Texas A&M's defense struggled in Saturday's stunning 31-21 home loss to Kentucky, which was surprising given the unit's impressive play in blowout wins over Missouri State and Arizona State, including multiple pick-sixes against the Sun Devils in Week 2. Statistically, third-year coach Mike Elko's defense ranks 14th nationally but is tied for 96th in sacks and 109th in pressure rate (26.3%) after finishing top 3 last season, led by unanimous All-American Edge Cashius Howell with 11 sacks.
Through three games, the Aggies have produced just four sacks, led by senior defensive end T.J. Searcy's one sack, which heavily contributed to A&M's deep secondary struggling against Kentucky's passing attack, virtually sitting on an island while QB Kenny Minchey
has more than enough time to scan the field and throw with accuracy and touch.
It's clear that the Aggies' defensive line has not been able to produce consistent pressure with four rushers, and compared to last season, Mike Elko and new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill have confusingly avoided blitzing at even an average rate; thanks to AggieYell's (subscription required) Carter Karels for the deep dive, the team is ranked sixth-to-last nationally in blitz rate.
On Monday, Mike Elko spoke to the local media during his weekly pre-game press conference, and when asked about the Aggies' lack of success rushing the passer, Elko said Texas A&M's defensive game plan "hasn't changed" compared to last season's scheme.
"Our defensive philosophy hasn't changed. It's the same defense we ran last year. We need people to drop back and throw the ball. They had five drop back passes on Saturday. I think they had five the week before. We're not seeing a lot of drop back passes. That makes it really challenges. A lot of it was seven-man protection, and when it's seven-man protection, you've got to cover better."
While it's true Kentucky's success on the ground, especially in the second half, didn't force coach Will Stein to call many pass plays, Saturday's road test vs. LSU will more than likely include more drop-back passes for quarterback Sam Leavitt, unless A&M's run defense repeats its poor performance from Saturday.
Texas A&M's secondary must also bounce back, knowing LSU star tight end Trey'Dez Green is expected to miss Saturday's game. The pressure is on the linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties to play much better in coverage and, most importantly, tackle better after missing 23 combined tackles in the last two games.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Mike Elko addresses Texas A&M's lack of blitzing through three games
