For much of the 2013 season, the Texas A&M defense has been a sieve that has allowed opponents to keep games close, and in some cases defeat the Aggies, despite an explosive offense. Head coach Kevin Sumlin’s decision to go with youth on the defense may prove to be the decisive factor in the Aggies qualifying for a BCS Bowl game.
After the Aggies lost to Auburn 45-41, Sumlin said that the Aggies had to take an honest look at who they were and how they were going to approach things from that point forward. Evidently that approach was to get younger on defense. The Aggies played a lot of freshmen on defense in their 56-24 win over Vanderbilt. For the first time all season, the defense was able to stop the run and get off the field on third downs. A&M only allowed Vanderbilt to rush for 95 total yards, averaging 2.2 yards per carry. The defense limited Vanderbilt to a season-low 329 total yards, and the Commodores only converted three of 14 third downs.
Aggie defensive coordinator Mark Snyder made a lot of changes on defense for the Vanderbilt game. Snyder runs a 4-3 “Under” scheme as his base defense, but is multiple by nature. He had the Aggies running the 33-stack scheme the majority of the game against Vanderbilt. The 33-stack is a defense that features three defensive linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs on the field at the same time. For Vandy, he inserted freshman cornerback Noel Ellis into the starting lineup at nickel, placed senior Toney Hurd Jr. on the bench, and put freshman defensive end Daeshon Hall into the game in the first quarter. He also started Donnie Baggs at strong-side linebacker. The junior from Houston had previously been second-string behind Nate Askew, after starting the first four games of the season at middle linebacker.
Junior defensive end Gavin Stansbury, who was recruited to Texas A&M as a 3-4 defensive end under then-head coach Mike Sherman, has started at strong-side defensive end in Snyder’s 4-3 scheme. Snyder flipped Stansbury back and forth between the strong side and the weak side against Vanderbilt, with tremendous results. Stansbury was able to get consistent pressure on Vanderbilt quarterback Patton Robinette and ended the game with his first two sacks of the season. He had his best game of the year with nine total tackles from his defensive end position. Stansbury and Hall took turns on the weak side and strong side when the Aggies went to a three-man front.
Hall, for his part, ended the game with three tackles, a tackle for loss and three quarterback hurries. More importantly, he and Stansbury were able to keep containment when Vandy tried to run wide.
Ellis had the best game of his young career with four tackles and half a sack. He also had a quarterback hurry and was solid in coverage.
True freshmen middle linebacker Darian Claiborne continued his strong play. He had five tackles and 1.5 sacks in the game. Claiborne and junior cornerback Deshazor Everett stand out as the Aggies’ two best defensive players.
Baggs had his best game of the season with four tackles and a sack. He looked like the player he was in 2012 when he provided solid depth behind Steven Jenkins.
Treue freshman middle linebacker Jordan Matrogiovanni replaced Claiborne after the game had been decided, and registered four tackles and an interception. Another true freshman, outside linebacker Shaan Washington, contributed four tackles and a sack.
Vanderbilt was admittedly handicapped in the game, with Robinette making his first career start in the place of Austyn Carta-Samuels. The redshirt freshman was harassed all day by the Aggies’ pass rush.
The Aggie defense entered the game with seven sacks on the season and registered seven more against Vanderbilt. Even though Vandy was limited by their backup at quarterback, the fact that A&M held them to less yardage and fewer points than they allowed FCS team Sam Houston State speaks volumes about their play. The Aggies were able to consistently get penetration from their defensive line, and the linebackers behind them made solid tackles. The result was their best defensive performance of the season.
Heading into the game the Aggies had the No. 118 defense in the country while allowing 491 yards per game. After the Vanderbilt game, the Aggies moved up to No. 110 in the nation in total defense and are allowing 474 yards per game.
Sumlin’s decision to go with youth and Snyder’s decision to go with more of an odd-man front yielded tangible dividends on the field. With a non-conference game against UTEP next on the schedule, the Aggie defense will be able to gain even more confidence before facing three SEC teams to finish the season.
The good thing about freshmen is that they tend to get better with more experience. The freshmen who played against Vanderbilt will have more confidence and a better understanding in what their role is on the defense when playing LSU and Missouri at the end of the season. If the freshmen on the defense continue to improve, A&M will be able to get the stops they need against the tougher SEC opponents. With the Aggies’ explosive offense, they only need the defense to be mediocre in order to win games. The Aggie defense had been unable to play mediocre football for the first half of the season.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel leads one of the best offenses in the country. The Aggies can move the ball and put up points on anyone. Their achilles heal in 2013 has been a defense that could not stop anyone. The insertion of the freshmen in the lineup gives the Aggies hope for continued defensive improvement during the second half of the season.
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