A&M offense readying for brawl with LSU

QB: 11 Kellen Mond (6-2, 210, So-1L; ProFootballFocus season score of 74.3)

RB: 5 Trayveon Williams (5-9, 200, Jr-2L; PFF score of 81.2)

FB: 12 Cullen Gillaspia (6-2, 235, Sr-2L; PFF score of 75.4)

TE: 81 Jace Sternberger (6-4, 250, Jr-TR; PFF score of 87.6)

WR: 2 Jhamon Ausbon (6-2, 220; So-2L; PFF score of 64.8)

WR: 1 Quartney Davis (6-2, 200, So-1L; PFF score of 62.3)

SLOT: Camron Buckley (6-2, 190, So-1L, PFF score of 70.2)

LT: 65 Dan Moore Jr. (6-5, 317, So-1L; PFF score of 55)

LG: 78 Keaton Sutherland (6-5, 315; Sr-3L; PFF score of 55.7)

C: 64 Erik McCoy (6-4, 315, Jr-2L; PFF score of 72.1)

RG: 77 Ryan McCollum (6-5, 295; RS-So-1L; PFF score of 55.1)

RT: 54 Carson Green (6-6, 300, So-1L; PFF score of 65.4)

DE: 97 Glen Logan (6-4 297; So.-1L; PFF score of 69)

NT: 99 Ed Alexander (6-3 331; Jr.-2L; PFF score of 74.9)

DE: 90 Rashard Lawrence (6-3 317; Jr.-2L; PFF score of 67.9)

LB: 45 Michael Divinity Jr. (6-2 238; Jr.-2L; PFF score of 74.9)

MLB: 6 Jacob Phillips (6-4 229; So.-1L; PFF score of 62)

LB: 46 Andre Anthony (6-4 238; So.-SQ; PFF score of 65.4)

Rover: 40 Devin White (6-1 240; Jr.-2L; PFF score of 87)

CB: 1 Kelvin Joseph (6-1 195; Fr.-HS; PFF score of 56)

SS: 9 Grant Delpit (6-3 203; So.-1L; PFF score of 85)

FS: 26 John Battle (6-2 206; Sr.-3L; PFF score of 67.9)

CB: 29 Greedy Williams (6-3 184; So.-1L; PFF score of 81.8)

Rushing: Williams, 217 carries for 1,366 carries and 13 TD

Mond, 124 carries for 347 yards and 5 TD

Jashaun Corbin, 56 carries for 311 yards and 1 TD

Passing: Mond, 201-340, 2,680 yards, 17 TD, 8 INT

Nick Starkel, 15-22, 169 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Sternberger, 42 catches for 729 yards and 8 TD

Davis, 36 catches for 445 yards and 5 TD

Buckley, 32 catches for 465 yards and 1 TD

Tackles: White, 98

Phillips, 72

Delpit, 68

Tackles for loss: Divinity, 10.5

Delpit, 9.5

White, 8

Sacks: Divinity and Delpit, 5
Glen Logan, 3

White, 2

Interceptions: Delpit, 5

Battle, 3

Williams, 2

Forced fumbles: Five with 1

Fumble recoveries: White, 2

Three with 1

Scoring offense: 31.1 PPG, 50th

Rushing yards: 201.1 YPG, 39th

Passing yards: 259.7 YPG, 35th

Total yards: 460.8 YPG, 21st

First downs: 285. 6th

3rd down conversions: 39.1%, 67th

4th down conversions: 50%, 72nd

Red zone percentage: 80.8%, 92nd

Sacks allowed: 33, 115th

Turnovers: 16, 63rd

Average time of possession: 35:23, 2nd

Points allowed: 16.1 PPG, 8th

Rushing yards allowed: 130.7 YPG, 31st

Passing yards allowed: 199.5 YPG, 32nd

Total yards allowed: 330.2 YPG, 24th

First downs allowed: 204, 38th

Tackles for loss: 62, 75th

Sacks: 25, 41st

Redzone conversion percentage allowed: 78.6%, 32nd

Third down conversion percentage allowed: 32.9%, 22nd

Fourth down conversion percentage allowed: 52.6%, 71st

Turnovers forced: 22, 14th

One thing A&M has failed to do against LSU the past couple of years is run the football effectively. They've gotten one-dimensional and it's crippled the offense. This, however, is a different team and different scheme, and LSU knows it. Ed Orgeron referenced it this week, that this is not "the old Texas A&M team."

The Aggies are going to try to do what LSU has consistently done to them: get physical and control the line of scrimmage. For the first time since the Aggies joined the SEC, A&M has the better starting running back in Trayveon Williams, who has been red hot the past month. With the problems the Aggie secondary has had all season, the mission is clear: beat LSU up front.

The safety corps of LSU is the nation's best and it's not close. Delpit may be (and should be) a first team All-American, and the Tigers like to use him up in the box like a glorified linebacker. He'll attack a lot, but is also excellent in pass defense. Still, A&M is going to try to test him with the nation's top tight end in Sternberger in order to make sure he's not coming after Mond all the time. Look for the Aggies to use play action to Sternberger and with their receivers over the middle.

Williams is also an elite corner, but the rest of their group is banged up. That may lead to some opportunities for Davis and Buckley, but don't look for a lot of long routes if the Aggies can avoid them. This game calls for effectively moving the ball down the field steadily, not in huge chunks. The Aggies want to control the ball, run the clock and d

LSU's defense doesn't get a lot of sacks or tackles for loss; they just don't let opponents move much farther than the line of scrimmage and suffocate you with their outstanding secondary. A&M, however, may be catching a break: starting DE Breiden Fehoko is out for the year, while star CB Kristian Fulton will miss this game. His primary backups, Joseph and Kary Vincent Jr., are both banged up and will not be close to 100%.

That doesn't their scheme will change.

The linebackers, Divinity and White, are outstanding and frequently play near the line of scrimmage, then occasionally try to bait quarterbacks into ill-advised throws by backing off. They'll also run blitz, especially with Divinity, to try to get an advantage in numbers.

On the outside, they have the luxury of playing a lot of man coverage with the outstanding duo of Williams and Fulton, but it may be a little tougher with their banged up corner corps. Still, it'll be tough to try to beat Williams, and Battle (and sometimes Delpit) can drop into coverage and help out very effectively.

LSU may not have the front line and middle linebackers they have in the past, but their outside linebackers and secondary are still as good as anyone's. They'll look to shut down the Aggie run and force Mond to try his luck against that potent back end.

LT Dan Moore vs. LB Devin White: White has been a tackling machine, racking up nearly 100 already. He's also a bigger threat as a pass rusher than his two sacks indicate. With A&M's troubles protecting the passer, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if Dave Aranda turns him loose. Either way, Moore has to handle him at or near the line of scrimmage for the A&M offense to operate efffectively.

TE Jace Sternberger vs. S Grant Delpit: Sternberger is the nation's top pass catching tight end, and Delpit may be the country's best safety. He has 5 interceptions, but in a game like this, LSU would like to have him up closer to the line of scrimmage. The Aggies may try to test Delpit with play action early and see if they can get him to bite, letting Sternberger get loose.

RB Trayveon Williams vs. LB Micheal Divinity: WIlliams leads the SEC in rushing, and Divinity leads LSU in tackles for loss. He plays near the line of scrimmage a lot, and the two will face off a fair amount. If Williams wins this battle, it means good things for A&M.