3 Reasons Texas A&M Football Bounces Back Against Tennessee

Pass Rush for Texas A&M Football Devours Volunteers

This is an ingredient here that may not show up on the stat sheet as prominently as it has in weeks past, but I think the pass rush for the Aggies will affect this game in a huge way. Tennessee’s passing system is based on lots of quick throws and screens (with huge downfield shots mixed in as well, of course), and so they have not allowed many sacks at all this year. They have a quality offensive line as well, of course, but they are definitely helped by their specific system that they run.

If you’ve watched the Aggies over the past few weeks, though, you’ll know that quick passes to the perimeter are actually one of the areas they have performed best against defensively. For all his faults in coverage downfield, Josh DeBerry is more often than not able to deliver huge hits on the recipients of those screen passes behind the line of scrimmage. Tyreek Chappell has shown a similar ability, even when tested on toss plays. Bryce Anderson’s physicality in those situations is well-known. I don’t see the screen game working too well at all for the Volunteers.

Additionally, even though the pass rush may not be sacking Joe Milton with the same frequency that they did against KJ Jefferson, for example, their sheer power and speed can still disrupt the quick passes, batting them down and getting in the Vol QB’s face when he takes more than a couple of seconds. I think Milton performs poorly when pressured, so if the Aggies are able to establish that as a factor in the game quickly, I think it will be tough for the Volunteers to move up and down the field with consistency.

In a clip like the one above, too, you see what happens when you give this Aggie pass rush time to get home. Whether it’s Edgerrin Cooper screaming off the edge for a huge blindside hit, hometown kid Walter Nolen muscling his way past the inside of the offensive line to blow up the play, or  Shemar Turner stiffarming your tackle and tossing him aside like yesterday’s bread once he sees where the play is going, this Aggie defensive line is showing that it can be as dominant as any we’ve seen in recent history—something the Volunteers are about to find out.