After watching several Oklahoma football games this season, you come to the conclusion that while this may be a decent Oklahoma defense, it is a flawed defense, and nowhere close to some of the dominant units Oklahoma used to put on the field in the ten years. With Stacey McGee and Jamarkus McFarland at defensive tackle, this is an Oklahoma unit that is soft up the middle, and can be run on. Ronnell Lewis and Frank Alexander are solid at defensive end, so running right at them with the power running game off-tackler is desirable. Travis Lewis is a good linebacker, and Tom Wort is good at stuffing the run, but Corey Nelson is undersized and can get hammered by a solid running game. Looking at Oklahoma's front seven on defense, if we commit to running the ball 50 times in this game, with our offensive line, we have a great shot of easily surpassing 200 yards, and taking control of the game.

The Sooner secondary call themselves 'the sharks', but Gabe Lynn, Aaron Colvin, Javon Harris, and Sam Proctor  were chum against the Texas Tech wide receivers two weeks ago. Against Kansas State, Lynn didn't see the field, but KSU doesn't have the QB play or WRs to really light it up through the air in the passing game. The Aggies have the QB and the WRs to move the chains with the passing game, although we need to do a helluva better job catching the ball than we did against Missouri. Ryan Swope, Jeff Fuller, and Uzoma Nwachukwu can get open against this seconday, and we can shred them with the pass. We need to commit to getting the balls to the tight ends in the passing game. We spread the ball around to Nehemiah Hicks, Hutson Prioleau, and Michael Lamothe in the first half against Missouri last Saturday, and then forgot about them in the second half. The underneath routes should be open all day against this Sooner secondary, we need to take advantage of that, and go to our tight ends.

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This Texas Tech team actually looks like it will be our easiest game of the last three we've played. True, we're going on the road to Lubbock, and we have some serious questions about our secondary play, but Tech simply doesn't have the talent at WR that Arkansas or Oklahoma State does. There is no Justin Blackmon on the Tech roster, no wide receiver corps heralded as 'the best in college football' in Lubbock. Tech has a solid QB in Seth Doege and a nice multi-purpose back in Eric Stephens, who is solid both running and receiving out of the backfield, but they don't have any players that really stand out and make you take notice.

Tech's leading WR, Darrin Moore, has been nicked up and is reportedly not going to play in this game. Since this is the Lubbock Super Bowl for Tech, I expect Moore to be starting. Although Moore has gaudy stats, I think Tech's most dangerous receivers are Alex Torres and Eric Ward. Torres has a knack for getting open, and Ward is leading the team with TD receptions on the season, with 7. Torres mans the Y receiver position in their offense, so he's in the slot, where he ability to find space and shiftiness are an asset. Torres sometimes comes out and is replaced by TE Jace Amaro, because Tommy Tuberville has to have a true TE on his roster. Amaro is a true freshman who has 5 catches for 36 yards so far this season. I expect Tech OC Neal Brown to use Amaro and Torres extensively to exploit the middle of the field against our defense. While Tech doesn't have a truly dominant receiver right now, Brown has been careful to make sure they do spread the ball around. One of the tenets of the Air Raid offense is to make sure you distribute the ball to all the WRs so you are attacking all parts of the field, and Seth Doege does that; he had completions to 11 different receivers in their win over Kansas last weekend. 

Neal Brown is multiple within his version of the Air Raid, so you will see some traditional 10 personnel, 2X2, 3X1, and 1X3 formations, but you will also seem some Pistol and 21 and 22 personnel mixed in. Brown doesn't get the hype of a Gus Malzahn at Auburn or a Chad Morris at Clemson, but he is one of the brighter young offensive minds in the game. He'll have his offense ready for our defense.

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The #8 Aggies face #7 Oklahoma State tomorrow in the first match-up between two top 10 teams at Kyle Field since 1975, when #2 Texas A&M defeated #5 texas 20-10. To give you some perspective on how long ago that was, A&M WR coach Troy Walters wasn't even alive for that game. The unique circumstances of the game makes this a very big game for A&M, and it is a shame it isn't being featured on ESPN Gameday. The last time A&M played a Big 12 opponent in a match-up of top 10 teams, it was Kansas State in 1998. I don't think I have to remind you of the outcome of that game. The last time OSU won a road game over a top 10 opponent was 2008, when the #17-ranked Cowboys defeated #3 Missouri, 28-23.

Oklahoma State comes into this game with the #2 offense in the nation, averaging 601 yards per game, and scoring 52.33 points per game, good for third in the nation. A&M counters with #15 defense in the nation, having given up an average of 267 yards per game in their first two games of the season. OSU ranks #1 in passing offense (408 ypg) and #37 in rushing offense (193 ypg). A&M's defense ranks #10 against the run (67.5 ypg) and #51 in passing defense (199.5 ypg). A&M's offense averages 176 ypg rushing (#47) and 311.5 ypg passing (#18), putting us at #18 in the nation in total offense (487.5 ypg). OSU's run defense gives up an average of 171.33 ypg (#82) and passing defense gives up 242.33 ypg (#84). OSU gives up an average of 413.67 ypg on defense (#92) and an average of 27 ppg (#76). Both A&M and Oklahoma State have explosive offenses, which the statistics show, but where A&M has an advantage is on defense, where they are performing a little better right now than State is.

There are three key facets to Oklahoma State's offense: QB Brandon Weeden, RB Joseph Randle, and WR Justin Blackmon. Weeden enters the game leading the nation with 1,154 passing yards (384.7 ypg), and has thrown 8 TDs so far this season. Weeden has also had 6 passes picked off so far this year, so he can be forced into turnovers. A&M's defense currently leads the nation in sacks, averaging 5.5 per game. We need to get pressure on Weeden, force him into bad decisions, and hopefully force a turnover or two. Joseph Randle has thrived this season behind an offensive line that returned all five starters from 2010, averaging 126 ypg and 6.1 yards per carry. Randle has 7 rushing TDs on the year, and also has 12 receptions for 117 yards. He is a lethal weapon for OSU, and would be receiving more attention nationally if State didn't also happen to have the best WR in the nation on their team. A&M's defense will have its work cut out for them in trying to stifle Randle.As for Justin Blackmon, what can I say about him that hasn't already been said? He is the best WR in college football, and there really is no one close. Most impressive stat I've read about Blackmon, among all of his impressive stats? He has at least one reception for 24 yards in 15 consecutive games. That means every time he goes out on the field, he stretches your defense and hits at least one big play. It isn't a cliche to say you don't stop Blackmon, you just try to contain him, it is just reality. The Aggies will have to bracket Blackmon in double-coverage all game long, and hope we can get enough pressure on Weeden to keep the ball away from Blackmon the majority of the time. I'm sure Blackmon will get at least one big play and he'll get his yards, we just need to make sure it isn't a game-changing or game-winning play. 

Defensively, OSU has yet to allow an offensive TD in the first half this season, and has given up an average of only 133 yards in the first half in their three games this season. A lot of the statistical damage teams do to OSU comes in the second half, when the game has already been decided, for the most part. OSU runs a 4-3 defense, which means we'll be facing an even-front defense for the second week in a row. OSU's best defensive player is the undersized (5'11, 220 lbs) SLB Shaun Lewis. If our offensive line can get to the second level and hammer on Lewis, I like our chances to dominate in the running game. The running game is where we should be able to control their defense, and break their will. Free safety Daytawion Lewis leads OSU in tackles so far this season; if you have secondary players leading your team in tackles, you're having some issues.

If we can keep Ryan Tannehill's jersey clean, and give him time to find Jeff Fuller, Ryan Swope, and Uzoma Nwachukwu in the passing game, and we mix in a steady diet of Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael in the running game, we should be able to move the chains and score on their defense. We have a veteran offensive line that should be able to exert some dominance on the OSU defensive front seven. I expect OSU DC Bill Young to bring a lot of blitzes, and try to pressure Tannehill. Our pass protection and making the correct hot reads will be critical.

If we can get a solid effort from Eddie Brown, Jonathan Mathis, and Tony Jerod-Eddie, we should be able to control Randle, and stifle the Poke running game. If we get a good push up front, we will get pressure on Weeden, and hopefully force some mistakes we can take advantage of. I expect Coryell Judie and Dustin Harris will be shadowing Blackmon all night, with help over the top from Trent Hunter and Steven Terrell. If we can contain Blackmon, we can contain the Poke offense.

Overall, given the relative strength of both teams on offense, and the experienced lines on both sides, I think this game will end up a shootout, with the last team with the ball having the best chance to win the game. I think we have a slight advantage on defense, so I give us an edge to win a 37-31 scorefest. The stats most likely won't look pretty, but coming out with the win at the end of the day is the only thing that matters.

We're finally enmeshed in game week, and it is time to get a look at our opponent on Sunday, the SMU Mustangs of Conference USA. SMU is coming off of back-to-back bowl seasons after not making a bowl game since before the death penalty. The architect of this resurgence on the Hilltop is June jones, who has used his run-n-shoot offense to revitalize excitement about his program and the school in Dallas. Last year, SMU combined their run-n-shoot offense with a 3-4 defense to go 7-5 in the regular season, before losing the Conference USA championship game and their bowl game to finish the season 7-7. SMU is a solid team that returns 18 starters, 10 on offense and 8 on defense, so they are a veteran squad that will come to Kyle Field looking to upset a top 10 ranked team.

The Mustangs are led on offense by QB Kyle Padron, RB Zach Line, and WR Cole Beasley. Padron paced the Mustangs with 3828 yards passing last season, while completing 59.9 percent of his passes, and throwing 31 TDs against 14 interceptions. Padron was also the second-leading rusher on the team, netting 244 yards and 4 TDs on the season. Zach Line is the workhorse back for the offense, turning 244 carries into 1494 rushing yards and 10 TDs. Line averaged a stellar 6.1 yards per carry, and was good for 106.7 rushing yards per game. Cole Beasley had a team-leading 87 receptions last season, for 1,060 yards and 6 TDs. Between Padron, Line, and Beasley, the Mustangs have a solid core of skill-position playmakers, and they have a veteran offensive line, with all of their starters coming back. I expect SMU to test our secondary early and often with their passing game, but also try to establish the running game to keep us off-balance. Our defense will have their work cut out for them against an offense that may start out slow because it is the first game, but has the experience to make this a game.

Defensively, SMU is led by their ILB Taylor Reed (145 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 sacks) and OLB Ja'Gared Davis (90 tackles, 16 TFL, 9 sacks). In fact, 4 of SMU's top 5 tacklers last season were their LBs, which is how the 3-4 defense is supposed to work. SMU's defense functions so well because their three interior linemen are playmakers, and keep opposing offensive lines busy, so their LBs can make plays. NG Marquis Frazier (51 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFL), LE Taylor Thompson (32 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks) and RE Margus Hunt (45 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 3 sacks) are stellar performers, and will be a nice opening week challenge for our offensive line. We may not face an end combination this season bigger than Thompson (6'6, 285) and Hunt (6'8, 295). Their size makes Hunt and Thompson formidable against the run game, and the Mustangs held their opponents to a respectable 3.7 yards per carry last season. We'll have to work to get our yards against this defensive front. In the secondary, The Mustangs return FS Ryan Smith (46 tackles, 2 INTs) , SS Chris Banjo (92 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2 INTs), and CB Richard Crawford (59 tackles, 4 INTs) in their secondary. The Mustangs have to replace their strongside OLB, their Will ILB, and a CB, but they return veteran players at all three levels of their defense.

On special teams, Margus Hunt is a monster, blocking three kicks last season. The Mustangs are looking to replace Matt Szymanski, the former A&M player who transferred and handled placekicking and punting duties for SMU last season. SMU doesn't have any returners who took one back last season, and gave up a kickoff return for a TD. This is good news for our special teams units, as Coryell Judie took two back for TD for us last season. The big question for us on special teams is going to be at punter, an area we continue to struggle in. If we give SMU short fields and good field position because of our punting game, it will really fuel their hopes for pulling an upset.

Overall, this SMU team reminds me a lot of the A&M team we had coming in last season, a team that went to a bowl game and had a lot of starters returning. SMU is a lot more familiar in their 3-4 defensive scheme than we were going into last season, and I think they're going to focus on stopping Cyrus Gray first and shutting down the running game to force us to pass the ball to beat them. People are going to see the name SMU and think this game should be a walk for our team, but this is a veteran squad who returns talent in the right places, and they have the ability to give us a game for four quarters. We just need to go out there and exert our will on their defense, and break their will early and often by scoring quickly, getting pressure on Padron, and containing Line in their running game. I think this game will be closer than many expect, but I still think we'll win by double-digits.

Game previews are usually fairly simple: you look at what your team has and what your opponent has, make a reasonable determination of the possible outcomes when the two teams meet, and there you have your preview. Of course, the problem inherent in previewing an A&M game this season is the underachieving nature of this team. This A&M team has a habit of playing down below their talent every week, so comparing them to what their opposition has  in personnel is somewhat futile, because you know you can't expect our players to perform in a manner that reflects their talent level every week, therefore projecting them against another team has become an exercise in futility.

On paper, A&M should destroy this Kansas team, a squad ranked last in the conference in scoring offense (7 ppg), scoring defense (57 ppg), rushing defense (265 ypg), total offense (300.5 ypg), and total defense (574 ypg). Games aren't played on paper, however.

I'm not even sure how much to preview about this Kansas team. Their offense is horrible, led by QB Jordan Webb, who averages 199.5 yards passing per game in conference, and 4 yds rushing per game. He isn't exactly a dual-threat QB. Running the ball, Kansas is led by true freshman James Sims of Irving Macarthur, who leads the team with 352 yds yards rushing on 77 carries (4.6 ypc) and 3 TDs.  The Jayhawks leading receivers are Daymon Patterson (33 for 299, 2 TDs) and Jonathan Wilson (27 for 270, 1 TD), to solid players. The Jayhawk offense is plagued by inconsistency and turnovers; they lead the Big 12 in turnover margin, with a generous -3 margin per game. We may challenge them in this area, though, given our proclivity to turn the ball over.

Defensively, all you need to know about this Kansas defense is that their defensive coordinator is Carl Torbush, he of the two worst defenses in A&M history in 2003 and 2005. As you can see from their rankings in conference play, Torbush is still able to 'wow' people with his coaching acumen.   

Special teams, Kansas has made 2 field goals on the season. You have to move the ball on offense in order to score.

Bottom line, this is lousy Kansas team, and we should destroy them at their Homecoming game. We just need to go out there and do it.

A&M heads into their sixth game of the 2010 season on a two-game losing streak after losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas by a combined 10 points. A talented team that has held itself back with turnovers and untimely penalties the last two weeks, A&M has a chance to show everyone that they are a good team when they face #19/21 Missouri tomorrow at 11 AM on Fox Sports Net. More importantly, a win over a ranked Missouri team would give A&M a signature win to build off of this season, and give the fans a sign that this team is coming close to achieving its potential.

Let's take a look at the 2010 Missouri Tigers.

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Here we are, going into our fourth game of the 2010 season, coming off a bye week, and opening conference play with a Thursday night game on national television on ESPN. If this Aggie team is what we think (and hope) they might be, they will get the chance tomorrow night to show a whole nation that they are ready to compete for the Big 12 South and a shot at the Big 12 Championship. If the Aggies are going to contend for the conference, it all starts tomorrow night. Similarly, Oklahoma State is opening conference play after a bye week, with similar designs on their first division and conference championship. This matchup tomorrow night will reveal who the contender is, and who the pretender is.

Let's take a look at Oklahoma State:

Offense

As I am sure everyone on here is now aware, Mike Gundy brought in offensive coordinator Dana Holgerson from Houston to install his version of the Air Raid in Stillwater. Under Holgerson's tutelage, the Cowboys have been racking up yards and points in their first three games against Washington State, Troy, and Tulsa. State leads the nation in total offense (596 yards per game), , is second in passing offense (391.67 ypg) and scoring offense (57 ppg), and 31st in rushing offense (204.33 ypg). Although their competition so far have yet to really feature a defense, it is fair to say State has been thrashing people so far with their offense.

State is led on offense by QB Brandon Weeden, a 26 yr old junior who spent a few seasons playing minor league baseball before coming to college to play football again. After three games, Weeden is 74-101 (73.3%) for 975 yards and 11 TDs with 2 interceptions. As near as I can tell, Weeden has been sacked only 4 times in three games, two of them coming against Troy and two against Tulsa. While Weeden is apparently adept at avoiding the opposing pass rush, he is not mobile, as attested by his 5 rushing attempts for -32 yards. Weeden kills you through the air, so it is important for our defense to get pressure on him.

The other leader of this offense is senior TB Kendall Hunter, who has compiled 473 rushing yards in only three games (60 carries - 473 yds) at a ridiculous pace of 7.9 yards per carry. Hunter has 6 rushing TDs to his credit so far this season.  Hunter is their main weapon in the running game, with true freshman Joseph Randle doing a solid job backing him up, with 116 yards on 23 carries (5 ypc).

State's starting wide receivers are Josh Blackmon, Bo Bowling, Josh Cooper, and Tracey Moore. Blackmon is their main playmaker (24 receptions, 431 yards, 18 ypc avg, 8 TDs), and Cooper (17 receptions, 228 yds, 13.4 ypc avg, 1 TD) is also very productive. Moore (8 receptions, 83 yards) and Bowling (5 receptions, 34 yards) are not utilized as much in the offense. Kendall Hunter is used sparingly in the passing game; he has only 11 receptions for 40 yards, which contradicts an off-season theory of mine, that Hunter would have more yards receiving than rushing this year.

Despite only returning one starter from last season, State's offensive line has done a very solid job over the course of the season so far, protecting Weeden and road-grading for their ground game. The easiest way to stop the Air Raid is to destroy their pass protection up front and get pressure on the QB, and from all indications so far this season, State's line hasn't let that happen.

In our game tomorrow, I expect Holgerson to establish the run early with Hunter, and try to keep our defense off-balance with the passing game. It is imperative that we keep Hunter under control and force him to work for his yards, and that we contain Blackmon in their passing game.

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