To get some inside information on the Texas A&M football team, Daily Bruin Sports reached out to The Battalion – Texas A&M’s school newspaper – and asked a few questions about the Aggies before their upcoming game against No. 16 UCLA this Saturday.
All of the responses below come from Heath Clary, an assistant sports editor at The Battalion.
Daily Bruin Sports: Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett was already one of the nation’s best pass rushers as a sophomore last year – if not the best. Are there any areas, if any, where he can improve?
Clary: I think Myles Garrett just needs to stay patient. As good as he has been in his first two years – a whopping 24 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss – opposing teams are going to tailor their play calls away from him. Even with an elite talent like Daeshon Hall playing opposite him as the other defensive end, teams are going to do whatever they can to not let Garrett beat them. But he’s a great kid with incredible ability, so I expect him to put together another huge season and be a top pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
[Scouting report: A closer look at the A&M defense]
DB Sports: How do you think Noel Mazzone’s offense – an up-tempo spread attack with lots of bubble screens and pre-snap motions – will benefit Texas A&M’s offensive personnel?
Clary: I think Mazzone is a great fit with this A&M offense. He has a plethora of explosive playmakers at his disposal as well as an experienced veteran quarterback in Trevor Knight. I expect him to get the ball in the hands of Christian Kirk as much as possible in a variety of different ways and also spread it around to other talented receivers like Josh Reynolds, Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil.
DB Sports: Is Mazzone’s spread offense much different than what Texas A&M ran before under previous offensive coordinator Jake Spavital?
Clary: (Mazzone) puts more of an emphasis on the running game than his two predecessors – Kliff Kingsbury and Jake Spavital – and he also incorporates a tight end. He also implements more run-pass options than Spavital, which makes sense considering he has an intelligent quarterback like Knight behind center. Expect to see simpler route concepts and more running plays from the Aggies in 2016.
DB Sports: One of UCLA’s main issues last year was stopping the run – particularly against physical, downhill running teams like Stanford and Nebraska. Does Texas A&M have this kind of style, or do the Aggies prefer more outside zone and stretch runs?
Clary: I can’t say for sure what kind of a running game the Aggies will show on opening weekend. The Aggies have three candidates on their depth chart who could potentially start – junior James White, Oklahoma transfer Keith Ford and freshman Trayveon Williams – but regardless of who is named the starter, all three will likely see playing time. All three weigh in at 200 pounds or more, and Mazzone has proven that he likes to establish a consistent running game. After going up against the UCLA defense in practice for four years, I assume he will know the Bruins’ weaknesses and craft his strategy accordingly.
[Full game preview: UCLA and a rare SEC matchup to open the season]
DB Sports: What do you think will be the deciding factor in this game, and who do you predict to win?
Clary: I think the deciding factor in the game could be how UCLA responds to the crazy atmosphere of Kyle Field. Josh Rosen had a tremendous freshman season, but it will be interesting to see how he performs in such a hostile environment. If “Rosen & Co.” come out of the gates firing on all cylinders and score a couple of quick touchdowns, the Bruins could take control of the game in the first half and never look back. However, if Rosen gets flustered by the crowd noise, misses a few easy throws early in the game and lets the Aggie defense get comfortable, it could be a long night for the Bruins. I expect John Chavis’s defense to come out playing with high intensity, Noel Mazzone’s offense to have a solid game plan and the Aggies to come out on top.