Five keys for the Miami Hurricanes in their road playoff game against Texas A&M
It could be argued that Mario Cristobal’s first signature win as Miami Hurricanes head coach was UM’s 48-33 win against the Texas A&M Aggies on Sept. 9, 2023 — the second game of his second season at the helm of his alma mater. It was, after all, Miami’s first win over a ranked opponent in the Cristobal era — and the only ranked win through his first three seasons until winning four such matchups this year.
So perhaps it’s only fitting that the chance for the first playoff win of the Cristobal era will come against those same Aggies.
The No. 10 seed Hurricanes (10-2) travel to play No. 7 seed Texas A&M (11-1) on Saturday in a first-round College Football Playoff matchup in both teams’ first appearance in the playoff. Kickoff from Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, is set for noon with the game broadcast on ABC. Miami is a three-and-a-half point road underdog.
With game week officially here, here are five keys for the contest.
Win the line of scrimmage
This is always the top priority for the Hurricanes. Their success goes from the offensive and defensive lines out. Establishing themselves in the trenches is the priority.
And more often than not, Miami has succeeded there.
The Hurricanes rank among the top 15 nationally according to Pro Football focus in pass rushing (second, 91.8 overall grade), pass blocking (fourth, 86.2 overall grade), run blocking (10th, 73.9 overall grade) and run defense (14th, 92.8 overall grade). Missouri is the only other school to also rank in the top 15 in all four categories.
Texas A&M’s ranks: Eighth in pass rushing (84.6 overall grade), 21st in pass blocking (78.1 overall grade), tied for 26th in run defense (91.2 overall grade), tied for 56th in run blocking (62.4 overall grade).
While the Aggies lead the nation in sacks with 41, it’s worth noting Texas A&M only faced two teams with pass blocking grades that ranked among the top 40 nationally. Against those opponents, they had two sacks against Missouri and three against Florida (the Hurricanes had four sacks against the Gators, for what it’s worth). Six of their sacks came against Utah State, which allowed the ninth-most sacks among Football Bowl Subdivision teams this season. Seven came against LSU. Miami’s offensive line will be the most complete one Texas A&M faces this season.
On the other side of the battle, Texas A&M has allowed a nation-low 34 tackles for loss and only 12 sacks — tied for the seventh fewest among power conference teams. Miami will rely on the one-two punch of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor to get into the Aggies’ backfield.
Take advantage of explosive plays
While Texas A&M’s defense up front has been stout and the Aggies lead the nation in opponent third-down conversion rate (just a 22.73% success rate), they have a propensity for giving up explosive plays.
Texas A&M has given up 26 plays of at least 30 yards, more than any other team in the playoff field. Miami’s offense has shown as of late that it can hit the big play, especially through the air. That’s where Carson Beck and company needs to thrive.
Contain quarterback Marcel Reed
Reed, a redshirt sophomore, is a dual-threat quarterback who can be dangerous with both his arm and his legs. He has completed 61.8% of his passes for 2,932 yards and 25 touchdowns with 10 interceptions while also rushing for 466 yards and six touchdowns.
He has four games this season with multiple passing touchdowns and at least one rushing touchdown.
Minimize home field advantage
Kyle Field has an official seating capacity of 102,733 — the fourth-largest stadium in college football behind only Michigan Stadium (107,601), Penn State’s Beaver Stadium (106,572) and Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium (102,780).
Cristobal knows first-hand how electric the environment can get there on game day. He’s been four times as a coach — first as a head coach at FIU in 2010, then twice as an Alabama assistant coach in 2013 and 2015, and most recently with Miami in 2022.
“That’s one of the best atmospheres in all of college football or pro football,” Cristobal said. “I’ve been there four times, and all four times it’s a maniacal scene. Great support, extremely loud. Certainly they do a great job. What can you say? I mean, it’s very well-documented. Preparation has to be at its best.”
Play clean football
The Hurricanes are at their best when they minimize self-inflicted mistakes.
They’ve had issues with that at times this season.
Miami has been called for an average of 7.6 penalties per game, tied for the 11th most in college football. The Hurricanes have been on the hook for at least nine penalties in five of 12 games, including both of their losses (nine in a home loss to Louisville, 12 in an overtime road loss to SMU).
But Texas A&M isn’t that much better. The Aggies have been called for only one fewer penalty than the Hurricanes — 90 for Texas A&M compared to Miami’s 91.
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