AggieYell.com's breakdown of the Texas Bowl matchup between Texas A&M and Oklahoma State continues with a look at the Cowboys offense against the Aggie defense.
Oklahoma State two-deep
QB: #7, Alan Bowman; 6-4, 209; RS-Sr.
#13, Garret Rangel; 6-2, 189; RS-Fr.
RB: #0, Ollie Gordon II; 6-1, 211; So.
#3, Jaden Nixon; 5-10, 185; RS-So.
FB: #90, Braden Cassity; 6-2, 241; RS-Sr.
#38, Jake Schultz; 6-3, 241; RS-Sr.
WR: #17, Leon Johnson III; 6-5, 215; Sr.
WR: #80, Brennan Presley; 5-8, 175; Sr.
WR: #10, Rashod Owens; 6-2, 219; RS-Jr.
#2, Talyn Shettron; 6-2, 195; RS-Fr.
TE: #16, Josiah Johnson; 6-5, 235; RS-Sr. OR #82, Quinton Stewart; 6-2, 255; RS-Jr.
LT: #71, Dalton Cooper; 6-7, 311; RS-Sr. OR #67, Cole Birmingham; 6-5, 325; RS-Sr.
LG: #73, Jason Brooks Jr.; 6-4, 298; RS-Jr. OR #68, Taylor Miterko; 6-6, 296; RS-Sr.
C: #66, Joe Michalski; 6-4, 303; RS-Sr.
#51, Austin Kawecki; 6-5, 281; RS-Fr.
RG: #74, Preston Wilson; 6-5, 295; RS-Sr. OR #68, Taylor Miterko, 6-6, 296; RS-Sr.
RT: #61, Jake Springfield; 6-5, 323; RS-Sr.; OR #67, Cole Birmingham; 6-5, 325; RS-Sr.
Texas A&M projected two-deep
DE:.#4, Shemar Stewart; 6-6, 285; So.
#92, Malick Sylla; 6-6, 240; So.
NT: #17, Albert Regis; 6-2, 325; RS-Jr.
#99, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy; 6-3, 300; RS-Fr.
DT: #13, DJ Hicks; 6-5, 290; Fr.
#88, Samu Taumanupepe; 6-3, 380; Fr.
DE: #5, Shemar Turner; 6-4, 290; Jr.
#15, Rylan Kennedy; 6-4, 220; Fr.
WILL: #24, Chris Russell Jr.; 6-2, 235; RS-Sr.
#40, Martrell Harris Jr.; 6-2, 220; So.
MIKE: #21, Taurean York; 6, 230; Fr.
#22, JD Davis; 6-1, 235; RS-Sr.
NICKEL: #1, Bryce Anderson; 6, 195; So.
#25, Dalton Brooks; 6, 195; Fr.
CB: #19, Bravion Rogers; 6, 190; Fr.
#16, Sam McCall; 6-1, 185; So.-TR.
SS: #26, Demani Richardson; 6-1, 215; RS-Sr.
#33, Jarred Kerr; 6, 195; So.
FS: #2, Jacoby Mathews; 6-2, 215; So.
#33, Jarred Kerr; 6, 195; So.
CB: #14, Jayvon Thomas; 6, 190; Fr.
#9, Bobby Taylor; 6-1, 185; RS-Fr.
Injury (or portal) update
Texas A&M: DT McKinnley Jackson (undisclosed), CB Josh DeBerry (shoulder) and LB Edgerrin Cooper (NFL draft) are out.
DT Walter Nolen, DT Isaiah Raikes, DE Fadil Diggs, DE LT Overton, CB Tyreek Chappell and CB Deuce Harmon have entered the portal and have left the program.
Oklahoma State: WR Jayden Bray, WR Blaine Green and QB Gunnar Gundy have entered the portal.
Oklahoma State statistical leaders
Rushing: Gordon, 258 carries, 1,651 yards (6.3 YPC), 20 TD
Nixon, 50 carries, 197 yards (3.9 YPC), 1 TD
Passing: Bowman, 270-452 (59.7%), 3,058 yards, 13 TD, 12 INT
Rangel, 17-32, 172 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Receiving: Presley, 89 catches, 839 yards (9.9 YPC), 6 TD
Owens, 53 catches, 731 yards (13.8 YPC), 3 TD
Johnson, 29 catches, 453 yards (15.6 YPC), 1 TD
Texas A&M statistical leaders
Tackles: Cooper, 83
York, 66
Richardson, 59
Tackles for loss: Cooper, 17
Turner, 10.5
York, 8.5
Sacks: Cooper, 8
Turner, 6
York and Jackson, 3
Interceptions: DeBerry, 2
Five players with 1
Forced fumbles: Cooper and Turner, 2
Five players with 1
Fumble recoveries: Three players with 1
Head-to-head
What the Cowboys want to do
They want to move with tempo and they'll likely want to run the ball with Ollie Gordon. And why not? He did win the Doak Walker Award. He's the center of the offense and the player A&M will have to contain first and foremost.
Oklahoma State likes to pass off the run. They'll RPO and use a lot of play action. Two of their receivers have entered the portal, but their big play threat is Rashod Owens, who will be a problem for whoever A&M puts out there tonight. Bowman is not an accurate passer, but he likes to take his deep shots. That could be an issue for the Aggies, as it has been all year. To compound matters, Oklahoma State's offensive line has been excellent at not giving up sacks all season.
Run the ball with Gordon and try to hit the deep ball. It seems pretty simple, but it may be all they need.
How the Aggies may counter
Stuff Gordon and see how everything else works out.
If the regular Aggie defense is out there, Oklahoma State would probably have some real issues moving the ball. This isn't the regular Aggie defense, clearly. The defensive line is depleted due to portal defections, the weak corner crew is worse due to the portal and injuries and the team's best two players, Edgerrin Cooper and McKinnley Jackson, are out.
Problem.
But the Aggies still have some quality talent. Where they have to prove it is in the middle, so they can limit Gordon. That's going to fall on Hicks, Dindy, Regis and Taumanupepe, in all likelihood. If they hold up, then the Cowboys will have some issues.
In spite of Oklahoma' State's success in protecting Bowman, the Aggies can't go away from what brought them success. They're going to have to bring York and Russell on blitzes and find times to do the same with Anderson and Richardson. They're going to have to mix things up, blitz from different angles and cause problems for the passing game. They can't let Oklahoma State have too much time to throw, especially against a corner group that has very limited experience.
