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Will We Beat A&M?

Will we beat Texas A&M?

  • Total voters
    396
  • Poll closed .
OrangeBowlMagic said:
I agree with all of this but I think it's even more simple, and comes down the most basic of principles. Can our offensive line hold its own? To me, that is the entire story. When you think back on the games we've lost over the past few years when facing SEC-type competition, to me, the biggest mismatch has been the opposition's front vs our offensive line. Clemson in 2020.....absolute men against boys. Alabama in 2021....may as well have been 5 Aaron Donalds against a bunch of Publix bag boys. 2019 vs the gators, I think they may have just sacked Jarren Williams again as I type this. 2018 vs LSU, I doubt we had more than 125 yards in the first half.

I'm sure people will respond to this with excuses...it was Rosier's fault, Jarren held onto the ball too long, Zion was a freshman, etc. etc. Cool. I don't care. We got flat out whipped up front by all those teams, and that's just off the top of my head. So yes, you're 100% correct, and I've agreed with you 50x that we have a lot better chance in this one than vs Clemson, but I will be watching their DL vs our 5 up front in the first series or two. We don't need to average 7 a carry and have TVD posing for pictures in the pocket, but if we can just hold our own, and play the game as you described, we can make it interesting. But it's been a long time since we lined up against a bunch of 4 and 5 star defensive linemen and didn't look totally overmatched. We'll see how it goes this time.
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bingo. this is all that matters in this game, as well in Mario's tenure tbh.

I think our defense will be able to hold up, Jimbo's offense handcuffs itself by design and we have a real professional at DC.

but can we put up 24+ points? in their losses last year, TAMU gave up 20 (Arkansas), 26 (Miss St), 29 (Ole Miss), and 27 (LSU) points (avg of 25 points). in the losses you mentioned above we scored 13 (Alabama), 17 (Clemson), 20 (Florida), and 17 (LSU) points. and don't forget the 3 we put up on Clemson in 2017. if you cut it to just the first halves of those games when both teams were playing their real players, we put up 3 (Alabama), 3* (Clemson), 13 (Florida), 3 (LSU), and 0 (Clemson '17) points. (*we had 10 points at halftime in that 2020 Clemson game but the TD was on the DJ Ivey blocked kick return).

in all those games but the Florida one, we were whipped from the opening whistle. our offense had, quite literally, no chance of scoring even a single touchdown. if we can look like merely a normal offense in this game I think we do have a shot, but I need to see it to believe it, to say the least.
 
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kryptonite said:
I think this is getting ignored:
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No, all talent isn't the same. Yes, we have a much better QB. Yes, we should be improved on the defensive side.

But...it's not nothing that they just have more talent than we do. They probably have more talent sitting on their DL bench than we do in our starting lineup. And while that doesn't seem to concern 60% of you folk, it should. Sure, Mario's an OL wizard, but are you sure that won't take more than a few games to show up on the field? Is that maybe something that needs a few recruiting classes to sort out?

In typical fan fashion, people are focusing on what's wrong with the other team and not what's wrong with ours. All our problems from last year are getting fixed, and none of theirs are. We've upgraded every position, they haven't upgraded any. We can count on our best for that game, while we count on their worst.
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What’s even worst; our pct of signed blue chips is actually a bit lower b/c we lost Payton, Williams, & Blissett from the Class of ‘19.
 
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jjacks93 said:
A&M’s P5 wins outside of Bama :

4-8 Colorado
6-7 Auburn
6-7 South Carolina
6-7 Missouri

Outside of Bama, they lost to every single other good team they faced and some bad ones (Miss St, LSU) and got 3 wins from cupcakes in Prairie View, Kent St, New Mexico. With all that talent.

I’m really not sure what folks so scared about. Jimbo is still Jimbo and one game against Bama won’t change that. He’s done nothing when he doesn’t have a generational talent (college) at QB . Max Johnson ain’t that.

I think our defense will be much improved much more sound, and we have enough weapons on offense to keep us in the game with TVD . It’s just a matter of if we trust Steele and Gattis to come up with the game plan needed.
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And IIRC, AM almost dropped that Colorado game. AM’s offense was putrid basically the entire game, but their defense held.

I think if we can put up 28+ points, we’ll have a decent shot, but (1) their defense is gonna be good af this year and (2) their WR core could be much more talented this year than years past. I think we have a 35 percent- 40 percent chance to beat them.
 
CanesFan93 said:
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Early downs is gonna be a key for us on both sides, especially offense. Are we gonna try to run alot on 1st and 2nd then hope tvd cleans everything up on 3rd?

And on defense we gotta get them on 3rd n mediums to long and make their qb sit back and beat us over n over again, last year bryce young did it lol but they dont have anyone near him
 
I’m turrible at predicting the outcome of UM games, so I don’t know, but I do know
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Beatable, absolutely. Texas A&M isn't as stacked as an Alabama—so some key losses could impact them to start the season. Not as plug-and-play as the Crimson Tide, Bulldogs or other true contenders.

That said, Miami hasn't measured up well against SEC teams in a while. Came close against an average Florida squad in 2019, but was manhandled by LSU (2018) and Alabama (2021).

Would take a yeoman's effort across the board. Been a while since Miami won a game like this. Can Mario and a new staff roll in there with last year's players, a legit quarterback, better line play and stronger defensive schemes and steal a win?

We'll know soon enough.
 
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PittsburghCane said:
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If we try to force the run game & beat ATM in a highly physical type of game, we will likely lose. Their DL talent is too good. The better strategy is to pass the ball early to open up the run game.

We should start off with TVD firing to Mallory, Arroyo, Restrepo, Key Smith, Rooster & Parrish. Mix in a couple deep shots in the first half to loosen them up. Once we've established the passing game, the running lanes will open up & we can then run a more balanced offense with a 55/45 pass/run mix. If we waste a few series in the 1st half trying to impose our will, we could fall behind by 1-2 scores & never recover.

Start fast & take advantage of your strengths. We genuinely have one of the best QBs in the nation so you've got to take advantage of that. We also have some of the most dynamic pass-catching TEs in the nation. Arroyo is a weapon. He could shred those m@f@s. Get him the ball. Mallory too. All of our pass-catching TEs are matchup nightmares. Jaleel should get at least a couple of targets too in a pure pass catching role. Swing the ball out to Rooster & Parrish and get them in space. Do NOT try to run into the teeth of their D. Mix in some balls to Restrepo. MAKE EVERY DOWN COUNT AND ONLY THROW TO YOUR MOST DEPENDABLE PLAYERS IN THE 1ST QUARTER. I'd love to see an old Gary Stevens type offensive gameplan that will keep the chains moving & chew some time off the clock (without being run heavy). If we establish a lead, you then have the choice to keep targeting the same players (until they prove they can stop it) or start mixing in some Key Smith, Jacolby, Brashard, Ladson (would be huge if he establishes himself as a leader in the first couple of games) and Romello. Don't waste a single down. Only throw to those WRs that have proven to be highly dependable in the first two games.

Our run schemes & run blocking will be better than last year (and our OL coaches are really good), but I'd be shocked if we go from really poor run blocking a year ago to good run blocking this year. Against an opponent with some elite talent on the DL, I just don't see it working this year. In two years, we'll be absolutely mauling opponents with Francis, Kinsler & others BUT NOT THIS YEAR. It will take time to get there. So, don't blow it this year trying to be something we're not yet. Leverage the proven strengths we have on the team, if you want to win.
 
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