While the Buckeyes have the week off from College Football Playoff competition this weekend, they will still have their eyes on the First Round game between Miami (FL) and Texas A&M. The winner of that
game is who the Buckeyes will play in the Quarterfinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
On Wednesday, we looked at who the Buckeyes’ fans should want to play next week. Today, we’re going to look at what to watch for in the Miami-Texas A&M game.
Both teams are playing in the College Football Playoff for the first time in their respective program histories. It will be interesting to see if there is any tightness on either side on Saturday.
In addition, the atmosphere at Kyle Field should be incredible. Watch any Texas A&M home game, and you’ll see the incredible atmosphere the enormity of Kyle Field can bring.
On the field, I’m interested in seeing if Texas A&M’s defense can slow down the Hurricanes’ offense. The Aggies’ defense is spotty, and it will give up points and yards.
Even though Carson Beck is making his first CFP start, he can sling it. He and Malachi Toney are a really good combination on the field, and they can take over any game. Beck has over 3,000 passing yards, while Toney is 30 yards shy of 1,000 on the season.
Speaking of wide receivers, Texas A&M has two that can take over games. KC Concepcion and Mario Craver each have over 15 yards per reception, and Concepcion could be one of the first wide receivers taken in the NFL Draft. The two receivers have combined for 14 receiving touchdowns this season.
The biggest thing that I’ll be watching is how both teams fare in the red zone, both offensively and defensively.
Miami’s defense has only allowed 25 opposing trips to the red zone this season. Of those 25 times, only 15 resulted in opposing touchdowns, and there were four times the opposing offense didn’t score. The Hurricanes have scored on 92% of their trips to the red zone.
On the other side, Texas A&M has allowed 32 red zone trips and scores on 30 of them. 19 of 32 opposing red zone trips have resulted in touchdowns against the Aggies. The Aggies have scored on 84% of their red zone trips, but that number is down to 65% on touchdowns scored on their trips inside the 20-yard line.
The red zone could be the determining factor in this game. Texas A&M’s struggles are why I hope the Buckeyes play them in the Quarterfinals.
This could be the best First Round Playoff game that goes down to the wire. There’s a lot to watch for in this game, primarily in the red zone.
