Last Saturday, the Aggies survived one of the wildest games of the 2016 season so far. The 45-38 overtime win at home to Tennessee moved Texas A&M to 6-0 on the season with a bye week to recuperate before a visit to Alabama. Despite the excellent start to the season, there is still plenty of room for improvements for Texas A&M. This is what they need to work on during the bye.
Open Field Tackling
Despite forcing seven turnovers in the win against Tennessee, the Aggies defense gave up a school record in yards allowed. Joshua Dobbs and Alvin Kamara regularly beat one or two defenders in the open field on their way to large gains. It was clear the game plan from defensive coordinator John Chavis was to bring pressure on Dobbs in the passing game and try to force turnovers. Knowing that they would give up yards in the process.
With Alabama coming up after the bye, it will be crucial that the number of missed tackles is as low as possible. Restricting Jalen Hurts to short runs when he escapes the pocket will force him to throw into the Aggies ball-hawking secondary while under pressure from the defensive line.
Offensive Play Calling
Late in the games against UCLA and Tennessee, the Aggies have surrendered leads due to the offense’s inability to consistently secure first downs to drain the clock. In the running game, they have been solid behind budding star Trayveon Williams, but even Saturday’s game saw some baffling calls. Twice on third and very short, a sweep play was called which the running back run wide into a wall of defenders. In overtime, another opportunity presented an ill-advised and rushed attempt at a quarterback sneak fail, forcing the Aggies to kick a field goal to stay in the game.
The passing game has struggled the most in these situations. Trevor Knight is not the most accurate quarterback, and opposing secondaries have employed tight coverage to force Knight to either beat them deep or be very accurate to make a completion. The offensive staff need to work on more plays that can see wide receivers get open quickly to beat the tight press coverage.
Getting Healthier
This isn’t necessarily an adjustment, but this is a great opportunity to get players back to full health. Myles Garrett struggled as the game progressed on Saturday, while Ricky Seals Jones didn’t play. Every year the Aggies tend to come away from their game at AT&T Stadium against Arkansas banged up due to the physical nature of their play. This was especially true for the defense which spent a large part of the game on the field against both Arkansas and Tennessee.
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