The sip rushing offense had been putrid this year. But both Wisner and Manning had their best rushing days of the entire season against us. Wisner hadn't gone over 100 yards rushing all year and goes for 155. And don't get me started on Manning.

Can anything be done to improve the run D?

Play with 15 on defense

Why can't we recruit LB's?

pilgrimshadow said:

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The lack of quality linebackers has been one of the most frustrating aspects of our recruiting the last couple decades. It seems like we haven't been deep at linebacker in ages when it used to be the backbone of our program.

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Nail on the head.

Our DL is very good and disruptive so most of the time they keep our LBs clean.

But if you get a hat on them they're toast. They aren't fighting through it and making a play. Been like this for decades now.

83Aggie said:

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Even though he's a freshman, I would play Mikhail more. Very athletic LB.

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and Lockhart

Replacing York and improving our size at LB. This will happen next year he is not good and was exposed yet again Friday.

'03ag said:

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pilgrimshadow said:

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The lack of quality linebackers has been one of the most frustrating aspects of our recruiting the last couple decades. It seems like we haven't been deep at linebacker in ages when it used to be the backbone of our program.

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Nail on the head.

Our DL is very good and disruptive so most of the time they keep our LBs clean.

But if you get a hat on them they're toast. They aren't fighting through it and making a play. Been like this for decades now.

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I'm glad we have had those top notch DL units, and if I had to choose one of the position groups on defense to excel, it would be that one.

It's been these high football IQ guys with a low athletic ceiling at LB, though, that have been our best LB units. I love seeing those guys get their chance because that was me in high school, but can we not get some athletic freaks at that position?!

pilgrimshadow said:

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'03ag said:

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pilgrimshadow said:

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The lack of quality linebackers has been one of the most frustrating aspects of our recruiting the last couple decades. It seems like we haven't been deep at linebacker in ages when it used to be the backbone of our program.

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Nail on the head.

Our DL is very good and disruptive so most of the time they keep our LBs clean.

But if you get a hat on them they're toast. They aren't fighting through it and making a play. Been like this for decades now.

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I'm glad we have had those top notch DL units, and if I had to choose one of the position groups on defense to excel, it would be that one.

It's been these high football IQ guys with a low athletic ceiling at LB, though, that have been our best LB units. I love seeing those guys get their chance because that was me in high school, but can we not get some athletic freaks at that position?!

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Hate to say it, but while the feel good story for those kinds of guys can be fun, if we're recruiting the way we're supposed to be, then those kinds of guys shouldn't be seeing the field.

They're not playing at all for a UGA, or Bama, or OhSt, etc etc

I have always believed in geographical recruitment based on positions. You want running backs you go to Texas, Florida, or Cal. Receivers , go to LA and Florida. You want to stop the run with great LB play, then go get you some dudes from PA, OH, and MI.

Need to make a xfer portal NIL push for Xavier Atkins from Auburn. He is from Houston and originally went to lsu.

Atkins, Hill, Perkins, etc. the LB recruiting whiffs have come home to roost for sure. Also I know we have signed LBs from CA and have a commit from Ohio but we need to be hitting La. HARD for LBs. lsu can only take so many and aTm has had a ton of good players from La. Our last great LB was from La.

The Lb we have coming from Carthage is good. I would prefer all our LBs come from Texas, La. and the Deep South, not CA.

Getting more 4-star recruits. Way too many borderline 3-star-transfers on this defense and OL on offense.

How are we teaching our linebackers how to fit on defense. If your gap gets cloudy you scrape to clear. I see cloudy and they run in in and hit a teammate in the back while the rb runs down the field. We are worse when we get stunts up front from the D line. We can coach them better. That being said the guys we have to be able to get off blocks and we have struggled with that, esp York.

The auction cometh. How much will we pay for some experienced DL, LB, OL……to fill some holes? Good recruits and fish coming up, BUT……

pilgrimshadow said:

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The lack of quality linebackers has been one of the most frustrating aspects of our recruiting the last couple decades. It seems like we haven't been deep at linebacker in ages when it used to be the backbone of our program.

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Cooper was genuinely special a couple of years ago. Tyrel Dodson is still starting in the NFL. However, A&M hasn't been even "very good" as a unit since Jonathan Stewart, Sean Porter, Stephen Jenkins. And A&M hasn't been excellent at LB since Saved By the Bell was still on.

That's like the worst take EVER!!!! Edgerrin Cooper became and All American and stud NFL QB due to his athleticism and football IQ. We have a legacy of GREAT LBs that were all excellent athletes and had high football IQ.

You can't sacrifice being big enough, strong enough, quick enough and fast enough with more brain power, this isn't a chess tournament.

Have LBs that hit the right gaps instead of running into the ass of the defensive linemen in front of them. They are almost ALWAYS in the wrong positions.

My biggest concern is that Elko has been at every practice, every game, watched the film and it hasn't gotten better.

With the long runs given up all year starting with UTSA and ending Fri night, its painfully obvious that this year's 4-2-5 personnel isnt equipped to stop the run effectively enough. Playing the bottom of the conference mitigated that weakness for the most part. Elko will recruit the guys that he needs to make it work.

In the playoffs, due to the the LB and safety play, they should run more 5-man fronts on 1st & 2nd down to help with the run.. Theyve done it on passing downs and in the red zone thru out the year but, do it a lot less in the middle of the field for whatever reason. The strip sack vs Miz was from a 5-man front. They went 5-man front against TX after the long Weisner run.

Put a lid on the center with a NG (Hicks, Regis) and take some of the pressure off of the LBs and Safeties with run fits. Not like they dont already use the formation. My 2 cents.

Room40 said:

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Gap Integrity has been the issue with this run defense. Ends and Tackles to far up field, linebackers lost. York simply has to be better, and he's just not fast enough. Hopefully Scooby can come back and help.

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I get lacking speed or size. What I don't get by the 12th game of the season is being out of position, covering the wrong gap, rushing too far upfield or not having the discipline to keep an average QB in the pocket and quit letting him escape up the middle for 15+ yds and a 1st down or TD.

100% agree we should be using more 5 man fronts. When I see only 3 guys with their hands on the ground we are going to get toasted in the run game unless all our LBs are Arvell Reese clones.

If you watched college football this weekend, you realize how behind York is as MLB compared to other teams.

AWP 97 said:

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If you watched college football this weekend, you realize how behind York is as MLB compared to other teams.

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But Elko raves about how great he is.

Meanmachine said:

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How are we teaching our linebackers how to fit on defense. If your gap gets cloudy you scrape to clear. I see cloudy and they run in in and hit a teammate in the back while the rb runs down the field. We are worse when we get stunts up front from the D line. We can coach them better. That being said the guys we have to be able to get off blocks and we have struggled with that, esp York.

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Nailed it. We fit the run very poorly at times.

Bigger, better, faster, smarter solves almost every sports problem, but as to Texas' second-half, using five defensive linemen could have possibly provided a fix, especially since our game-plan seemed to assume our up-front personnel would dominate theirs across the board (obviously not true.)

A second possibility would have been to blitz a linebacker every down. Our linebackers are pretty good at shooting gaps though quite poor at filling them. If York or Sanford could have created a bit of backfield disruption before runners reached the line or Manning set his feet, it might have given us an edge.

Of course, any move you make creates a new vulnerability that must be solved. And it's too late now.

Run D is actually very good, until it's not.

Many plays are TFLs or close to it. Unfortunately, too many plays we get gashed too.