AggieYell.com's look at the matchup between Texas A&M (0-1) and McNeese (1-1) begins with a breakdown of the Aggie offense against the Cowboys defense.
Where, when, weather and TV
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
When: 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7
Weather: Sunny, high of 89 degrees
TV: SEC Network Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
Texas A&M offensive depth chart
McNeese defensive depth chart
Injury update
Texas A&M: RB Ruben Owens (ankle) is likely out for the year.
C Mark Nabou (knee) is out for the year.
WR Jabre Barber (foot) is likely out for this week.
McNeese: No reported injuries
Texas A&M statistical leaders
Passing: Weigman, 12-30, 100 yards, 2 INT
Rushing: Moss, 20 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD
Smith, 4 carries, 25 yards
Daniels, 5 carries, 20 yards
Receiving: Walker, 6 catches, 31 yards
Allen, 2 catches, 28 yards
Watson, 1 catch, 18 yards
McNeese statistical leaders
Tackles: Davey, 31
Silvera and Driggers, 8
Tackles for loss: LB A.J. Thomas, 2.5
Lewis, 2
Sacks: Thomas, 1.5
Lewis and Davey, 1
Interceptions: Silvera, 1
Forced fumbles: Silvera and Driggers, 1
Fumble recoveries: Driggers, 1
What A&M wants to do offensively
This is all about Conner Weigman. They need to get him in a rhythm, rebuild his confidence and start increasing the aggression of their playcalling.
McNeese is currently 16th in total defense in FCS, but they've played Southern (and won) and Tarleton State (and lost) -- so it's still FCS and the competition hasn't been awesome. There should be opportunities for Weigman to get going.
Last Saturday night, the Aggies seemed to get into a playcalling rut, going more with what Weigman has done in the past -- dropback, stay in the pocket -- than what Klein has done in the past, where the ball comes out quickly more often. Coach Mike Elko said that they're looking for ways to get separation for the receivers, so maybe a mix is what is needed.
A&M's offensive line held its own against Notre Dame's strong defensive line, which should be a source of some satisfaction of two disastrous years of Steve Addazio. It may also be trouble for McNeese, which is reliant on speed and is largely undersized up front. Their biggest player, defensive tackle Steven Johnson, is 330 pounds -- but is also a true freshman. There should be some opportunities for the line to lean on the McNeese front and get Le'Veon Moss and Amari Daniels going.
This is more about A&M's mental state and approach than anything else. If they can figure out what failed them last week and operate with confidence, they'll put up yards and points. If they don't they've got bigger problems than McNeese.
How the Cowboys may try to counter
Don't give up big plays, be sound tackling and try to force some turnovers.
The Cowboys have picked off a pass and recovered two fumbles so far this season, so they've been able to take advantage of some mistakes. The Aggies were certainly error-prone Saturday night.
McNeese is undersized, but they have a lot of experience up front. They have guys who have played in big games before. Their middle linebacker, Micah Davey, will play on Sundays. He's a tackling machine, and already has 23 more tackles than the next closest guy on the team -- I don't even know how you do that. They want to filter things to him, and then let him finish things off.
Elko said the Cowboys run a similar system to A&M's defense, and they definitely emphasize speed over size. They will attempt mix up coverages, drop defensive ends or linebackers while blitzing safeties, and all kinds of exotic looks to try to confuse Weigman. The key for them will be forcing mistakes while limiting their own.
