Explosive SEC Texas A&M vs. ACC underdog Miami: ‘Come Saturday, we ain’t friends no more’
Last September, in front of 107,245 fans that seemingly shook all of College Station, Texas, the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes substantially outgained the No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies in first downs, outrushed them, outpassed them, outsacked them and held them to 264 total yards.
Then, they lost.
This time, at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in a nationally televised game on ABC, the No. 23 Aggies (1-0) travel to Hard Rock Stadium to face an unranked Miami team (1-0) that easily won its opener 38-3 but knows what’s coming and is keenly aware that the scoreboard is the final judge.
“We struggled in the red zone,’’ UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said Wednesday of last year’s 17-9 loss to the SEC Aggies. “Moved the ball pretty well. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to score touchdowns. Field goals didn’t do it last year.’’
The Canes converted on three field goals in four trips to the end zone last year, ultimately finishing 86th nationally in red-zone offense of 130 ranked FBS teams. They also fumbled away a punt return deep in UM territory, and the Aggies scored three plays later.
The 2023 Aggies, after a disappointing 5-7 season that matched UM’s 2022 record, defeated New Mexico 52-10 in their opener and looked intimidating doing it. They are favored to win by four points.
“They score a lot of points and make a lot of explosive plays,’’ UM coach Mario Cristobal said this week. “The score kept changing in a hurry. ...They’re big, they’re physical, they’re talented.’’
Offensive firepower
How explosive?
Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman, a 6-3, 215-pound sophomore, threw for 236 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in last week’s opener— the most touchdowns in a regulation game by a Texas A&M quarterback since 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel did it in 2013.
In the five games that Weigman played in 2022, he threw a combined five passes for 20 yards or more. Last week alone, he completed five for more than 20 yards. He has yet to throw an interception in 155 career pass attempts. Last week he was 18 of 23 (78 percent).
His receivers? Sophomore Evan Stewart, 6-0 and 175 pounds, recorded his third 100-yard game last week with eight catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Noah Thomas, 6-6 and 200, had six catches for 74 yards and three touchdowns.
The Aggies, led for the first time by new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, passed for 277 yards and ran 134.
For UM, that means the defensive linemen need to step up the pass rush and force Weigman to make erratic decisions.
“It’s extremely important,’’ UM tackle Branson Deen said. “If we don’t get in this guy’s face, he’s going to make some unbelievable throws. He’s calm, he’s collected. We gotta make him feel us. We gotta knock him down a little bit.’’
UM secondary
A strong pass rush will, in turn, help the Hurricanes’ secondary, filled with a rotating cast of young or new Hurricanes transfers after last year’s starters Tyrique Stevenson and DJ Ivey were drafted.
“It’s going to be very challenging,’’ understated UM All-American safety Kam Kinchens.
When asked how the Canes’ cornerbacks match up with the Aggies’ wide receivers, new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry promised his guys would battle, but clearly is wondering the same thing.
“That’s why you play the game,’’ Guidry said. “You don’t know how your guys are going to play until you get out there. You’ve got to give them the best information you can and know what to expect, but sometimes when you get in the game people start doing a lot of different wrinkles and it becomes one-on-one.
“We’ll fight, though. We’ll fight ‘em. If I can get a 12th man on the field, I will.”
Van Dyke
UM’s Van Dyke last week against Miami of Ohio was 17 of 22 (77 percent) for 201 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. But he only attempted two passes of 20-plus yards, completing one for 26 yards to Xavier Restrepo and throwing the pick with the other.
“Miami of Ohio played super deep and was giving the flats and making us throw underneath,’’ Van Dyke said. “We’re going to do what the defense gives us — if that’s them pressing and taking a deep shot or if that’s them getting back and taking underneath. There’s no need to throw the ball just to make explosive plays happen. We can’t force it.”
Van Dyke said new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson “loves pushing the ball downfield, loves being explosive.”
“But he’s also very smart play-calling. He knows when to run the ball in weak boxes. He knows when the defense is giving us underneath throws.”
Aggies sophomore defensive end Shemar Stewart, a Miami native and former five-star prospect out of Miami Gardens Monsignor Pace, will have Van Dyke as a target Saturday. He said this week that he has been thinking about this game since the schedule was released.
“When I committed here,’’ Stewart, a sophomore, said, “basically the whole city was mad at me. They basically shunned me for a while.’’
He said he still has friends who play for UM, but, ‘Come Saturday, we ain’t friends no more.’’’
UM runners
The Hurricanes proved last week they can be a balanced team, running for 250 yards and to their 243 passing — though they ran 36 times and passed 25.
Miami rotated four running backs against the RedHawks, three with nine carries apiece and the other getting eight. Starter Henry Parrish Jr. (90 rushing yards), freshman Mark Fletcher Jr. (76) and Don Chaney Jr. (38) each scored a touchdown. Nebraska redshirt freshman transfer Ajay Allen added 47 ground yards.
Texas A&M allowed 91 yards on the ground against New Mexico, but Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher knows Saturday will present a more significant challenge, made even more formidable by the Hurricanes’ new and improved offensive line.
“Listen, that’s a different opponent,’’ said Fisher, “Miami is a very good opponent and they know how to run it. Mario’s a line coach himself, he’s going to have those guys ready to run it. ...We’ll have to win those battles and get their backs on the ground.”
Texas A&M will be the first Southeastern Conference opponent UM has faced at Hard Rock since the Canes defeated the No. 12 Florida Gators 21-16 in September 2013.
Van Dyke said he hopes fans come out for the game.
“We definitely need a packed house here,’’ the quarterback said. “Just excited to see what Hard Rock is going to bring Saturday.’’
This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 2:42 PM.
