Tips for 2020: Keys to keep in mind against each of A&M's foes this season

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher doesn’t need any help.

He’s won a national championship. His football teams have won at least nine games in eight of his ten seasons as a head coach. Six of his teams have won at least ten games. His teams are often among the nation’s Top 25 in total offense.

But anybody can use a tip, right? The Aggies are expected to have an ultra-successful 2020 campaign. A little help to reach that objective should be welcomed, right?

With that in mind, here are a few tips and suggestions for Fisher to consider when playing each opponent this season:

1. Vanderbilt: Just take it seriously. Vandy is probably the weakest team on A&M’s schedule (yes, I’m aware the Aggies still play Arkansas). The Commodores managed just three victories in 2019 and are replacing their top three players and quarterback. That said, Vanderbilt tends to sneak up and shock at least one superior opponent each year. In 2019, it was Missouri. In 2017, it was Kansas State. Vandy even beat Georgia in 2016.

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Jaylen Waddle excelled as a punt returner during his first year in Tuscaloosa.

2. Alabama: Instruct punter Nik Constantinou to kick the ball out of bounds. Better yet, aim for the bleachers. Under no circumstances should Jaylen Waddle be allowed a chance to return. In a 47-28 loss last year, the Aggies hoped to neutralize Waddle with hang time and coverage. That proved futile. Waddle returned punts 15, 43, 28 and 33 yards, and each gave the Tide short fields. All resulted in Alabama touchdowns. Alabama’s offense is explosive enough without prime field position. A&M must force Mac Jones or freshman Bryce Young to cover longer distances for touchdowns.

3. Florida: Go into max protection in passing situations. The Gators only lost twice last season. Those losses to LSU and Georgia were the only games in which Florida failed to register at least one sack. In fact, over the previous three seasons, the Gators are 0-5 when failing to register a sack. Of course, keeping the Gators away from the quarterback is easier said than done. Florida has posted 86 sacks over the last two seasons — the most in the SEC during that span. A&M quarterback Kellen Mond could help in his regard with some timely scrambling. It will also help that Jonathan Greenard, last year’s SEC sack leader, is now with the Houston Texans.

4. Mississippi State: A motion for a change of venue would make the most sense considering A&M’s luck in Starkville. That’s not going to happen, so the next suggestion is to focus heavily on the running game. Last season, Mississippi State allowed at least 160 rushing yards in seven games. The Bulldogs were 2-5 in those games. The two victories were over Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas. Among the losses was a 49-30 defeat at the hands (or legs) of Texas A&M, which rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns. By the way, Washington State — from where Mississippi State coach Mike Leach arrived — ranked last in the Pac-12 in rushing defense in 2019.

5. Arkansas: Swing for the fences. There is a time for conservative play-calling. That time isn’t against Arkansas, which allowed 33 plays of 30 yards or more last year. That was the most among teams in the SEC. Whether by return, run or pass, A&M has had more than a few big-plays against the Razorbacks. In the last four games of the series, A&M has posted 18 touchdowns. Of those, 12  came on plays that covered between 18 and 100 yards.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

The Aggies and Razorbacks always seem to play tight ballgames. However, that could change if A&M opens up the playbook in the 2020 meeting.

However, if Fisher feels the need to be conservative, it should be inside the 20s. A&M has allowed the Razorbacks to stay in contention with close-range miscues.

Last year, a botched handoff exchange between quarterback Kellen Mond and running back Isaiah Spiller resulted in a 6-yard fumble return for an Arkansas touchdown. Mond also threw an interception in the end zone on a second-and-9 from the Arkansas 14-yard line.

In 2017, A&M was on its own 10-yard line when a Mond interception set up an Arkansas touchdown that put the Aggies in a 21-7 deficit.

And in ’16, Trevor Knight fumbled a high shotgun snap from Erik McCoy on first-and-goal at the Arkansas 2-yard line.

6. South Carolina: Throw often to tight ends Jalen Wydermeyer and Baylor Cupp. The Gamecocks seem to struggle when covering A&M tight ends. Last year, Wydermyer had five catches for 79 yards against the Gamecocks. The year before, Jace Sternberger torched them for seven catches, 145 yards and a touchdown. Heck, even back in 2014, tight end Cameron Clear had an early third-down catch that helped launch Kenny Hill’s record 511-yard passing performance.

7. Tennessee: Aggressively challenge the Volunteers’ passing defense. At first glance, that might appear to be questionable advice. The Vols were ranked 16th in the nation in pass defense last season and return their entire secondary. However, a closer look hints at that lofty ranking being deceiving. Eight of Tennessee’s 13 opponents were ranked between 73rd and 127th in passing offense. The Vols were 6-2 against those teams. Tennessee was 2-4 when allowing more than 200 yards passing.

8. Ole Miss: Run to set up the pass. And then run anyway. Seriously, Ole Miss struggled in run defense in 2019 despite having a couple of solid defensive tackles in Benito Jones and Josiah Coatney. Both are gone now, and Ole Miss projects to be even more vulnerable to the ground game. Last year, the Rebels ranked a respectable eighth in the SEC in run defense, allowing 138.5 rushing yards per game. That figure is more deceiving than CNN. In each of its four victories, Ole Miss allowed between 66 and 61 rushing yards, but those wins were against Arkansas, Southeastern Louisiana, Vanderbilt and New Mexico State. In the other eight games, the Rebels allowed an average of 175.8 rushing yards and surrendered 14 rushing TDs. A&M rushed for 165 yards in a 24-17 victory over Ole Miss. The Aggies rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries in the win-clinching fourth quarter. The last three carries were all 1-yard losses as Mond took a knee to run out the clock.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

A&M has already had a couple of players choose to opt-out of the 2020 season, most notably Elijah Blades, a projected starter at cornerback.

9. LSU: Opt-in? It’s difficult to identify trends to follow against LSU because last year’s Tigers were arguably the best team in college football history. However, their personnel has almost been completely overturned. No fewer than 14 players were selected in the NFL Draft. A couple of others signed free agent contracts. On top of that, star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, star defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin, starting safety Kary Vincent and defensive lineman Neil Farrell decided to opt-out and not play this season. Coach Ed Orgeron admitted on Tuesday that even more were considering opting out. Although LSU always has talent, the Aggies should be the superior team. That is unless the Aggies also have a rash of players decide to opt-out before the teams clash at Kyle Field on Nov. 28.

10. Auburn: Beware of trick plays. Gus Malzahn has gotten sneaky against the Aggies in recent games. Last season, Auburn opened the 28-20 Tigers win with a reverse to receiver Anthony Schwartz for a 57-yard touchdown. Malzahn later inserted backup quarterback Joey Gatewood for one play to throw a six-yard touchdown pass to John Shenker, who had lined up at tackle in an unbalanced formation. The previous year, Ryan Davis threw a halfback pass to Sal Cannella for a touchdown in a 28-24 Auburn victory.