Now it's time for the real fun. I say real not because the first four games of the season didn't matter but because of this:
In the next nine weeks, Texas A&M will line up against three teams in the top seven and one more in the Top 25. The other four teams made it through their nonconference schedule with a 10-6 combined record. And for the most part, each of those teams have had success because of their offenses, specifically through the air.
No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 Texas and No. 7 Texas Tech have piled up points by passing. A&M must face all three along with Kansas State, another team throwing the ball well. A&M's opponent this week, No. 21 Oklahoma State, is the most balanced team in the nation and will try to run as much as it can, but A&M's other three opponents, Colorado, Baylor and even Iowa State, have proven they can pass.
A&M is ranked fifth nationally against the pass, allowing just 139.3 yards per game. At first glance, that would seem to bode well for the Aggies as they jump into Big 12 play.
But college statistics this time of year are the product of who is on your nonconference schedule. They can be misleading, or at the very least, not tell the entire story, because even a poor pass defense can look good statistically against groundhogs like Army or Air Force.
A&M has faced just one passing attack statistically more productive than the worst the Aggies will face in their eight Big 12 games.
A&M's last three opponents have combined to throw fewer touchdown passes than 18 teams have thrown on their own.
Dig deeper and you'll find that three of the teams that have played the New Mexico Lobos, whom A&M beat for its first victory, are in the top five in pass defense. The Lobos, like Army, are a get-well card for pass defenses.
Of A&M's four nonconference opponents, none is ranked higher in passing than it is in rushing and only Arkansas State (54th) is ranked in the upper half of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in passing.
All of that is not to say A&M isn't part of the reason its nonconference opponents haven't fared well in the air. But if recent history is any indication, the Aggies' pass defense -- 44th at best and dead last at worst over the previous three seasons -- still has a few tests to ace before it can claim it's among the best in the Big 12, yet alone nationally.
And those tests won't be easy.
This season the Big 12 is the conference of quarterbacks, and the Aggie secondary could play well and still slip to somewhere in the mid-50s in the national rankings in pass defense. If they play poorly, who knows how low they could go?
A&M has to face three opponents averaging at least 350 yards passing per game. Two others are above 275 and only Iowa State is below 200 a game. That 139-yard average the Aggies allow through the air will likely be reached by halftime by some of their opponents.
A&M gets a pass on Missouri's Chase Daniel this season, but three other quarterbacks, OU's Sam Bradford, Tech's Graham Harrell and UT's Colt McCoy are still being mentioned in early Heisman talk.
OSU's Zac Robinson and KSU's Josh Freeman would get mentioned as all-conference material in any other league. Colorado has the coach's son Cody Hawkins and Baylor has one of the most explosive freshmen in the game in Robert Griffin.
Maybe more significant is that six of those quarterbacks are in the nation's Top 10 in passing efficiency, including Griffin, who has yet to throw an interception and is just as dangerous running the ball as he is throwing.
The top quarterback A&M has faced is Arkansas State's Corey Leonard, who is 23rd nationally.
By the way, A&M's Jerrod Johnson is 25th in passing efficiency.
So a veteran group of cornerbacks in Jordan Pugh, Arkeith Brown and Danny Gorrer, along with safeties Alton Dixon, freshman Trent Hunter, injured Jordan Peterson and Devin Gregg, have their work cut out for them.
They will need help from a pass rush that has produced just five sacks this season, albeit with not as many opportunities as many teams because Army only threw the ball four times.
First-year defensive coordinator Joe Kines will earn his money over the next two months. His unit is already last in scoring defense in the Big 12 at just over 24 points a game.
"We'll have to have to have a great week's work and pray for an earthquake," Kines said. " The field might slump in the middle there, and we can funnel everyone in the middle."
In other words, it won't take long to give a true grade to the Aggie secondary. It just might need to be done on a curve, because the old "you can only hope to contain them" line definitely pertains to going up against Big 12 offenses.
Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.
Notice about comments:
TheEagle.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. TheEagle.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not theeagle.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.
