Utah State comes to town in just a couple of days for the second-ever meeting between these two Aggie programs — the first since 2009, where Texas A&M pulled out a 38-30 win.
Mike Elko's team is the prohibitive favorite, but this is still a very important game at Kyle Field. This group didn't play to its highest level in Week 1, and this is the final chance they have to iron out any wrinkles before facing a very talented and tough Notre Dame Fighting Irish team in Week 3.
Let's dive into the position battles and see which Aggie program has edge this weekend.
The Utah State run game vs. the Texas A&M run defense
Utah State had one of the best rushing attacks in the nation last season, averaging 190 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry — two top-25 metrics in the sport. They were led by one of the best tailbacks in the country in Rahsul Faison but, due to the ever-changing world that is college football, he now resides in South Carolina with the Gamecocks.
This year they'll be led by Miles Davis, who was effective in Utah State's Week 1 win over UTEP, rushing for 88 yards and one touchdown on just 12 carries. The visiting Aggies also had to replace all five starting offensive linemen this offseason, a new group that has its work cut out on Saturday.
Texas A&M's run defense was a hot topic after Week 1 and the glaring weakness of the team, allowing 203 yards and an alarming 6.2 yards per carry. On the bright side, these issues had little to do with talent and more to do with technique and communication, which is much easier to fix on a week-to-week basis. The Aggies will also benefit from the much-anticipated return of safety Dalton Brooks — one of the best run defenders on this defense — after he missed their season opener against UTSA.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M
While this might be the closest battle these teams see on Saturday, the emphasis that this Texas A&M coaching staff has put on tightening up their run defense, mixed with the talent profile on the roster, gives the final edge to the home team this weekend.
The Utah State passing game vs. the Texas A&M pass defense
New Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes was effective in his first start of the season — throwing for 233 yards on a 70 percent completion rate with one touchdown and no turnovers — however the real story about his performance was how he got there. Barnes' top three targets were his starting tailback, tight end and backup quarterback, where his actual receivers caught the ball just eight times for 69 yards.
It seems as though as long as Texas A&M's defense can protect the middle of the field this weekend, it will be just fine: Utah State really lacks the talent to challenge even G5 defenses on the perimeter, let alone a daunting A&M cornerback room.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M
The Texas A&M passing game vs. the Utah State pass defense
Texas A&M's passing game showed plenty to hang its hat on last weekend in what should be the Aggies' most improved unit from a season prior. Marcel Reed threw for nearly 400 passing yards with no turnovers, and their two biggest receiver additions — KC Concepcion and Mario Craver — hauled in a combined 11 catches for 194 yards and three total touchdowns.
Stop me if you've heard this a handful of times already, but this A&M group has a massive edge in pure talent. All that said, Utah State's secondary is probably the strongest unit of their defense and may put up the best fight we've discussed thus far. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall took two starting corners from New Mexico this offseason, and they already had a very talented safety there in Ike Larsen.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M
While I may think this secondary will have its share of nice plays, we're still comparing a somewhat strong group at the G5 level to some of the more talented players in this sport. Give me the home team, yet again — and now we'll see if they can go for the sweep.
The Texas A&M run game vs. the Utah State run defense
Let's head back to the trenches where we've got a really talented Texas A&M rushing attack taking on a Utah State defensive front that held its Week 1 opponent to just 2.9 yards per carry.
It was an odd opening weekend for Texas A&M's running backs, toting the rock just 13 times for a total of 71 yards. But in hindsight, it seems that was intentional to preserve the health of their more talented players, while also allowing the passing attack to find a strong groove. On the other side of things, the numbers on the stat sheet look nice for Utah State's defense to start the year— but it's also a very small sample size against a very inexperienced UTEP tailback room.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M
If Collin Klein chooses to get back to his offense's bread and butter, this may be the biggest mismatch of the weekend. Give me the home team to win up front on offense, and hopefully set the tone for a strong outing in Week 3.