The Texas A&M Aggies will welcome the Miami Hurricanes to Kyle Field this upcoming Saturday. While this is a matchup between ranked opponents, this game lost some of its hype due to the Aggies’ recent loss. Still, Texas A&M has an opportunity to bounce back and revive its season with a win on Saturday night. Here’s a quick preview of the primetime battle between Texas A&M and Miami.
Texas A&M Hosts Miami Preview
How does Texas A&M’s Offense move the ball?
The Hurricanes come into this game allowing 10 points per game. The Aggies scored seven points offensively against Appalachian State, and Miami will obviously be a tougher matchup. The Hurricanes’ defensive front is impressive, and they only allowed 25 rushing yards in their last game against Southern Miss. Regardless, Miami’s defense appears to be susceptible to the pass.
Jimbo Fisher will need to make a decision at quarterback soon; it will need to be based on arm talent. Sure, Haynes King provides the running element at that position, but you have to be able to throw the ball efficiently against Miami. Max Johnson definitely brings that to the table with SEC experience, so there is a strong chance that we see him in this game.
If Miami’s pass rush controls the line of scrimmage against A&M’s offensive line, neither King nor Johnson will have time to throw the ball. It’s doubtful that Devon Achane will make an impact in the rushing game, but he and Ainias Smith could be used in the screen game. Hopefully, Fisher is smart enough to realize negative plays on first down will really hurt Texas A&M as it did this past Saturday.
Hopefully, the playcalling duties can be fully allocated to Darrell Dickey, but that’s totally up to Fisher. Fisher has to adapt the CEO head coaching style to really take the Aggies offense to the next level. Of course, that means the players also have to make plays, but it all starts with the head coach.
Can the Aggies’ Defense get off the field?
Running back Henry Parrish Jr. might be a problem for Texas A&M on Saturday. He already has over 200 rushing yards paired with four touchdowns. Miami did get off to a slow start against Southern Miss, but their balance on offense makes them difficult to defend.
It will be interesting to see how Texas A&M responds to the Hurricanes’ rather prolific passing attack. Tyler Van Dyke has the potential to be a first-round pick, and his main target Xavier Restrepo could hurt the Aggies’ secondary. Overall, it comes down to getting off the field on third down. If Parrish’s performance is anything like Camerun Peoples, A&M doesn’t stand a chance.
D.J. Durkin will have to mix up his defensive looks, especially if Miami decides to play with tempo. The dynamic of the Hurricanes’ offense is not that dissimilar from Appalachian State, but the talent between Miami and Texas A&M is much closer. That means any mistakes could result in a larger margin than the loss to the Mountaineers.
Concluding Thoughts
This game between Miami and Texas A&M feels like a must-win for the Aggies. If A&M comes up short, they will be 1-2 before playing Arkansas, and the record projection for the season then becomes 6-6. However, fans should still be excited as there is still some fight left in this team. If the veterans use their voice, the coaches maximize their players’ potential, and the young talent shows, the Aggies can turn this train around in no time. While Texas A&M lost College GameDay from the loss, the team can still use the nothing-to-lose mentality to take the next step. Just like last year before the Alabama game.
