Texas A&M at Oklahoma State
7:30 PM, Thursday, September 30, 2010 @ Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Neither team was in action last week, so both teams should be well rested and well prepared for action. This will be the first real test for these teams this season, as the non-conference schedules have been pretty weak for these two schools. The Cowboys and Aggies have flown under the radar, with each team posting two blowouts and barely scraping by once. If Texas A&M wants to compete in the Big 12 and have a shot at beating Oklahoma St they have to play much better than they did in their last outing against Florida International. The Aggies had to come from behind to get the victory. A&M didn’t seem totally focused and that was evident by the play of the Aggies including quarterback Jerrod Johnson. Johnson threw an interception on four consecutive second-half possessions and was erratic most of the night. He is a very athletic player that can use his feet to get out of trouble and can throw on the run but his accuracy is somewhat questionable at times. Oklahoma St. had no problems dismissing their last opponent. The Cowboys put 65 points and dismantled Tulsa in a game where they posted school records in passing yards and touchdown passes. The offense was so effective that they scored on 10 consecutive possessions. New coordinator Dana Holgorsen joined the Cowboys and the result has been an outstanding offense. Quarterback Brandon Weeden has passed for 975 yards and 11 touchdowns, receiver Justin Blackmon has developed into the go-to-guy with nine touchdowns and tailback Kendall Hunter has 473 yards on the ground. The Aggies will use the close win over Florida International as a wake-up call, just as they used the bye week to work on improvement. The Cowboys have shown flashes of brilliance punctuated by bouts of inexperience, particularly on offense, but at times, as good as the Cowboys offense has been, the defense is shaky and has a problem with missing tackles. Quarterback Brandon Weeden is still suffering from an injured thumb and that could play a role in this game. Probably not many people even realize it but the 10th-best defense in the nation belongs to Texas A&M. The ground game and strong defensive play really saved the Aggies against Florida International. Michael finished with 119 yards on 21 carries, and Gray added another 85 yards on just nine attempts. The defense allowed just 232 yards of total offense, and did a great job of limiting the damage after the offense turned the ball over five times in the game. Texas A&M showed early signs of being able to handle hard times when Jerrod Johnson, the conference's preseason offensive player of the year, threw interceptions on four straight drives to start the second half against Florida International. The Aggies trailed 20-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, then came back with 21 unanswered points to win. It's the first time the Aggies have been on TV this season so I fully expect them to be fired up for this matchup. They want to be 4-0 on the season just as bad as OK State does. Look for the Aggie Offensive line to be more on their game and give better protection to Johnson which will allow him more time to make better decisions and not be so rushed. That was one of the problems with Johnson throwing all them interceptions last game. I think A&M’s defense will continue to play well and we won’t see the Cowboys put up 60+ points in this one lol. Call me crazy but I see a bounce-back performance here from the Aggies and I'm playing them both ways with a small wager on the Money Line and a medium play plus the points. BOL!
Texas A&M Aggies ML +135
Texas A&M Aggies +3½
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