What Went Right for Aggies' Defense in SEC Opener?
Two weeks ago, the Texas A&M Aggies were dealt their first big blow of the season.
With 12:37 left in the fourth quarter in Hard Rock stadium, trouble awaited the Aggies. The Miami Hurricanes had just scored to go up by 12, and time was running out to mount a comeback and remain perfect on the season.
That game played out exactly as it seemed. The Aggies lost, fell to 1-1 and were left with plenty of questions, though the biggest was "What's wrong with the defense?"
Obviously, the defense can't entirely be faulted. But coming off of a year where Texas A&M's defense was one of its strongest qualities, it was troublesome. Plus, a Conner Weigman-led offense had put up 33 points and 336 passing yards on the road, and it still wasn't enough.
Fast forward a week, and the Aggies once again looked dominant ... against a non-Power 5 school, on the road. Anything else would have been concerning, though despite the win, the question of the defense remained — albeit slightly more specific:
"Can they keep this up against an SEC opponent?"
Two weeks ago, that answer might have been no. After Saturday's SEC opener against the Auburn Tigers, however, that answer was an astounding yes.
So, what went right for the Aggies' defense against Auburn?
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If you ask junior linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, he'd tell you it's simple:
"We were just doing our job. That's what coach always says. Don't try to do anything extra. Just do your job. As long as you're doing that, your plays will come to you."
As simple as it sounds, the Aggies proved that throughout the game. A first half absent of offensive production paved the way for one team to either make an 11 a.m. regular season game a blowout, or a tight game, and the Aggies ensured it was the latter.
By the end of the first half, Texas A&M recorded five sacks on Auburn, marking a dominant defensive line performance at home, which according to sophomore defensive back Bryce Anderson, was the plan all along.
"We knew coming into the game, we wanted to force the quarterback to the boundary, and make his eyes [focus] on the rush," Anderson said. "That was the key to the game. Making his eyes drop so he couldn't look at the receivers down the field."
For all 32 minutes and 10 seconds that the Tigers had the ball, that worked. Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne felt the pressure all afternoon, completing just six passes for 44 total passing yards on the night.
"We just executed," Anderson said. "Coach Durkin dialed blitzes up, knowing we wanted to get pressure on those guys ... that was really the key."
A combination of bringing pressure and locking down the Tigers' top offensive weapons seemed to do the trick for the Aggies, but Anderson mentioned that more went into the defense's success than just on-field execution.
"Our effort [made the difference]," Anderson said. "Everybody running to the ball. Playing with a lot of energy. Feeding off of each other. Not being dead on the sidelines. All of that stuff goes into how we play on defense."
And Cooper couldn't have agreed more with his teammate.
"I like how our defense know to have each other's backs," Cooper said. "Whatever happens, it's just 'next play, next play.' We don't let anything break us down, [and] keep feeding off each other's energy."
If the Aggies' defensive success is measured by "matched energy," then starting fast on both sides of the ball only becomes that much more important. Texas A&M showed that, and saw the effects, despite dealing with an injury on offense.
But more than that, it proved itself capable of competing at an SEC level, which is more than it could say two weeks ago. And right now for the Aggies, that's all they can hope for.
"Our confidence is through the roof," Anderson said. "But we still know that Auburn is not the main goal. The main goal is to run through the SEC and win a national championship. [This is] just a step along the way."
The Aggies' "next step" comes in the form of the Southwest Classic, where they'll take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at the AT&T Center in Arlington. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST.
