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Published Sep 4, 2024
Texas A&M's offense vs. McNeese's defense
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Mark Passwaters  •  AggieYell
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@mbpRivals

AggieYell.com's look at the matchup between Texas A&M (0-1) and McNeese (1-1) begins with a breakdown of the Aggie offense against the Cowboys defense.

Where, when, weather and TV

Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas

When: 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7

Weather: Sunny, high of 89 degrees

TV: SEC Network Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)

Texas A&M offensive depth chart

Quarterback
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

15

Conner Weigman

RS-So.

6-3

220

13

Jaylen Henderson

RS-Jr.

6-3

220

OR 10

Marcel Reed

RS-Fr.

6-2

180

Running back
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

8

Le'Veon Moss

Jr.

6

215

5

Amari Daniels

RS-Jr.

5-9

215

OR 22

E.J. Smith

Gr.-TR.

6

215

Tight End
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

84

Tre Watson

Sr.-TR.

6-5

250

82

Shane Calhoun

Gr.-TR.

6-4

250

OR 18

Donovan Green

RS-So.

6-4

265

OR 17

Theo Ohrstrom

RS-So.

6-6

265

Wide receiver (X)
Column 1Column 2Column 3Column 4Column 5

3

Noah Thomas

Jr.

6-6

200

11

Jake Bostick

RS-So.-TR.

6-2

183

Wide receiver (SLOT)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

6

Cyrus Allen

Jr.-TR.

6

178

4

Micah Tease

So.

6

180

OR 0

Izaiah Williams

Fr.

6

180

Wide receiver (Z)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

9

Jahdae Walker

Sr.-TR.

6-4

205

7

Moose Muhammad

RS-Sr.

6-1

195

Left tackle
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

60

Trey Zuhn

Jr.

6-7

315

66

Hunter Erb

RS-So.

6-6

330

Left guard
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

71

Chase Bisontis

So.

6-6

320

75

Kam Dewberry

Jr.

6-4

330

OR 74

Aki Ogunbiyi

RS-Jr.

6-4

330

Center
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

61

Kolinu'u Faaiu

RS-Jr.-TR.

6-3

330

67

TJ Shanahan

RS-Fr.

6-4

330

Right guard
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

55

Ar'maj Reed-Adams

RS-Jr.

6-5

330

67

TJ Shanahan

RS-Fr.

6-4

330

Right tackle
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

78

Dametrious Crownover

RS-Jr.

6-7

330

OR 76

Deuce Fatheree

Sr.

6-8

320

McNeese defensive depth chart

BANDIT (DE)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

49

Masey Lewis

RS-So.

6-4

268

42

Earenest Grayson

RS-Sr.

6-3

254

Nose tackle
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

56

Stephen Johnson

Fr.

6-4

330

95

Simeon Mitchell

So.-TR.

6-3

295

Defensive tackle
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

91

Welland Williams

RS-So.

6-1

285

8

Myles Winslow

Fr.

6-3

275

WOLF (DE)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

3

Marques White

Gr.-TR.

6-2

232

45

Sedric Applewhite

So.

6-6

228

MIKE LB
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

48

Micah Davey

RS-Jr.

6-2

239

34

Jordan Toaston

RS-So.

6-3

222

STINGER
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

1

Tristan Driggers

Sr.-TR.

6-1

202

0

Jamori Evans

Sr.

5-10

195

Nickel
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

5

Javon Davis

Jr.

6

177

13

Reggie Ellis

Sr.-TR.

6-2

195

Safety
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

19

Thomas Miles

Sr.

6-1

192

7

Johnquai Lewis

Sr.

6-2

176

Safety
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

4

Boogsie Silvera

So.

5-11

186

39

Jake Held

Jr.

5-11

188

Cornerback
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

2

Levi Wyatt

Jr.

6-1

187

33

Crajaun Bennett

Jr.

5-11

162

Cornerback
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

6

Yusef Leak

Jr.-TR.

6

183

15

Maurquel Price

Jr.-TR.

6-1

185

Injury update

Texas A&M: RB Ruben Owens (ankle) is likely out for the year.

C Mark Nabou (knee) is out for the year.

WR Jabre Barber (foot) is likely out for this week.

McNeese: No reported injuries

Texas A&M statistical leaders

Passing: Weigman, 12-30, 100 yards, 2 INT

Rushing: Moss, 20 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD

Smith, 4 carries, 25 yards

Daniels, 5 carries, 20 yards

Receiving: Walker, 6 catches, 31 yards

Allen, 2 catches, 28 yards

Watson, 1 catch, 18 yards

McNeese statistical leaders

Tackles: Davey, 31

Silvera and Driggers, 8

Tackles for loss: LB A.J. Thomas, 2.5

Lewis, 2

Sacks: Thomas, 1.5

Lewis and Davey, 1

Interceptions: Silvera, 1

Forced fumbles: Silvera and Driggers, 1

Fumble recoveries: Driggers, 1

What A&M wants to do offensively

This is all about Conner Weigman. They need to get him in a rhythm, rebuild his confidence and start increasing the aggression of their playcalling.

McNeese is currently 16th in total defense in FCS, but they've played Southern (and won) and Tarleton State (and lost) -- so it's still FCS and the competition hasn't been awesome. There should be opportunities for Weigman to get going.

Last Saturday night, the Aggies seemed to get into a playcalling rut, going more with what Weigman has done in the past -- dropback, stay in the pocket -- than what Klein has done in the past, where the ball comes out quickly more often. Coach Mike Elko said that they're looking for ways to get separation for the receivers, so maybe a mix is what is needed.

A&M's offensive line held its own against Notre Dame's strong defensive line, which should be a source of some satisfaction of two disastrous years of Steve Addazio. It may also be trouble for McNeese, which is reliant on speed and is largely undersized up front. Their biggest player, defensive tackle Steven Johnson, is 330 pounds -- but is also a true freshman. There should be some opportunities for the line to lean on the McNeese front and get Le'Veon Moss and Amari Daniels going.

This is more about A&M's mental state and approach than anything else. If they can figure out what failed them last week and operate with confidence, they'll put up yards and points. If they don't they've got bigger problems than McNeese.

How the Cowboys may try to counter

Don't give up big plays, be sound tackling and try to force some turnovers.

The Cowboys have picked off a pass and recovered two fumbles so far this season, so they've been able to take advantage of some mistakes. The Aggies were certainly error-prone Saturday night.

McNeese is undersized, but they have a lot of experience up front. They have guys who have played in big games before. Their middle linebacker, Micah Davey, will play on Sundays. He's a tackling machine, and already has 23 more tackles than the next closest guy on the team -- I don't even know how you do that. They want to filter things to him, and then let him finish things off.

Elko said the Cowboys run a similar system to A&M's defense, and they definitely emphasize speed over size. They will attempt mix up coverages, drop defensive ends or linebackers while blitzing safeties, and all kinds of exotic looks to try to confuse Weigman. The key for them will be forcing mistakes while limiting their own.

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