At last, we dig around under our own hood, while simultaneously taking a closer look at how the Aggies have been faring statistically. Below is the statistical overview of each team; game analysis to follow:
Texas margin of victory: +23.2 points
Texas A&M margin of victory: +12.5 points
Texas' opponents have a combined record of: 53-39
Texas A&M's opponets have a combined record of: 42-46
As another rough guide, Jeff Sagarin lists Texas' strength of schedule as 44th toughest in the country and Texas A&M's as 88th.
How are these two teams performing statistically? Below are tables of each team's season totals, with national rank in parentheses.
Texas A&M By The Numbers: Defense
The next, final, step, is to put those numbers into context. The following chart shows the national rank in total offense and total defense for each of Texas and Texas A&M's 2006 opponents. Each team's Division 1AA opponent has been excluded.
| Rush YPG | Rush YPC | Rush TD | Pass YPG | Pass YPA | Pass TD | QB Rating | Total Offense | Scoring Offense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 207.5 (8) | 5.06 (12) | 30 (4) | 203.0 (54) | 7.8 (28) | 12 (76) | 138.3 (34) | 410.5 (16) | 30.9 (20) |
| Rush YPG | Rush YPC | Rush TD | Pass YPG | Pass YPA | Pass TD | QB Rating | Total Offense | Scoring Offense |
| 179.5 (22) | 4.52 (28) | 22 (18) | 227.9 (36) | 8.3 (16) | 29 (5) | 164.7 (5) | 407.4 (18) | 39.5 (4) |
| Rush YPG | Rush YPC | Rush TD | Pass YPG | Pass YPA | Pass TD | Opp. QB Rating | Total Defense | Scoring Defense |
| 127.8 (51) | 4.11 (78) | 14 (64) | 189.3 (48) | 6.6 (41) | 13 (41) | 118.4 (44) | 317.1 (51) | 19.5 (41) |
| Rush YPG | Rush YPC | Rush TD | Pass YPG | Pass YPA | Pass TD | Opp. QB Rating | Total Defense | Scoring Defense |
| 43.1 (2) | 1.83 (1) | 5 (3) | 249 (111) | 7.3 (82) | 19 (97) | 130.2 (75) | 292.1 (24) | 18.4 (31) |
| Total Offense Rank | Texas A&M Opponent | Total Defense Rank | -- | Total Offense Rank | Texas Opponent | Total Defense Rank | ||
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Louisiana Lafayette |
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-- |
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North Texas |
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Army |
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-- |
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Ohio State |
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Louisiana Tech |
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-- |
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@Rice |
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Texas Tech |
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-- |
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Iowa State |
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@Kansas |
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-- |
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Oklahoma |
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Missouri |
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-- |
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Baylor |
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@Oklahoma State |
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-- |
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@Nebraska |
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@Baylor |
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-- |
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@Texas Tech |
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Oklahoma |
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-- |
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Oklahoma State |
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Nebraska |
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-- |
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@Kansas State |
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Average |
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-- |
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Average |
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Charts? Charts.
To the mats with the numbers:
*We have ourselves a Strength vs Strength matchup. The Aggies have thrived off a power rushing attack that ranks in the top 15 nationally in total rushes, total yards, rushes per attempt, and rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, after Michigan let Chris Wells and Antonio Pittman break two long runs, the Longhorns take over the top spot nationally in rush yards allowed per attempt (1.83). Something's gotta give, right? Maybe, maybe not. It stands to reason that the Aggies will lustily eye Texas' god awful pass defense numbers and look to throw the ball more. Even so, I have to think the Aggies can't win this game unless they're picking up first down on the ground and keeping Texas' offense off the field. They'll need a great game from Mike Goodson.
*It's been one thing to talk about the bad defense, but seeing those pass defense numbers in the above chart is just painful. It'll be the final home game for seniors Tarrell Brown, Aaron Ross and Michael Griffin. Here's to hoping they play like they did agains Oklahoma State... and not Kansas State.
*Interesting to note how may truly awful defenses each team has faced this season. Rice, Army, Louisiana Tech, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa State, Baylor and Oklahoma State are all giving up gobs of yardage on the year. Equally interesting, it's fun to see how many Big 12 offenses are ranking in the Top 40 and above. With all these young quarterbacks across the conference, I'd expect it to remain a high-offense conference again next season.
*Speaking of the schedule, this had to be the nightmare for Aggie fans. In fact, I called it way back on August 4th, when I wrote, "What I?m most interested to see is what happens to Texas A&M. They very well might start the season 9-0, or 8-1 (loss to Tech). But they aren?t actually going to be any good. I?ll laugh if they back their way into a ranking, only to get humiliated in November." It's been a pretty humiliating November indeed. Last chance for the Aggies to get a signature win.
*The Aggies have been pretty solid against the pass, but there's been room for opponents to run this season. Can Texas amp up its run game to close out the regular season? We've been waiting, waiting, waiting for the rush game to take off, but it hasn't happened yet. Part of it is that teams are keyed in on stopping the run, opening up the opportunities for McCoy, who's been outstanding. How will the Aggies decide to defend Texas? Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell uses an unconventional 4-2-5 defense. With McCoy's injury, I'd guess Texas will give the rushing game every opportunity to succeed.
*All told, the regular season finale looks favorable for Texas. The Aggies don't have the quarterback or receivers to take advantage of Texas' biggest weakness - pass defense. I do think we'll see McGee to Bennett quite a bit this week, but barring a truly standout game from McGee, it doesn't seem likely that the Aggies will score enough to pull off the upset. The November nightmare continues for A&M: Texas wins 41-23.
[Previous "Under The Hood" Articles: Wisconsin / Rutgers / Kansas State / Michigan-Ohio State / USC-Cal / Texas Tech-Oklahoma State]
--PB--