What version of this passing offense shows up?
I, like many others, have been very critical of this Aggie pass attack over the last couple of months. Since Week 8 their average yardage total has dropped by 20, they've doubled their turnovers and have had just two 100-yard outings from receivers over their last eight games after having one in each of their first four matchups.
And those woes finally tripped them up during that regular season finale in Austin — Marcel Reed had another two-turnover game, his third time doing so in his last five against FBS competition, and they failed to score through the air for the first time since Week 4. Simply put, what once was a massive strength for this Aggie offense has turned into anything but a guarantee.
While I still feel uneasy about this group heading into a pivotal matchup, this is certainly a unit that's more than capable of flipping the switch and returning to its early-season form in a flash. Reed is still one of the most dynamic athletes in the sport when the ball is in his hands, and the duo of KC Concepcion and Mario Craver out wide is easily a top-three tandem among teams left in the dance. They also might have an easier matchup than what they've been faced with down the stretch.
The Canes' secondary certainly looks sharp on paper, and they're immensely improved from where they were a season ago, but they're not without flaws. They're prone to giving up the chunk play, allowing 14 passes to go for 30-plus yards, and also saw Louisville's talented receiver Chris Bell catch nine balls for 136 yards and two scores back in Week 8.
Whatever version of this Aggie passing game shows up will play such a pivotal role in the outcome of this game. If Reed is cutting back on the turnovers and connecting with Concepcion and Craver down the field, it will allow everything else around them to hum like it had early in the year. But if accuracy and turnover issues persist in the way they have the last month of the season, this thing could fall flat on its face before it ever got the chance to get going.