Five bold predictions for Texas A&M football's rivalry showdown this Saturday
Texas A&M football is looking to punch their ticket to Atlanta for an SEC Championship with a win over Texas this weekend. This will be a stiff test, but the Aggies have already faced some great teams this year.
Here are five bold predictions for the game.
Aggies jump off to a quick start
Texas A&M football will have to do this if they hope to pull off this game. Luckily for them, in front of a crowd like they'll see on Saturday night, it won't be hard to pick up some momentum against a tough defense. Sark has been taking the ball first even when the Longhorns win the coin flip, so the Aggies will probably start the day on defense—shutting out Texas on that first drive and scoring on their own will be key.
Longhorns turn to Manning at some point
Rumors continue to swirl about the troublesome ankle injury that Ewers has been dealing with. Given that fact and his earlier issues against Georgia's pass rush, he may end up in the same position where Sark pulls him from the game. If it's because of an injury being exacerbated, we would see much more of Manning, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's only for a few drives.
Texas A&M football registers several sacks
The Aggies have not rolled up too many sacks this year, but they've had an enormously high share of tackles for loss. I think A&M ends up with a fair amount of both, but that will include some emphatic moments where they take down the quarterback, especially if Ewers's mobility is limited.
Reed ends the day with highest QBR of the game
Marcel Reed has, on the down low, been putting together some impressive passer stats. Especially in the last few games, you can see the progression he's made in throwing the football. Even against a ferocious pass defense, I think we see Reed end up with another eye-catching QBR—higher than whoever Texas rolls out.
Aggies roll up 2+ rushing touchdowns
For as solid as I think Reed's numbers will be when throwing, I think the real place the Aggies can attack the Longhorns is on the ground. Texas has allowed several of their most recent opponents to have some relatively good days on the ground, and the Aggies are better-equipped to do that than most of the Longhorns' schedule.
Klein calls some truly innovative stuff in the red zone when it comes to the ground game, so I think we see a heavy dose of that. Plus, there's a possibility we see a familiar face joining in on the fun.