Positional Matchups: Texas A&M Football with Defensive Edge over Rebs

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Oct 28, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies take the field before a game against South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports /

Position by Position Breakdown of Texas A&M Football vs Ole Miss

Many Texas A&M football fans come into this matchup fearful of facing off against the Ole Miss offense. Last year, the Rebels put up just shy of 400 yards on the ground against the Aggies, so it makes sense that the Maroon and White faithful would be wary of Ole Miss’s abilities on that side of the ball. However, this is a far better defense than what the Rebs saw last year. Let’s jump into that matchup and more.

Ole Miss rush offense vs rush defense for Texas A&M football

Maybe its the loss of a one-two punch in favor of relying more singularly on Quinshon Judkins, but the rushing attack for the Rebels hasn’t quite looked like it did last year. A strange thing here is that the Rebels have a fair amount of success in the early downs, but when short yardage situations come up, they have trouble. Ole Miss has put up 3.98 YPC or more in every game except for two: Alabama and… Tulane. Texas A&M football will be the toughest test for them yet in this regard, and I think the Ags can limit them on the ground.

Advantage Score: Aggies by 4

Ole Miss pass offense vs pass defense for Texas A&M football

Ole Miss excels in the explosive passing game, which is the one weakness for the Aggie defense. In the last two games, though, both against opponents who have the ability to connect downfield in Tennessee and South Carolina, the Aggies have held up much better in that regard. Perhaps that’s due to the shifting around of DB Josh DeBerry or simply a renewed focus by the back end, but they will be tested yet again by the Rebels. I can’t put full confidence in the Ags here, but I’m going to give them the slightest of edges.

Advantage Score: Aggies by 1

Ole Miss OL vs pass rush for Texas A&M football

I touched on this earlier in the week, but the Rebels haven’t been the best at stymying opposing pass rushes this year, ranking in the bottom third of FBS teams in sack rate allowed. This is the top pass rush the Ole Miss offensive line will have yet faced. I think there will be a lot of rollouts and play action schemed up, as you’d often expect out of Kiffin offenses, but I think the pressure will affect Jaxson Dart all day, with the Aggies being the benefactor.

Advantage Score: Aggies by 5