MMR Week 8: Texas A&M at Ole Miss
Well that was a big ol’ turd we laid out last Saturday, on National TV, against Nick Saban. I do have to say this, at least we didn’t lose the game like Michigan on the last play of the game that they had in hand. Despite our style of losing we turned in some incredibly pitiful numbers. 4 interceptions, 3 returned for touchdowns. We had no turnovers for the last two games and we gave them 21 points…AT HOME!
And if that wasn’t enough, the Aggies rushed for 32 #$%%# yards…TOTAL! There are so many things to point to for this type of breakdown, but it ultimately points to a few problems the team has this year.
Only one good (but not great) running back.
Defensive line is having some issues
Our offensive strategy needs some minor changes for physical teams like Alabama
For years our biggest issue was getting the ball distributed to our corral of running backs. Then we go with a lean running attack and this happens. It should be obvious that when the offense is very pass oriented the team needs enough of a running game to keep the defense in check. I think we thought we had enough, but had not played a team as tough as Alabama since Arizona State. The difference is that we didn’t replicate the offensive game plan we played against the Sun Devils with success. We have found the vulnerable point in our offense, and with Ole Miss as tough of a defense as Alabama, we only have a week to get this corrected.
Our offensive line is just not built this year to handle the type of pressure it will see week to week. If you saw what happened early, the defense was able to get past our left side of the line and get to Kyle Allen. We adjusted and shifted in order to double team the left side, but this left the middle open, where it exposed the running game and still allowed for blitzes up the middle. This does not look to be corrected this season. I don’t know how we can counter this, but just have to see what the offensive line coach has in store for the Ole Miss game.
Now, getting back to how Alabama and Arizona State are similar. The first couple of quarters were tough on Kyle Allen. He struggled and eventually got benched for Kyler Murray, who had success. Many thought that the switch motivated Allen, but that’s not 100% true. Because we now see we have a struggling running game, Murray provided the balance we needed in the ASU game. The defense had to respect Murray’s escapability and running game. When Allen returned, the defense opened up enough to allow the passing game to take off. We may have the same issue. The Alabama defense realized very quickly we could not run, so the Crimson Tide could plan their entire defensive scheme around the passing game, and they did it with success.
Overall, I think these teams are very close to even, but with the obvious nod to Alabama. Remember, that half of their points came from the defense, and despite RB Derrick Henry rushing for over 100 yards in the first quarter and a career-high 236 yards for the game, his effectiveness was diminished over the course of the game thanks to defensive adjustments.
Speaking of the defense, despite the first quarter debacle, they adjusted and stepped up to keep the game as close as it needed to be. Alabama had an excellent plan to force the running game to counter the aggressive Aggie rush attack in the first quarter, but after some halftime adjustments, you saw a few substitutions and switch of the scheme to allow for interior attacks versus our standard outside blitzing attack. It was a great call by Coach Chavis, but it took getting embarrassed in the first quarter for this to happen. Hopefully we don’t need a repeat performance to teach us the same lesson this week. And with that, on to Oxford….Mississippsi.
Texas A&M at Ole Miss
I think many were surprised to see that Ole Miss lost last weekend to Memphis, but I was not as surprises as others. If you watched the game, you saw that Ole Miss All-American badass Robert Nkemdiche. He got hurt in the game playing offense, but his biggest impact is as a defensive player, and after he went out, the defense just didn’t look quite the same. You also have to give credit to Memphis because they are having a great season and this game was in the Liberty Bowl. The team that lost last weekend will not be the team we’re playing this weekend for a number of reasons.
Robert Nkemdiche is cleared to play this weekend, along with previously injured linebacker CJ Johnson. This will be a huge mental and physical boost to Ole Miss. This team had an amazing game against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and I would expect to see a defense as aggressive and tough as we saw last weekend again. The one thing about their defense is that they give up points, and lots of them. This is the exact opposite of A&M, who’s defense likes to give up yards. Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly, the nephew of famous Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly is the only quarterback in the SEC throwing better than Kyle Allen. He will get an extra boost of protection this weekend as Ole Miss lineman Laremy Tunsil is back on the field after serving a seven-game suspension to protect Kell’s blind side.
Like A&M, Ole Miss does not have a strong rushing game, but has just enough. The difference here will be a little different that the last game though. A&M and Ole Miss are literally the same team on paper. Both have efficient QBs and high powered offenses, with defenses that are looking to improve from game to game. I think we could pull off a close win if we were to stick with the same game plan we had against Alabama, but I don’t want to play that style, especially on the road, so here is how I think we need to win the game.
We need to actually look at starting Kyler Murray, not because of Allen’s performance last week, but to keep the defense on their heels. Murray’s style will keep the Rebels off balance. But, I would then switch back to Allen to get the efficiency and deep pass threat back in the game. While people may question the consistency and potential QB controversy that may arise, the reality is we need a boost to our running game, and a play maker like Murray is exactly the answer.
Texas A&M 45
Ole Miss 42