SEC Round-Up: Reverting to earlier form is critical for A&M's defense

The idea that defense wins football championships may be something of an antiquated notion.

Except, antiques tend to increase in value.

Even though high-scoring offenses often demand attention, strong defenses still typically provide a foundation for Southeastern Conference championships.

True, LSU won the 2019 SEC and national titles behind an offensive juggernaut.

Since then, the SEC champion has ranked among the nation’s top 20 in points allowed. In most cases, the SEC runner-up did, too.

No team should understand the importance of championship-caliber defense more than Texas A&M.

A month ago, the Aggies had not allowed more than 24 points to any opponent. They were also 7-1 and the only unbeaten team in SEC play.

But A&M then gave up 44 points to South Carolina and 43 points to Auburn in back-to-back road losses.

The Aggies (8-3, 5-2) are still in contention for the SEC championship. If they can beat Texas (10-1, 6-1) on Saturday, they will advance to the SEC Championship Game to face Georgia.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Defensive end Nic Scourton is A&M’s leader in sacks with 5.0. That puts him in a tie for 18th in the SEC.

That will require the A&M defense to return to its pre-South Carolina form.

A&M gave up 530 yards of total offense to South Carolina. The Aggies then gave up 469 yards to Auburn.

“We’ve given up way too many explosive plays for us to be good on defense,” A&M coach Mike Elko said. “That’s been the Achilles heel for this defense and this team this year in large part.”

Obviously, the defense has been in disrepair. The question is whether Elko can get it repaired.

“It has to be fixable because we have a big game Saturday, and we better get it fixed,” Elko said.

The Aggies’ run defense, which had held seven opponents to 125 rushing yards or less, has suddenly become unreliable.

Gaping holes have appeared in the secondary, leading to big plays. A&M has allowed 19 pass plays of 30 yards or more, tied with Oklahoma for the most allowed in the SEC.

Complicating matters, the A&M pass rush appears to be a past rush. The Aggies have managed only 23 sacks. A starting defensive lineman hasn’t managed one since Nic Scourton was credited with a half-sack vs. LSU.

Indeed, Scourton — the Aggies’ leader with five sacks — hasn’t otherwise gotten a sack in five games.

It’s not like the Aggies’ rush hasn’t had chances. They just haven’t taken advantage.

“When you look at the overall sack number, probably the most disappointing thing is the amount that we’ve missed,” Elko said. “If you add up the number of times we had somebody wrapped on the quarterback and couldn’t get him on the ground, that has to be somewhere around 15 over the course of the season.

“That’s probably, more than anything, the most disappointing part of the season has been our inability to finish on the quarterback and get him on the ground.”

Getting pressure is vital against Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. Texas allowed seven sacks to Georgia in the Longhorns' only loss. The following week, Ewers was sacked four times in a narrow 27-24 win over Vanderbilt.

“(We have to) Settle down, focus, play our game, have great eyes, tackle with great integrity,” A&M linebacker and team captain Taurean York said. “Nothing changes in football at the end of the day. Tackle the man with the ball.

“We’ve got to stick with what got us here.”

Or, more accurately, get back to where they were.

Whether the priority is getting pressure, closing holes in the secondary or playing strong against the run doesn’t really matter.

The Aggies' defense must regain strength to have a chance for an SEC title.

Around the SEC

This week’s games: Mississippi State at No. 14 Ole Miss (Friday); Georgia Tech at No. 7 Georgia (Friday); No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M; No. 8 Tennessee at Vanderbilt; No. 15 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson; Louisville at Kentucky; Arkansas at No. 21 Missouri; Auburn at No. 13 Alabama; Florida at Florida State; Oklahoma at LSU

Who’s hot: Auburn freshman receiver Cam Coleman only has 30 receptions and seven touchdowns this season. But 15 of those catches and five of those touchdowns have come in the last two games. Last week, Coleman had seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns vs. Texas A&M. The previous week, he had eight catches for 100 yards and three scores vs. Louisiana Monroe.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen

Mike Stoops’ Wildcats are 4-7 this season. Unrelated, Mike Elko’s Aggies are 8-3.

Who’s not: Kentucky can’t catch a break. Last week, it was the Wildcats’ passing game. This week, it’s their defense. Kentucky has allowed at least 441 yards in each of its last four SEC games. Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Texas have averaged 473.5 yards vs. Kentucky in that span. For perspective, that average over a full season would be ranked 130th nationwide. Not surprisingly, Kentucky lost all four games.

Keep an eye on: Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was miserable in a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma last week. He completed just 11-of-26 passes for 164 yards and had three interceptions. Next, he faces arch-rival Auburn. Another poor performance from Milroe could result in Alabama’s first four-loss season since 2007.

The pressure is on: Imagine Alabama fans’ reaction toward coach Kalen DeBoer if a four-loss season includes a defeat to Auburn. DeBoer is already catching heat from Alabama fans. It’ll be an inferno if he loses to Auburn.

Best matchup: Clemson’s offensive line has allowed just 18 sacks and paved the way for an ACC-leading 195.2 average in rushing yards. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s defensive front is among the best in the SEC. The Gamecocks have accumulated 39 sacks and allow an average of 103.3 rushing yards per game. It’s a strength-on-strength matchup at the line of scrimmage.