Texas A&M Football: Aggies continue to develop into complete team

1. The defense thrives on being aggressive

We saw the A&M defense give up some critical third downs, as well as get the Arkansas offense off the field on some. The main difference seemed to be that Arkansas was able to convert when A&M was being conservative.

When A&M played press coverage, blitzed, or focused on causing mayhem for the Razorbacks, they were much more successful on third down. Last year, Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen was plastered time after time, and it seems like the Aggies wanted to repeat their performance from last year. Allen was sacked six times and hit on numerous other occasions.

When they are schemed to run downhill and make plays, these guys have proven they are capable of making excellent plays. They may get burnt later on in the season on some deep plays, but they will also make some momentum creating or shifting plays. Especially in the second half, defensive coordinator John Chavis was more willing to take risks. They were usually answered with good plays.

Next week against South Carolina, the Aggies will be looking to win two straight SEC games and make some plays at home. There are few better ways to fire up a stadium full of Aggies than well-timed defensive plays. They will look to build on the success they saw in the Arkansas game with more aggressive schemes, and we should see more blitzing and risks next week.