeks. The ability to run the ball and control tempo will prove to be the best defense for the Rebels. Last year, the ability to hold on to the ball, coupled with an opportunistic defense creating 6 turnovers (good luck duplicating that) kept the Rebels close and almost allowed them to pull off the upset. This year will require a similar performance, and then some. Over the last two weeks, opposing teams have done a good job defending the zone read to the boundary. The Rebels tried to adjust last week by using Barry Brunetti and I'Tavius Mathers more inside but seemingly lost too many 1 on 1's and got behind on the scoreboard early for that to have a significant impact. It will be interesting to see if the Rebels show some improvement and place an stronger emphasis on the inside running game with the absence of Kirby Ennis.
The Keys to the Game this week:
1) Offense has to get back into rhythm
2) Defense must force a few turnovers
3) Neutralize Manziel by controlling the clock
Statistical Leaders
Name |
Interceptions |
Comp % |
Yards |
TD |
Rating |
||||||
Johnny Manziel |
4 |
71.4 |
1489 |
14 |
297.8 |
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Matt Joeckel |
0 |
64.3 |
253 |
1 |
126.5 |
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Name |
Attempts |
Yards |
Average |
TD |
Long |
||||||
Johnny Manziel |
48 |
338 |
6.5 |
3 |
21 |
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Ben Malena |
57 |
308 |
5.3 |
7 |
25 |
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Tra Carson |
41 |
235 |
5.6 |
4 |
22 |
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Trey Williams |
15 |
122 |
8.1 |
1 |
31 |
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Name |
Receptions |
Yards |
Average |
TD |
Long |
Mike Evans |
28 |
691 |
24.7 |
5 |
95 |
Malcome Kennedy |
23 |
242 |
10.5 |
4 |
34 |
Derel Walker |
19 |
264 |
13.9 |
0 |
32 |
Sabian Holmes |
13 |
145 |
11.2 |
1 |
33 |
Ben Malena |
10 |
97 |
9.7 |
1 |
23 |
LaQuvionte Gonzalez |
6 |
51 |
8.5 |
0 |
13 |
Edward Pope |
4 |
39 |
9.8 |
0 |
12 |
Ricky Seals-Jones |
3 |
84 |
28 |
1 |
71 |
OFFENSE TAMU TAMU DEFENSE
Scoring |
246 |
154 |
First Downs |
147 |
121 |
Rushing Yardage |
1107 |
1074 |
Passing Yardage |
1825 |
1310 |
Total Offense |
2932 |
2384 |
Total Plays |
381 |
362 |
Average Per Play |
7.7 |
6.6 |
OFFENSE OM OM DEFENSE
Scoring |
136 |
126 |
First Downs |
116 |
96 |
Rushing Yardage |
920 |
879 |
Passing Yardage |
1219 |
928 |
Total Offense |
2139 |
1807 |
Total Plays |
384 |
344 |
Average Per Play |
5.6 |
5.3 |
Misc Statistical Comparisons
OM |
TAMU |
|
Turnovers |
8 |
5 |
Punting |
20 for 933yds (39.7 yds net) |
15 for 723yds (40.5 yds net) |
Time of Possession (avg) |
27:32 |
27:59 |
3rd Conversion % |
41% (30 for 74) |
57% (34 for 60) |
4th Conversion % |
53% (9 for 17) |
60% (3 for 5) |
Sacks |
5 for 24 yards lost |
4 for 15 yards lost |
FG |
6 for 8 (75%) |
4 for 5 (80%) |
Red Zone Scoring |
79% (15 for 19) |
83% (29 for 35) |
Penalties |
24 for 201 yards (40.2 yds/game) |
33 for 300 yards (60 yards/game) |