Texas A&M vs. UCLA: Preview, predictions, TV schedule and more

Keys for Texas A&M

There’s two keys that should be vital for all of A&M’s gameplans this season: 1) Get the ball to Christian Kirk on offense and 2) limit the big plays defensively.

Kirk only had 58 yards receiving in last year’s meeting against a physical UCLA secondary, but he had eight catches. The more he touches the football, the better off the Aggies will be. He’s a touchdown waiting to happen, regardless if he’s returning punts at times or catching the football. There were only two games last season where Kirk had less than five receptions. His role isn’t decreasing anytime soon.

Defensively, the Aggies have to keep the UCLA attack grounded. One way to do that is to get Josh Rosen off his mark in the pocket. John Chavis is one of the best defensive minds in the country and it’s no surprise that the Aggie defense has improved since his arrival from LSU in 2015. The Bruin offense is a bigger question mark than its ever been with Rosen under center, so making life difficult for him makes everyone’s job that much harder.

This is where names like Justin Madubuike and Michael Clemons could become frequent soundbites on the FOX broadcast come Sunday night. Myles Garrett is gone. Someone else on the defensive line for A&M has to step up and make plays. These two guys could make life miserable for Rosen on Sunday night.