As inept as Northwestern was at finishing games in 2011, it may have found an even less clutch opponent in Texas A&M.
The Aggies blew four halftime leads, three of which were by two or more scores, en route to a 6-6 finish this season. Texas A&M scored just 154 points in the second half of games compared to the 302 it put up in the first half of games.
In the first half, if not the second, the Aggies’ offense will present a challenge for the Wildcats’ defense. Texas A&M averages nearly 40 points per game and has scored 35 or more points in seven games this season.
Ryan Tannehill is the focal point of the Texas A&M offense with his cannon of an arm. The senior quarterback threw for over 3,400 yards and completed 61 percent of his passes in 2011. He tossed 28 touchdown passes, but also hurled 14 interceptions. Tannehill started at wide receiver for the first 30 games of his Aggies career before winning the starting quarterback spot last season.
Tannehill’s main target is Ryan Swope who racked up 1,102 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. His 81 receptions broke the school-record of 72, which Swope set last season, while his receiving yardage also set a school record. The junior wideout is about the same size as Illinois receiver A.J. Jenkins, who torched the Cats for 268 yards on Oct. 1.
Fuller is the Aggies’ biggest receiving threat at six-feet, four-inches. The 2010 Biletnikoff Award finalist for the best wide receiver in the country caught 63 balls for over 700 yards, a decrease from 2010, when he set the then-school record for receiving yards and tied Swopes with 72 catches. Fuller’s size could cause problems for NU, which has only one defensive back over six-feet, one-inch, even if he has just five touchdown receptions on the year.
The Aggies’ rushing attack is formidable, led by two running backs with over 800 yards, but both are questionable to play in the Meinke Car Care Bowl of Texas. Cyrus Gray led the team with 1,045 yards and 12 touchdowns, but he hasn’t played since leaving the first half of Texas A&M’s game against Kansas on Nov. 19 with an unspecified injury. Christine Michael sprained his left knee against Oklahoma and has not played since the Nov. 5 contest. The junior running back had 899 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games played.
If neither Gray nor Michael can go, sophomore Ben Malena will carry the load for the Aggies. He ran for 83 yards on 25 carries against Texas in the season finale, and compiled 182 yards on 44 touches throughout the season.
One of the major factors behind the Aggies’ successful rushing attack is their offensive line. Its successful work in the trenches has allowed the Texas A&M backs to average 5.2 yards per carry. The line has also been stout in pass protection, allowing just eight sacks in all of 2011. Tannehill also has the ability to work his way around the pocket, rushing for 296 yards this season, while losing just 42 yards.
The Texas A&M defense has struggled mightily this season, giving up almost 29 points per game. It has given up 40 points or more four times this season and has surrendered an average of 38.5 points in its six losses.
The linebackers have stood out as the crux of the Aggies’ defense as four of its top-five tacklers play the position. While the Aggies have recorded 43 sacks on the season, only 11 have come from the defensive line, a welcome sight for a NU offensive line that has struggled to block three- and four-man rushes. Sean Porter and Damontre Moore are the two players the Cats will need to pay attention to as they have combined for 16 sacks and 136 tackles this season. Moore plays the Joker position, a spot that helped Von Miller transition from a defensive end in 2007 to a starting linebacker role with the Denver Broncos this season.
The biggest strength for Texas A&M lies in its kicking game. Kicker Randy Bullock won the 2011 Lou Groza Award for best collegiate kicker and was a unanimous first-team All-American. Bullock holds the school record for most field goals in a season and best career kicking percentage. He is currently one field goal shy of tying Kyle Bryant for most career field goals in program history with 60.
This article is the 10th of our 15-part Road to Meineke series. We will be posting an article every night, except for Christmas Eve and Christmas, to help prepare you for Northwestern’s matchup with Texas A&M in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. Join us again Monday night as the Daily football crew provides a position-by-position rundown of the Wildcats’ New Year’s Eve matchup with the Aggies.
