Texas A&M Football: Advanced stats and the Aggie defense

Texas A&M Football‘s struggles on the offensive side of the ball have been well documented, but the defense has made massive strides. What do the numbers say?

The Texas A&M defense has been maligned ever since 2012. This year, it seems to have improved as time has gone on. Led by players such as Zaycoven Henderson, Otaro Alaka, Tyrel Dodson, and Armani Watts, the defense has been playing pretty well in the past few weeks.

It’s important to remember that defensive struggles can be a function of the Aggies’ offensive woes. Short, quick, non scoring drives from the offense can mean a defense is unable to make sideline adjustments, is tired, and can have a low morale.

All of these things can show up on the scoreboard. When the offense can’t score and can’t get first downs the defense gets worn down. That’s what we saw against Mississippi State.

Just like when we looked at the offense, all of the numbers are from S&P+ statistics at Football Outsiders. For definitions on the different S&P statistics, as well as more advanced stats than seen here, check out Football Study Hall.