What We Know: Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M T Jake Matthews moves from right tackle to left tackle to fill the voide of T Luke Joeckel. USA TODAY Sports Images-Archive

Over the next few weeks, we will start taking a look at the SEC teams and discuss the apparent strengths and weaknesses of them as the 2013 season nears.

The idea is to identify what we “know” – as much as we can “know” anything about a season that has yet to start. We will also examine what we think we know, what we don’t know and when we might have answers to the biggest questions.

Texas A&M Aggies

What We Know

QB Johnny Manziel gives the Aggies the biggest difference-making player in college football – The argument could be made, of course, that this item belongs in the “What We Think We Know” category since Manziel’s eligibility is at least somewhat in question. That’s where the phrase “difference-making” comes in to play. Some in charge of setting gambling lines in Las Vegas think Manziel is the difference between four to five wins. Now that is difference-making. Manziel burst onto the scene in 2012 and many are excited to see if he can duplicate the success he enjoyed during his Heisman Trophy campaign. No player in college football can match Manziel’s entire skill set. He is dynamic with his legs – in his ability to buy time, escape pressure and break contain to scramble for big plays. Manziel also showed a cannon arm to go along with a quick-enough release and good accuracy. Put it all together and Texas A&M has easily one of the best overall quarterbacks – as long as he is eligible to play.

Some of the SEC’s top offensive skill position players reside in College Station – In addition to Manziel, Texas A&M has a couple of proven commodities on offense in RB Ben Malena and WR Mike Evans. Malena rushed for 808 yards last year – a number that could be higher if not for sharing carries with Manziel, who ran 201 times and went for 1,410 yards. Evans caught 82 passes for 1,105 yards as a freshman. Transfer RBs Brandon Williams (Oklahoma) and Tra Carson (Oregon) give the Aggies an incredible stable of talent in the backfield.

What We Think We Know

The offensive line should be strong – T Luke Joeckel was the best offensive lineman in the SEC last year. That shouldn’t be lost for a team that relied on creating spare seconds for Manziel. T Jake Matthews, who spent last year at right tackle opposite Joeckel, will fill the void in protecting Manziel’s blind side. Both guards return as well, though Cedric Ogbuehl seems to be the favorite to replace Matthews at right tackle. Overall, three good offensive linemen return and the Aggies appear to have talent waiting in the wings. If that’s the case, the Aggies should be OK upfront.

What We Don’t Know

Will the defense be anywhere near as good as it was in 2012? – Only five starters return from last year’s overachieving defense, which served as an underappreciated reason the Aggies won 11 games a year ago. Two of those starters, CB Deshazor Everett and DT Kirby Ennis, face potential suspensions after offseason issues. Of course, missing games against Rice and Sam Houston State hardly equals being absent against Alabama or LSU. The big issue isn’t that Everett and Ennis will miss meaningless, borderline pointless games. It’s that the Aggies saw a great deal of star power exhaust eligibility. DE Damontre Moore, who led the team in tackles, TFLs and sacks in his All-America 2012 season, headlined that group. While Moore earned much of the accolades, LBs Jonathan Stewart and Sean Porter were enormous components of the defense. The front seven, in particularly, have been basically decimated by graduation. The Aggies return just three players there – Ennis, DE Julien Obioha (of whom much is expected) and LB Steven Jenkins. Keep an eye on JUCO transfer Tommy Sanders as someone who could make an immediate impact. When Will We Know? There is no hiding from Alabama in Week 3. By the time that game concludes, the defense’s ability against top-notch teams will be apparent. The true strength of the defense will likely be revealed in a two-game road stint at Arkansas and Ole Miss in late September and mid-October.