Texas A&M vs. Louisiana-Monroe Keys To The Game
The Texas A&M Aggies were beaten badly by the Miami Hurricanes and now have something to prove.
The Aggies will look to right their wrongs from last week's nonconference loss Saturday against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, closing out their three-game opener before Southeastern Conference play begins.
Against the past 57 Power Five opponents, Louisiana-Monroe is 4-53 with two wins coming against Wake Forest, one against Arkansas and, yes, one against Alabama in 2007.
Texas A&M and Louisiana-Monroe will play at Kyle Field Saturday at 3 p.m. on SEC Network.
Texas A&M wins if...
... it can limit the explosive plays.
The Aggies were burnt by the big play against the Hurricanes that led to their ultimate downfall among other things.
Against New Mexico, the Lobos' longest play was a 27-yard touchdown run which came two plays after a 22-yard completion. Other than that one drive, the Aggies only allowed one other play to go for over 20 yards.
Miami was a totally different story. Texas A&M allowed seven pass plays over 20 yards en route to Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke's 374-yard, five-touchdown day.
The dagger that hammered the final nail into Texas A&M's coffin was a 64-yard strike that was coupled with poor tackling as wide receiver Jacolby George raced to the end zone to send Aggies fans rushing to beat the traffic.
Louisiana-Monroe has 10 plays that have gone for over 20 yards.
If Texas A&M can prevent the Warhawks' tandem running game between Hunter Smith and Isaiah Woullard from gashing its defense, the Aggies should take care of business.
Louisiana-Monroe wins if...
... it creates turnovers.
Texas A&M turned it over twice last week against Miami, and the Hurricanes capitalized on both, scoring 10 points off the two turnovers.
Through two games, the Louisiana-Monroe has created seven turnovers and scored 17 points off of them. Linebackers Ja'Terious Evans, Austin Goffney and Max Harris and safety AJ Watts all have one interception, while defensive lineman Jaylan Ware and cornerback Car'lin Vigers and Lu Tillery have all recovered fumbles.
In a game where the Warhawks' two-running-back tandem will shorten possessions with longer drives that chew clock, if they can limit Texas A&M's opportunities by forcing a few turnovers, this game could be closer than the 36.5-point spread suggests.
