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FULL PREVIEW – Texas A&M Football vs. Ole Miss Rebels

By Graham Harmon

Oct 28, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Bobby Taylor (9) celebrates a team touchdown against South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Bobby Taylor (9) celebrates a team touchdown against South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas A&M Football Rush Offense vs. Ole Miss Rush Defense

The Aggie rushing offense has really been a disappointment most of the year. The Ags have the third-worst PPA/rush in the conference, ahead of only SC and Vandy, and just can’t seem to put things together on that front. They’re middle of the road in consistency, averaging 7% more than opponents average allowing in rushing success rate, but cannot get an explosive run to save their lives. A heavy dose of Le’Veon Moss would be great in this game if he starts finding some success, but that’s a dubious proposition against the Rebels this year.

Alabama and LSU were able to find success on the ground against the Rebels relative to their own standards (as was Vanderbilt, surprisingly), but Auburn and Arkansas fell well short. The Rebels rank fifth in the conference in sack-adjusted yards per carry allowed, with Texas A&M football, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky rounding out the top five. Similar to Tennessee, and also similar to their approach against the passing game, the Rebels operate very aggressively, so if the Aggie backs can get past the first few tacklers (something that has not happened often this season), there will be explosive runs to be had.

More than anything, the Aggies need to avoid being predictable here. Late in the game against the Gamecocks, SC was keying in on first and second down runs, and Texas A&M football was more than happy to just let that happen, running into loaded boxes time and time again. If you avoid those hard reads by the defense and are able to maybe check into different plays to keep them off-balance, then the run game might could find some purchase; however, in this season and with this coaching staff, that’s easier said than done. More likely, we will see the same three or four zone runs over and over and average about 2 yards per carry!