By ROBERT CESSNATexas A&M isn't so concerned with who will be Texas Tech's quarterback, just how to stop him and the Red Raiders' offense.
The Aggies have been outscored 145-64 over their current three-game losing streak, and their secondary has shown holes. A&M has given up 742 yards on 46-of-71 passing with seven touchdowns and two interceptions against Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, which are ranked 12th, 50th and 95th nationally in yards passing per game.
Each of those three schools pales in comparison to Texas Tech, the nation's second-ranked passing team at 413.6 yards per game. The Red Raiders have led the country in passing six of nine seasons under head coach Mike Leach, and they've done it while plugging in one good quarterback after another.
"Texas Tech's scheme has proven through the years to be one of the best throwing the football in the country," A&M defensive coordinator Joe Kines said. "Coach Leach has been in this system a long time, understands it, has developed it, grew it. I've played him at several different places, and he just does a phenomenal job teaching the fundamentals of throwing and catching."
Kines was defensive coordinator at Georgia when Leach was Kentucky's offensive coordinator in 1997-98. The two also squared off in the 2006 Cotton Bowl when Kines was the defensive coordinator at Alabama.
A&M was able to force three turnovers against Tech last year -- its most since a 32-25 victory over Tech in 2004 -- but the Red Raiders rallied from a 23-20 halftime deficit for a 43-25 victory.
"I thought we had a good scheme against it last year," A&M head coach Mike Sherman said. "The defense gave us a chance in the ballgame. The deciding factor was when we came out in the second half, the offensive line wore down against their pass rushers."
A&M wasn't able to sack Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, who threw for 450 yards on 44-of-56 passing with two interceptions.
"On our side of the ball, there are certain fundamentals you have to do when you play a passing team," Kines said. "Obviously, you have to pressure the quarterback."
And that's been a problem for the Aggies.
A&M, which had 14 sacks in a three-game winning streak to open the season, has had only two sacks over the three-game losing streak. A&M hasn't forced many throwaways, either, especially in the red zone where the last three foes have scored on 14 of 15 possessions, including 10 touchdowns.
Tech has scored on 18 of its last 20 red-zone trips with 16 touchdowns. And Tech's spread offense feeds on short passes, which make getting sacks difficult. A&M had 13 sacks in the first two games against Tech after Leach took over, but it's only had six since.
"Pressure is even more important than sacks," Sherman said. "They don't take sacks based on their offensive line. They take the big splits. They have big linemen, and they get good drops by the quarterback. But to be disruptive I think is key. It's hard to do because they work within their system. They get the ball out. They have guys making quick breaks, and they know what to do with the football. Disrupting the rhythm of the game is important."
A&M's most disruptive player has been defensive end Von Miller, who has a nation-leading 10 sacks to go with two pass deflections and a caused fumble.
"Our secondary and linebackers, I know our guys are going to bear down and hold up the receivers a little bit and give us a couple chances to get back there and make a couple of plays," Miller said.
A&M's defense will be facing either junior Tyler Potts or Seth Doege, a redshirt freshman, who is Tech's third-string quarterback.
Potts, the starter for the season opener, suffered a concussion against New Mexico on Oct. 3. He was replaced by Steven Sheffield, who beat Kansas State and Nebraska but suffered a broken foot last week, according to published reports.
Tech, which doesn't release information on injuries, hasn't said if Potts has been cleared for contact.
Sherman and Kines both said Tech (5-2, 2-1) won't change a thing no matter who is under center at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jones Stadium for their Big 12 game.
"They didn't do anything different than the quarterback did four years ago. It's all the same," Kines said.
A&M's trying for a different result. The Aggies (3-3, 0-2), who are three-touchdown underdogs, have lost seven straight in Lubbock, being outscored 150-50 in the last three games.
A&M FOOTBALL
Texas A&M (3-3, 0-2 in BIg 12) at No. 21 Texas Tech (5-2, 2-1)
6 p.m. Saturday, Jones Stadium, Lubbock
TV: none. Radio: WTAW (1620 AM) and Sirius Ch. 161
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