Texas A&M cruised past Samford last week to advance to 11-0. Now we’ve arrived at the close of the regular season with the Aggies needing just one more win to finish a perfect regular season and advance to the SEC Championship in Atlanta. The lone obstacle in that path is the Texas Longhorns.
In Texas, Texas A&M faces the most talented roster it’s seen since Notre Dame back in September. What needs to happen in the trenches for the Aggies to come out on top?
Let’s dive in.
Offensive Line
The Texas Longhorns possess
a fierce pass rush, as evidenced by their spot in the SEC at third with 37 sacks on the season. Collin Simmons has 10 sacks on the year and represents a massive challenge for the Aggie offensive line. The Aggies will also have to account for Anthony Hill, who’s been impactful as a blitzer and spy in the passing game. I expect Hill to shadow Marcel Reed at times when Reed attempts to improvise. Keeping Reed upright is a big piece of the puzzle, and while I think the offensive line will rise to the occasion, I also expect a lot of quick passing game to limit the effectiveness of that Texas pass rush.
If there is a relative weakness in this Texas front seven, it’s the interior defensive line. In the past, Texas has had some real playmakers in the interior – NFL-caliber tackles. The Longhorns of 2025 aren’t necessarily bad at tackle, but I do think the Aggies can find more success in the run game by hitting the A gaps rather than trying to reach the edge. I’m interested to see how the Aggies attack Texas on the ground, as I still think we’ll see a pass-first approach given the struggles of Texas in the back end. In my opinion, Texas A&M will use that pass to set up the run by drawing the edge rushers upfield and taking advantage of the gaps created.
Defensive Line
On the defensive side of the ball, Texas A&M faces an offense that has been largely one-dimensional this season. The Longhorns haven’t been able to get much going in the run game at all, coming in at 14th in the SEC. Still, after the game Quintrevion Wisner had against the Aggies last year, this squad can’t afford to get undisciplined in the rushing attack.
The cause for the woes in the run game for Texas also represents the biggest flaw in their passing attack. The Longhorns are solid, if not great, at tackle with Goosby and Baker. Issues in run and pass blocking have come from the interior more often than not. The game plan, as it has been all year, will be to shut down Texas on first and second down and then get after Arch Manning in obvious passing situations.
A lot has been made about Manning’s struggles in the early part of the season, but there is no doubt the quarterback of the Horns has improved as the season has progressed. The big flaw in Manning’s game is that he still struggles when pressured and can be slow in processing his reads at times. Texas ranks near the middle of the pack with 21 sacks allowed on the year, something Texas A&M will need to take advantage of come Friday’s contest.
While this game will likely come down to the wire, I think the Aggies match up well with Texas. I’m expecting a high-scoring contest with Texas A&M coming out on top 35-32.
