Texas A&M (11-1, 7-1 SEC) is just six days away from hosting Miami (FL) (10-2) in the first round of the College Football Playoff, as both programs will make their first appearance in the tournament since its inception, and aren’t looking to end the season anytime soon.
For the Aggies, losing to rival Texas on the road 27-17 on Black Friday was poorly timed, resulting in a massive drop to No. 7 in the CFP rankings, but they were still granted a home game. On the other side, Miami snuck in over Notre Dame, who the Hurricanes defeated earlier in the year, and are riding a four-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s game.
Advertisement
Texas A&M’s defense runs through the defensive line, led by senior edge Cashius Howell’s 11.5 sacks and 40-plus pressures. At the same time, the secondary, which has been leaky in several regular-season games, lacks top-end speed, allowing a handful of explosive plays against the Longhorns.
Paired with a run defense that has given up over 200 yards four times this year, Miami QB Carson Beck will look to take advantage of these deficiencies. However, head coach Mike Elko and his defensive staff will need to key in on freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney, who nearly reached the century mark this season with 84 receptions, 970 yards, and seven touchdowns.
Averaging 11.5 yards per catch, Toney is a nightmare matchup for every secondary and will likely need to be bracketed to prevent Beck from connecting on deep throws that will open up the offense. This will force Beck to find wide receiver CJ Daniels and Keelan Marion, who have been highly productive, but aren’t man-beaters on every route.
This strategy isn’t rocket science, and may not work, but hoping that Carson Beck makes mistakes and giving him too much time in the pocket is a recipe for disaster. This is a big game for Texas A&M cornerback Will Lee III, Dezz Ricks, and slot corner Tyreek Chappell, who will be in man coverage for most of the afternoon, and must play with good leverage and force Beck to make accurate throws.
Advertisement
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M’s secondary will need to shut down Miami WR Malachi Toney
