The No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies defeated the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday afternoon, 45-38. Here are the three biggest takeaways from this SEC game.
It was the biggest game of the day in Week 6. The No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies were able to protect Kyle Field en route to a 45-38 victory over the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers. Texas A&M moves to 6-0 entering its Week 7 bye. Tennessee falls to 5-1 on the season.
If you like defense, field position battles and, above all, rampant turnovers, this SEC game would have been right up your alley. In a clash of SEC titans, this game lived up to the hype with it coming down to the final possession in College Station, in double overtime nonetheless.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from Texas A&M’s Week 6 win over Tennessee:
1. Luck can only take you so far.
Tennessee ran out of its 2016 luck on Saturday in College Station; it can only take a team so far. Tennessee had opportunities to lose all five of its games this season before meeting Texas A&M.
Whether it was the hostile road environment of Kyle Field or really poor in-game execution, the lucky breaks that once favored Tennessee went swiftly out the door in Week 6. The Volunteers turned the football over seven times against the Aggies’ defense. Championship caliber teams don’t do that.
Tennessee can still win the SEC East, but will have to play with more conviction in SEC play to even get that opportunity. The Volunteers have yet to play a full 60 minutes of football in 2016. It worked the first five weeks, but Rocky Top Nation got burned against Texas A&M on Saturday.
2. Texas A&M might have the best pass rush in the Power 5.
When Texas A&M got John Chavis as its defensive coordinator from the LSU Tigers, it was only a matter of time before he had the Aggies defense turned around. In 2016, the best part of the Aggies’ vaunted defense is easily its pass rush.
Led by junior defensive end Myles Garrett, the Aggies wreaked havoc all over an overwhelmed Tennessee offensive line. Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs was running for his life in the backfield all afternoon.
Though Tennessee is clearly deficient up front, the Aggies should be able to get penetration on any offensive line they go up against. It’s swarming, it’s relentless, and it’s probably the very best pass rush in the Power 5. An A+ game from an offensive line will be what it takes to stymie the Texas A&M pass rush. Seriously, is Von Miller out there for Gig ‘Em Nation or what?
3. Aggies’ offense will keep you in games. Too inconsistent.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Aggies on Saturday afternoon. After 21 first-quarter points, Texas A&M struggled to get into the end zone the rest of the afternoon. Texas A&M forced so many turnovers defensively, but the team’s inconsistency on offense kept Tennessee in this game.
Texas A&M didn’t do a ton of damage through the air. Frankly, quarterback Trevor Knight had a shaky, albeit productive game. He had many touchdowns, but could have easily had more. What killed Texas A&M offensively was poor play on third down (5-16).
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Is Texas A&M a College Football Playoff contender entering mid-October? Absolutely, but head coach Kevin Sumlin has to clean some things up before playing the Alabama Crimson Tide in two weeks. The defense will keep Texas A&M in games, but the offense lets teams that shouldn’t have a chance to come right back into the ball game.