Texas A&M's toughest opponent of the season to date is making its way to College Station for a pivotal SEC matchup Saturday night. While Florida holds a modest 2-3 record, two of those losses came against talented LSU and Miami teams, and the Gators are coming off an impressive 29-22 victory over Texas.
The Gators looked like they had pushed all the right buttons during their bye, but does that mean they're equipped to run onto Kyle Field and pull off their second straight upset? Let's break down the rosters and figure out just who has the positional group edges in this Week 7 bout.
Texas A&M's passing game versus Florida's pass defense
One area that hadn't needed much fixing through the first month of the regular season was Florida's pass defense — a group that's holding opponents to the nation's 29th-best completion rate at 58 percent, while allowing 233 passing yards per game.
This unit began the season with one of the best corner tandems in the nation in Devin Moore and Dijon Johnson, however, Johnson was lost for the season after undergoing knee surgery following the team's game against Miami. Cormani McClain has stepped up well in his absence, but there are signs of fragility on the backend of this group. They played well against Texas, but the Longhorns also missed several open opportunities — meaning shots could be there if the right offense can take advantage.
That's an opportunity the Aggies try to exploit: Mario Craver and KC Concepcion continue to be one of the most impressive wide receiver duos in the country, and could stress out this Florida secondary unlike anyone has been able to do through this part of the season. While Marcel Reed's accuracy numbers continue to be a concern, completing just 56 percent of his passes against Mississippi State, this offense has shown it can do just fine through the air as long as it can get the ball into the hands of its best players.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M (slightly)