Miami football keys from Texas AM site Gig Em Gazette

Ahead of the Miami football game against Texas A&M on Saturday our partner site Gig ‘Em Gazette answered a few questions about the Aggies. The big news out of College Station is the switch from Haynes King to Max Johnson at quarterback. Texas A&M was anemic offensively last week.

Texas A&M gained 97 yards passing and 83 rushing in a 17-14 loss to Appalachian State last week. The Aggies scored only seven points on offense. The other Texas A&M touchdown came from starting running back Devon Achane on a kickoff return. Achane had 10 carries for 66 yards and a TD last week.

The Miami football team and Texas A&M are both expected to get starting defensive linemen back this week. Edge rusher Akheem Mesidor who was the best Miami defensive player in week one missed the game versus Southern Mississippi. Walter Nolen who had three tackles in week one returns for Texas A&M.

The Texas A&M defense has been one of the best in the country in the first two weeks. Texas A&M has only forced two turnovers this season. The Miami football team needs to limit turnovers on Saturday if they are going to remain competitive and keep the crowd out of the game. Here are the answers from Gig ‘Em Gazette.

"How will the quarterback switch affect the offense?I don’t expect the QB switch to affect the offense negatively, as it couldn’t be any worse than what Haynes King showed last Saturday. I expect a more stable presence at quarterback with better accuracy in his intermediate and short passes, and someone who makes smart decisions and keeps from turning the ball over."

King was 13 of 20 for 97 yards against Appalachian State. Johnson who is the nephew of former Miami football head coach Mark Richt completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 3,884 yards, 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions in two seasons at LSU. Johnson is not the dynamic athlete King is, but is a more efficient passer.

"Texas A&M has had an elite defense this season“With the addition of D.J Durkin (new defensive coordinator), everyone expected his aggressive style of defense to lead to more turnovers, but it has more so shown up in the form of pressuring the quarterback. While more takeaways would be nice, I’m just glad to be seeing the defense get in the backfield.Now, they just need to get better at finishing plays and committing less penalties.”"

Texas A&M has 10 tackles for loss and two sacks in the first two games. The Aggies have a deep and talented but young defensive line. How well the experienced Miami offensive line performs against the Aggies will be critical. Tyler Van Dyke stated earlier this week he thrives off of playing in a hostile environment.

"The 2022 TAMU class is the best ever. Which freshman could have the biggest impact Saturday?“The low-hanging fruit here is (wide receiver) Evan Stewart, without a doubt. I firmly believe he will have the biggest impact, as he is this team’s second best receiver, but I want to shout out two other players, but on the defensive side of the ball in defensive lineman Walter Nolen and cornerback Denver Harris.Nolen missed last weekend, but he was arguably this team’s best defender in Week 1. He is a major disruptor up front and could cause issues for Miami’s run game. Harris has started both games so far and has allowed just one catch for eight yards on four targets.”"

Stewart is tied with Ainias Smith for the Texas A&M team lead with 10 receptions. Stewart is second to Smith with 105 yards but has not scored a TD yet. At 6’2 and 225 pounds, Stewart is a big receiver for the Miami secondary to match up against. Harris has five tackles in the first two games.

Miami enters the game on Saturday as a 5.5-point underdog but is given better than a 50 percent chance to win by most metrics. Texas A&M and Clemson in November will be the only games this season Miami is playing an opponent with a more talented roster. Miami needs to enter confident and not be intimidated at Kyle Field.