SportsDay writers Rachel Cohen and Chip Brown answered questions on the Texas A&M-UT game on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
From e-mail: Rachel … DMN columnist Kevin Sherrington has been critical of Coach Fran for not giving the ball to Jorvorskie Lane around the goal line. Do you think the Aggies have forgotten about their big man too much?
Rachel Cohen: Based on both the statistical and anecdotal evidence, it seems going away from Lane has hurt A&M. Really ever since Lane became a significant part of the offense midway through last season, it seems that when he touches the ball a lot, good things happen, and when bad things have happened, he hasn't been very involved.
moderator: Chip … do you expect there to be any lingering effects from the Kansas State debacle?
Chip Brown: I think the attitude of the team has been adjusted, and players have been focused in practice. The big question is if the defense can get its problems straightened out. There was no pass rush against K-State, and the secondary was ripped apart for the fourth time in five games. But with Colt McCoy back at QB and Justin Blalock back at right guard, that should be a big mental boost to the team.
moderator: Rachel … A&M has been so close all season but keeps coming up short. Do you think it's safe to say they have a confidence problem?
Rachel Cohen: I don't think confidence is the issue with this particular team. The Aggies have repeatedly come from behind and still have won more close games than they've lost. The problem is more that this squad still isn't quite good enough, for various reasons, to avoid having nearly every contest be tight. It's extremely unlikely that any team will go undefeated in close games in a season. And it's probably not coincidental that the opponents A&M has lost the down-to-the-wire contests to have been the toughest ones on its schedule.
From e-mail: Chip … the Longhorns had all kinds of trouble with Stephen McGee in last year's game. Do you expect that to be a problem again?
Chip Brown: Texas had no idea A&M was going to run option in that game last season – a big reason why McGee was able to run for 108 yards. DE Brian Robison said the first time they saw A&M run the option last year, he said to himself, "What was that?" He said Texas never did adjust to it. Texas is planning on seeing the option a lot on Friday, so the defense should be more prepared for it.
From e-mail: Rachel … how much heat is on Coach Fran right now? Or has the fact that A&M is very close to having a much better record quieted the critics?
Rachel Cohen: Depends on which critics you're talking about. The booing at Kyle Field in the Nebraska game says all you need to know about the feelings of a lot of fans right now. But the people who actually control Franchione's fate are noticing that the talent level is much-improved and that A&M is more competitive week in and week out than it's been in years. But until Franchione starts to win games against the elite of the Big 12, there's going to be some heat.
harthall86: Chip … can the Aggies run the ball against UT?
Chip Brown: My initial instinct is no. No one has been able to run successfully against Texas. Not OU, not Nebraska, not Oklahoma State. OU, with a healthy Adrian Peterson, was the only team to crack the 100-yard mark (124), but Peterson had only 38 yards in the second half. So I don't think A&M can run it consistently against Texas. I think A&M will have to throw to win, but seeing as how everyone else has thrown on Texas, it might not be as daunting as in recent years. UT has given up five rushing TDs all season and is now the nation's top rush defense (42 ypg).
Justacfbfan: Chip … if this wasn't Texas/Texas A&M, would McCoy still play?
Chip Brown: Yes. McCoy is a gamer. The guy wants to be on the field. He wants to lead. He wants to win. And I think he knows how much his team needs him. Even if it was Sam Houston State, he'd want to be out there doing his thing. As everyone knows, you never want to vacate a quarterback job for too long or else you might lose it. As we've seen numerous times before in football. But, yes, McCoy would be playing.
bigtop: Rachel … how would West Virginia fare against A&M?
Rachel Cohen: Interesting question. The fact that there are some similarities between the West Virginia and A&M offenses would in theory help out both defenses. The Aggies' defense seems to be better able to deal with more one-dimensional offenses than balanced ones right now, so the Mountaineers might be a decent matchup for them in that regard. But, like UT, West Virginia has been more successful stopping the run than the pass, and that doesn't play to A&M's strengths.
scm: Chip … not to look past the Ags, but do you see a UT-NU rematch looking any different than the last time?
Chip Brown: I think a Texas-Nebraska rematch would be just as difficult and crazy as their meeting in October. Nebraska's building a resolve to beat Texas after the Longhorns have now won six of the last seven meetings. Nebraska can move the ball, especially through the air (Texas' biggest weakness) and will have the benefit of a home crowd. So I see that potential game as a real problem for Texas.
BigAG98: Rachel … will this game be close enought to where more critical coaching decisions will be scrutinized, or, is Vegas right and the Horns should win by 13?
Rachel Cohen: Based on the way both teams' games have gone all season, I suspect this will be another close contest. Which means we may get to experience some more third-and-2 drama.
Rufis: Chip … does Texas have any hope for a BCS bowl if they lose to A&M or lose to NU in the Big 12 championship game?
Chip Brown: No. If Texas loses to Texas A&M or Nebraska, it's probably headed to the Cotton Bowl. There are too many attractive at-large BCS candidates for Texas to get into the mix. The Longhorns' only way to a BCS game is to beat A&M and beat Nebraska.
AgFan: Rachel … what are your bowl projections for A&M with an Aggie win or an Aggie loss?
Rachel Cohen: A win or a loss might not necessarily have any impact on A&M's bowl status. Right now the Aggies are pretty much slotted into the relative rank of the Big 12 teams as far as the bowls are concerned. In all likelihood, UT, Nebraska and OU are going to go to better bowls than A&M, and everyone else will go to worse bowls. The main variable is whether the Gator Bowl takes a Big 12 squad. And what happens in several other games - namely the OU-OSU matchup and the Big 12 championship - will affect that. If the Gator takes a Big 12 team, the Aggies probably go to the Holiday Bowl. If not, it's probably the Alamo.
Justacfbfan: Chip … do you think A&M can move the ball through the air against Texas?
Chip Brown: You would think the Texas defense would be so humiliated and angry that their season came unraveled because they couldn't get any pressure on a QB who played in high school last season (K-State's Josh Freeman) that they would play their best game on Friday. The last 13 TD passes given up by Texas have gone for an average of 30.5 yards. Injuries or not, that's embarrassing, especially since Texas has three seniors and a junior in the secondary. But, yes, A&M should be able to make yards throwing the ball because just about everyone else has.
moderator: Chip … a quick break from UT-A&M. Who should be playing Ohio State for the national title?
Chip Brown: If USC goes undefeated the rest of the way, I'll say the Trojans. If USC loses (to Notre Dame or UCLA), I'd say Michigan should get a rematch. I don't like the idea of a rematch because I think it favors the team that lost the first meeting. But I also think Michigan is better than Florida and Arkansas (and has already proved its better than Notre Dame).
murdock: Rachel … if the Aggies can't run on UT, do they have the passing game to keep up?
Rachel Cohen: That's the big question. On paper, A&M seems to have the weapons to rely heavily on the passing game. In situations when McGee absolutely had to throw (the late-game drives at Kansas and OSU), he was effective. The Aggies seem to have the depth, talent and experience at receiver. But overall A&M has been inconsistent passing this season and hasn't shown a willingness to become a pass-first team.
Frantastic: Rachel … why haven't the Aggies been able to bring the heat on defense in the first half like they have in the second half? Can we expect another shutdown performance after halftime, keeping the Ags in it until the end?
Rachel Cohen: Part of it is just a mystery, and part of it may be some problem in preparation, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the defensive coaches believe the only way for these players to be effective is for the scheme to be simple. It's hard to argue with them considering how much A&M has improved this year and how young and inexperienced the defense still is. Anyway, opposing coaches can see on film the simplicity, and they'll add a new wrinkle at the start of the game. The players don't know yet to adjust on their own, so they have to wait for the coaches to make the adjustment for them. The Aggies' overall stats are probably indicative of the current state of their defense - improved, but certainly not dominant yet.
murdock: Rachel … how will A&M's defensive line fare against the UT running game with Red out?
Rachel Cohen: The run defense has held up pretty well with Bryant out, but this is one of best rushing teams the Aggies have faced all season, so it will be challenge, regardless.
From e-mail: Chip … is there any logical explanation for how poorly UT's secondary has performed?
Chip Brown: The only logical explanation is the injuries to CB Tarell Brown (broken toe), S Marcus Griffin (both ankles) and S Michael Griffin (ankle). While they are as healthy as they've been right now, they were hurting badly at the start of conference play. Their injuries have forced the secondary to play more zone, which has made them somewhat predictable. The injuries have also limited Texas' ability to blitz from the secondary. Only in the last couple games has Texas sent Michael Griffin on blitzes, and Texas has used a corner blitz maybe only twice all season. In short, Texas' secondary became predictable with the injuries.
Roy L.: Chip … regardless of what happens next, this season is essentially a failure for Texas, isn't it?
Chip Brown: Yes and no. No one probably expected QB Colt McCoy to be able to lead comeback after comeback on the road against OU (the team predicted by the media to win the Big 12 South), Nebraska and Texas Tech. Conversely, no one probably thought the defense would be this bad, injuries or not. The bottom line is that Texas may not have even had a shot to get to No. 2 in the BCS with a win over Kansas State. It looks like it's either USC or Michigan. But still, Mack Brown said Monday the loss to Kansas State two weeks ago was one of the two worst losses he's experienced since coaching at Texas. He said the N.C. State loss in 1999 was the worst because, as he said, "We had better players" and self-destructed with three blocked punts at home. Texas players watched K-State go out and lose to Kansas last weekend and realized how essential it is to be dialed in every single week.
moderator: Rachel … what is your prediction for this game?
Rachel Cohen: How about yet another one-point game? UT 28, A&M 27
moderator: Chip … care to make a prediction on this one?
Chip Brown: I think Texas wins because they can stop the Aggies' rushing attack and because Texas is at home on Senior Day. UT hasn't lost consecutive games in seven years (1999), so I think the Longhorns get the win. But it wouldn't surprise me to see the Aggies have the lead at some point in this game. I'll say, Texas 24, Texas A&M 14.
Thanks for the questions everyone. Happy holidays.
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