Five oddly specific predictions for Texas A&M football's game against Mississippi State
Texas A&M football heads down to Starkville this Saturday to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Aggies are heavy favorites in this one, as MSU is on a five-game losing streak and the Aggies are on a five-game winning streak.
The Ags are looking to keep up their momentum from the previous game and get an easy, decisive win. I think most fans are expecting at least that—but here are some specific predictions for other things we may see.
Nic Scourton registers a sack-fumble
It feels like it's just a matter of time, doesn't it? The Aggie DE, recently ranked as the eighth-best player in college football, has been getting better every single week, terrorizing opposing offensive tackles with regularity. Against a freshman quarterback, I think we see Scourton make this kind of impactful play on Saturday.
Michael Van Buren completes a TD while rolling out
The Aggie coverage has been a little susceptible to big plays when opposing QBs scramble to pass. I think Jeff Lebby will be all systems go in the deep passing game, so I think there's a chance we see a play where the Bulldog QB escapes pressure only to locate a man behind the defense. We saw it happen against Missouri and Arkansas, so maybe this one isn't that tough of a prediction!
Mississippi State scores twice, but only on big plays
I think the Bulldogs will have real trouble moving the ball on a down-to-down basis. The front for the Aggies is just too good—they'll stifle the run and pressure the passer too regularly. However, the big play could work in the Bulldogs' favor more than once. I don't think it's crazy to say that MSU can snag two of these before the day is over—one early, one late.
Texas A&M gets a special teams score
The talent in the third phase for the Aggies (well, Terry Bussey) is simply too prodigious to think that this won't happen at some point this season. 2 in Maroon will make a play happen in this one, whether on the kickoff or on a punt.
EJ Smith makes a big play on a reception
The Stanford transfer has only played about 10% of the RB snaps this year, but we're all well aware of his acumen in the pass game out of the backfield. He's got the juice to make some people miss, and I think we see him utilize his talents to great effect at least once in this one.