On Saturday, the Wildcats will face the Texas A&M Aggies in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. Northwestern and Texas A&M have never faced off on the field, so here's what you should know about the Aggies before the 'Cats try for their first bowl win since 1948.
Texas A&M Offense
It is not often a 6-6 team finishes the regular season with the 11th-highest scoring average in the country. Texas A&M scored 39.6 points per game this season, thanks to a pro-style offense that ranked 18th in the nation in passing yards (287.9 ypg) and 19th in rushing yards (209.1 ypg). The Aggies were held to 25 points against both Oklahoma and Texas, their lowest point total of the season.
Senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill leads the charge with 3,415 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes. His 491 passing attempts were good for tenth in the nation. Tannehill relies heavily on junior wideout Ryan Swope, who caught 81 passes for 1,102 yards and 11 touchdowns out of the slot. Senior receiver Jeff Fuller (709 receiving yards) and junior receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu (572 receiving yards) also contribute to a passing attack that loves to go deep.
On the ground, Texas A&M may have some issues. Second-leading rusher Christine Michael and his 899 rushing yards will be absent from Saturday’s contest with a torn ACL (the junior missed the last three games of the regular season). Therefore, senior running back Cyrus Gray (1045 rushing yards) will be relied on for the vast majority of the Aggies’ rushing attack - that is, if he fights through a Nov. 19 shoulder injury against Kansas that kept him out of the regular season finale versus Texas and has left his status uncertain. If Gray cannot play, Texas A&M will try its best to prepare Ben Malena, a sophomore who has just 44 rushes this season (25 versus Texas).
What the Northwestern Defense has to do
The ‘Cats catch a break with the injuries to Michael and Gray. Without the two healthy tailbacks, NU fans don't have to worry about Texas A&M repeating the Army/Minnesota rushing performances of over 250 yards. Senior Bryce McNaul and the NU front seven have had a pleasant revival of the run-stop in the second half of the season, with the exception of the Minnesota game.
The passing defense is another story. The ‘Cats have seen Denard Robinson, Kirk Cousins and Taylor Martinez, but Ryan Tannehill plays in a whole different dimension. Defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz has not had to prepare NU for a true pro-style offense like Texas A&M's yet this season. At College Station, the spread offense is a thing of the past. The Aggies tend to run a deep post before they run the option, something not prevalent in the Big Ten.
Without senior Jordan Mabin at cornerback, Northwestern faces a challenge as senior Jeravin Matthews and redshirt freshman Daniel Jones will most likely get beaten. Senior Brian Peters and redshirt freshman Ibraheim Campbell will have to play the games of their lives at safety to keep passes out of Aggie hands and points off the scoreboard. Senior defensive lineman Vince Browne and sophomore Tyler Scott will also be heroes if they can put enough pressure on Tannehill to force just a few bad throws. Considering Tannehill has only been sacked eight times all season, the Wildcat defense has a tough task ahead of them. As long as Texas A&M can withstand Northwestern's blitzes, the Aggies will have the upper-hand on offense.
Texas A&M Defense
Texas A&M has proven itself as one of the Big 12’s top rush defending teams thanks to a stout three-man line in its 3-4 defense. Opposing teams have had loads of trouble finding seams through the Aggies’ front seven. The defense has also had a successful season rushing the pass. Sophomore Damontre Moore, at the joker position, can turn the Aggies’ 3-4 into a 4-3 whenever he chooses. He can stand as a linebacker to stop the run or choose the three-point stance for a pass rush. The constant change can confuse offensive tackles, so Northwestern's Patrick Ward, who will be covering Moore for most of the game, will have to stay aware. Furthermore, a total of 17 different Aggies have sacked the quarterback this year, so Dan Persa and Co. should be on the lookout.
There is a reason the Aggies have allowed the 76th-most points on the season at 28.7 ppg: their secondary. When quarterbacks such as Oklahoma's Landry Jones, Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden and Texas' Case McCoy have been able to elude the pass rush, they have torn through the secondary. Texas A&M's corners have had a habit of dropping too far back into the team’s zone pass coverage and handing opposing quarterbacks the underneath pass at will. Senior defensive back Coryell Judie is a bona fide shutdown corner, but he’s missed six games this season and has looked slowed in the games he has played. If he is not at 100 percent, the Aggies’ secondary is highly vulnerable.
What the Northwestern Offense has to do
Northwestern would not win this game with senior Jacob Schmidt and freshman Treyvon Green running up the gut. While the pair has shown potential over the course of the season, they would struggle against any bowl-eligible run defense, let alone one of the top units in the nation. That is why the ‘Cats will rely on their strength: the quarterbacks. Senior Dan Persa and sophomore Kain Colter will make or break this game for Northwestern; if the two quarterbacks are at their best, the ‘Cats can take this shootout. Persa and Colter will attempt to shove the option down the Aggies’ throat, with both quarterbacks running with each other, running backs, wide receivers and a little bit of Venric Mark.
Texas A&M did play one team with a spread offense this year in the Baylor Bears. The Aggies held true freshman quarterback Robert Griffin III to just 15 rushing yards in a 55-28 victory. However, Griffin III passed for 430 yards, a school-record at the time. If the option is not working for the ‘Cats on Saturday, the team can let Persa gun-sling and he could end his college career in record-setting style. Texas A&M’s defense may be just what Persa is looking for, as the Aggies' zone defense should enable Division I-A's most accurate passer to utilize the underneath passes he favors. Persa also does a great job avoiding the sack (see: #persastrong) and could surprise the Aggies with a few first down rushes when he sees holes.
In the Big 12, Texas A&M has not faced a slot receiver like Persa's favorite target, senior Jeremy Ebert. If the Aggies move a top corner like Judie to the slot, they will leave a weaker corner to cover junior Demetrius Fields on the outside. Senior superback Drake Dunsmore and second slot-receiver Colter could easily confuse a pass defense that is used to pro-style offenses.
Texas A&M Special Teams
Texas A&M senior kicker Randy Bullock is one of the nation’s best. The consensus All-American averaged 2.08 field goals per game, the highest in the country, and scored 127 points to rank second in the nation. Junior back Dustin Harris is also a dangerous punt returner for the Aggies, averaging 22.9 yards per return. What the Northwestern Special Teams has to do Considering NU barely lets sophomore kicker Jeff Budzien onto the field, the Aggies don't have to worry about many Wildcat field goals. What NU has to worry about is its punting. The ‘Cats will be forced to punt, and inconsistent sophomore kicker Brandon Williams must come through. After a rocky start of line-drive punting in September and October, Williams straightened himself out in November to finish seventh in the Big Ten in punting with 40.5 yards per punt. He will have to do all he can to try to keep Harris deep.
On the other end, Venric Mark must put a disappointing season behind him on kick returns. With opponents trying to avoid giving him the ball, Mark only averaged 23.5 yards per kick return, good for eighth in the Big Ten. The sophomore appeared to have recaptured his game with two big returns of 44 and 42 yards against Minnesota, and he must look to repeat that performance Saturday. If he can do this, Northwestern will have the field position it needs to make a run at an upset.