All the talk this off-season at Texas A&M has been around the addition of John Chavis as defensive co-ordinator. Taking one of the best co-ordinators in the country from LSU is a big deal for the Aggies but Head Coach Kevin Sumlin has quietly made changes to his offense as well ahead of the 2015 season.
Last year looked good statistically as the Aggies were inside the top 30 in yards per game, points per game and passing yards per game. But these stats masked a deficient offense that took full advantage of some weak opponents and padded their stats in garbage time. They were shut out in an embarrassing 59-0 loss at Alabama and also held to just 21 points by Louisiana Monroe at Kyle Field.
What To Expect from the Texas A&M Offense This Coming Season
The Aggies leant on the run game more as Kyle Allen took over at quarterback to take the pressure off him but struggled to find success against Missouri and LSU to close out the regular season. The offensive line lacked the physicality to move the defensive line around like they did in previous years when the likes of Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews played in 2012.
The struggles of the offensive line after expectations that they’d be one of the best in the country meant a change in coach. BJ Anderson was fired and the Aggies quietly brought in former Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen. The hire of Christensen to work the offensive line will see a shift in technique towards a three-point stance rather than a two-point stance. His work in producing offenses geared towards power running are well known so it seems to be an indication that the Aggies will look to run the football more in 2015.
Both running backs Tra Carson and Brandon Williams are talented and experienced enough in the SEC to be heavily relied upon while having a more balanced offence. It will then become much harder for opposing defenses to deal with Aggies passing attack given the plethora of talent at wide receiver as well if the running game is a genuine threat. With Jonny Manziel behind center they got away with a subpar rushing attack because Manziel was such a threat to run himself and he kept defenses guessing all on his own. But it’s clear now that they need a change to their offensive strategy to produce a more efficient offense, assuming Kyle Allen remains quarterback and doesn’t lose the starting job to freshman Kyler Murray.
While at wide receiver the Aggies may look to mix up personnel groups to create mismatches against opposing secondaries. On one play they could use players like Ricky Seals Jones, Josh Reynolds and Ed Pope to use their size against smaller cornerbacks, then switch it entirely to receivers like Speedy Noil, Christian Kirk and Damion Ratley who are shorter but far quicker to take advantage of larger less agile cornerbacks.
All the signs out of spring practice have been positive for the Aggies with new coaches and recruits but will this translate into more wins during the 2015 season?
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