Yes, we have given up alot of passing yards. In game one, we lost Cat and Slush and had to adjust on the fly. Game 2 and 3 we were missing Slusher. Plus, SC and Misery St. both basically gave up on the run, and focused on the pass. And both teams throw it well. if you ONLY throw you are probably gonna have some passing yards.
Conversely, our front is being discussed like we are suddenly the iron curtain. No one is more thrilled with our front and run defense than me. But, again, while Cincy did want to run it and did try, SC and MST didn’t much bother.
I DO think our sack numbers are real. But we have only played one decent offensive line.
So…I fully anticipate that the aggies will be able to run it better than people think, but they will do very little in the passing game. That is my prediction. They will move it some. And score between 17-21.
But we will score over 24.
My prediction - 27-17. Good guys. (Even if it looks like we will wear white helmets. Yuck. Oh well! :))
Our defense will give up passing numbers to shut down the run and make a team one-dimensional. Fixing tackling will help with YAC, which is my biggest concern - we have better athleticism in the secondary vs 2021, but lesser tackling prowess.
Our problem will be a team that can run for 200+ and pass for 200+. Not being able to key on one or the other will stretch us too thin to win anything but a shootout.
We have the offense to win shootouts.
Key: Pittman’s commentary about panicking vs Auburn, 2021. Saturday vs MOST, Petrino panicked and did not stick with the run and getting the QB outside the pocket. Pittman did not panic. Instead, UA quit rushing the DEs past the QB, holding the edge of the pocket. A blitzer was then able to find the weak spot in the OL and pressure the QB. Petrino outfoxed us for 2/3rds of the game, but the final 1/3rd was a beautiful comeback by Odom.
The higher the score the more likely we win. If, somehow, A&M can hold our score down that is not a good thing.
Oh…one more thing…though some of our fans won’t like it…you can expect a higher percentage of zone. Doesn’t mean we will stop bringing heat. We will still bring 5. Sometimes 6. But I expect more rush 4, with some flavor of zone behind it. McGlothern and Slush can play man. Well. Not sure about anyone else. if you can’t play man well…you stop trying at some point.
Fortunately, with the right 4 bring the heat, we can still have a terrific passing down pass rush.
We’ve played 3 home games. The least points scored against our guys was 24 by Cincy. I just can’t envision that will we limit the Aggs to 17…on the road in Texas…now that their new QB has a couple weeks leading his team.
I agree with you maestro. Can’t see how they won’t play more cloud. Fans love sacks and bombs but I prefer lower scores regardless of how we get there.
Ranking last NATIONALLY in passing defense is pretty significant. Last! I know we’ve had injuries and we have youngsters but Razorbacks should never be last in anything.
Me too. Hate the white helmets. Bama, OU, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State…they have iconic helmets they never change. We have an iconic helmet too, when its a white hog with a red helmet.
Our white helmets look like we are the Arizona (or old St. Louis) Cardinals.
But, I am old school. The younger folks are gonna tell me to get over it in 3…2…1…
I agree somewhat with what you are saying, but for any one of us that watched the three games so far, we have seen wide open receivers down field that the QB missed. In other words, our defensive pass stats could actually be a whole lot worse.
Our secondary is a problem and needs to get fixed. I am sure the coaches are working on it.
I’m getting older but prefer our classic look where country knows our brand.
But if it helps us win I guess can’t argue much.
Worst kept secret in all of college football is that we’ve had trouble in D backfield. You know it’s major emphasis for us this week and Odom will bring front pressure as well.
D may give ups points, but key is whether our O can score. Big game
They learned something the last third vs MOST: rush 3, drop 7, and blitz someone. They attacked that LT last week until he was ready to crawl home and cry to momma. He was left on an island with both the DE and a blitzing Sanders. The LG had to watch for a stunting DT before helping. Too late most of the time. Key to that was the DEs no longer rushing up the field, often getting past the QB. 1-2 steps and they quit and sealed the edge to avoid scrambles, letting the blitzer work his magic.
Given that Johnson is not mobile that may be a good option this week.
I didn’t say, or at least didn’t mean to imply, we would ever rush 6 and play zone. I said we will still bring 5 and 6 at times. When we do we will have to play man. Of course.
My point was that I suspect we will rush four and play zone the majority of the time. And you can certainly play zone with 7. Not saying we will do that exclusively. But mostly.