Texas A&M is getting ready for a big time showdown with the Florida Gators, who are coming into this game off of a big home win over Texas. The Aggies are on a five-game win streak to start the season, but the Gators pose a particular challenge that A&M may not yet have seen.
Even so, there's a lot to like about what A&M can do against Florida. Here are three things that will happen for the Aggies to win this game.
Three reasons Texas A&M beats Florida: Aggies take advantage of Florida's spotty pass defense
For as much as has been said about the Florida defense overall, their pass defense is more than a little suspect, ranking 78th in yards per attempt allowed. Even though Arch Manning couldn't take advantage last week, he had open receivers running behind the Gators' zones for a lot of the day— it was his inaccuracy that was the issue.
The Aggies have had a little bit of trouble with downfield accuracy at the quarterback position thus far this year, but Marcel doesn't really need to go for it all on every play. The Gators will leave plenty of spots open underneath, and if he can consistently make 10-15 yard completions, Concepcion and Craver can make some magic happen in the open field.
The run defense for Florida is solid (though we said that about Auburn, and A&M dominated them up front) so the passing attack will be key here. I think the Aggies will probably run first to set up the pass, but it will be that aerial attack that gets things going in earnest in this game.
Texas A&M has the chance to do some real damage here. This is the most talented pass-catching unit that the Gators have yet seen— Craver and Concepcion are 1 and 3 in the SEC in receiving yardage, after all— so they could run right past this UF secondary.
Three reasons Texas A&M beats Florida: Florida's run game gets bogged down
The biggest key for the Gators last week was their ability to run roughshod over the Longhorns. The UF offensive line, which received so many accolades in the preseason, finally looked like a dominant unit, and Jadan Baugh was everything Gator fans wanted him to be at the position.
That allowed the heretofore turnover-prone DJ Lagway to become much more comfortable in the pocket and dictate the pace of the game. He was often in much easier downs and distances than he will be against the Aggies, and so he was less likely to press.
If the Aggies can stop Baugh and the Florida run game, then they will be able to put Lagway in those uncomfortable spots. That's going to be a big ask, but if Texas A&M was able to stop Jeremiyah Love in South Bend, they should be able to deal with Baugh.
He's a more physical runner than Love is, but he's not a better overall back. This will be a game where the linebackers will have to play really physically, but I trust in York, Sanford, and Williams to get the job done up front.
Three reasons Texas A&M beats Florida: Aggies turn DJ Lagway over
This is an obvious one. Though the Aggies have won their games so far without being dominant in the turnover margin, this is a Florida team that has been all too happy to give the ball away when they face some challenges— especially the kind they'll see against this Texas A&M defense.
The Aggies, as I mentioned a bit ago, need to have some success on early downs in order to put the Gators in a tough situation. If they do, and then the patented Mike Elko third-down package comes into play, they should have more than one opportunity to pick off a Lagway pass.
Again, the Ags have not exactly been prolific in the interception column thus far in the year, but I think they will have plenty of chances to change that in this one. If they do, this could turn into a really dominant score by the time the game is done.
There are a few things that have to happen to set this up, but I think the Aggies can pull it off. On the other side of things, they obviously have to take care of the ball themselves.