Texas A&M Football: 3 X-factors vs. Kent State in Week 1

Texas A&M vs. Kent State X-Factor No. 3: TAMU’s entire defense

There’s no way around it — Texas A&M will put up a very large total of points against Kent State. The only way that the Golden Flashes have any chance of pulling an upset over the Aggies is if they score even more points than A&M. Jarring analysis, I know.

Still, it’s hard to see Texas A&M losing without allowing a total excess of scoring by KSU.

For this reason, I’ve listed A&M’s entire defense as an X-Factor. If I really had to narrow it down, I’d point the finger at the team’s secondary, which was a middle-of-the-pack unit last year. Dustin Crum knows how to hurl the ball deep, and if TAMU’s corners are getting beat, it could be a long, nail-biting type of game.

But it doesn’t begin and end with the secondary. In fact, the argument could be made that the performance of this team’s defensive line will trump any other position group. The short story behind this is that the Aggies defensive line is somewhat of a mess right now.

As things stand, we don’t know if Micheal Clemons, the team’s most experienced player, will be available to play on Saturday. He’s only the second player to receive a suspension this season, as his counterpart in McKinnley Jackson was briefly suspended after an arrest earlier this year. While the second player listed will be playing, the defensive line shuffling around in the weeks leading up to opening day is not a good thing.

Still, this is an experienced unit and if they can stay organized against Kent State, this game should be a piece of cake for the Aggies.