Positional Matchups: Texas A&M Football vs. Mississippi State

Rushing Offense for Texas A&M Football vs. Bulldog Rush Defense

If there’s been one bright spot on the team for the Bulldogs this year, it would have to be this. The Bulldogs rank 5th in the conference for defensive PPA/rush, behind only Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas A&M football. The Bulldogs have held all but three opponents (Alabama, South Carolina, and Auburn) to less than their average YPC, so they’ll be hoping that a stout defense on the front line will make things difficult on the Aggie offense writ large. From what we’ve seen so far this year, it’s not the worst strategy—but I think the Aggies can counter it with their pure talent up front, a bit like we saw in the second half last week. Advantage Score: Aggies by 2

Passing Offense for Texas A&M Football vs. Bulldog Pass Defense

Flat out, the Bulldogs can be had pretty easily through the air. For as surprisingly above-average as State is when defending the ground game, they’re shockingly below-average when it comes to defending the pass. They are last in the conference with regard to defensive PPA/pass, worse than even Vanderbilt and South Carolina. If the protection holds up well for Max, this shouldn’t be too difficult of a game for him in throwing the ball. We may see some fireworks through the air in this one. Advantage Score: Aggies by 3

OL for Texas A&M Football vs. Bulldog Pass Rush

For all the pressure that the Aggies give up, they have done a great job at not letting those be converted into actual sacks for the most part. Case in point, they only allowed one sack against an Ole Miss front that was averaging over 3.5 per game coming into last Saturday. Mississippi State, for their part, averages just over two per game at the moment; not exactly a stellar mark, but not the worst in the conference. They’re middle of the road in sack rate, as well. I think the Ags should do well in this matchup too. Advantage Score: Aggies by 3