Texas A&M football had both their starting defensive ends selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, but the defensive front hasn’t missed a beat thanks to Landis Durham.
There is no one player than can replace Myles Garrett. The reigning No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft was a gamechanger on the Aggie defensive line for three years. His partner in crime, Daeshon Hall, was a third round selection by the Carolina Panthers last season. Down two high draft selections, is it possible that the Texas A&M defensive line has gotten even better?
The Aggies lead the SEC in sacks. Despite having to replace arguably the best defensive end combo in school history, the Texas A&M defensive line has risen to the occasion.
The team’s 20 sacks are double the tally of the Alabama Crimson Tide and five more than the No. 2 team, LSU, who has 15. Only SMU, which has 21 sacks, has had a better start of the season than the Aggie pass rush.
It’s been a group effort from the Texas A&M defense to get the job done. 10 different Aggies have at least half a sack entering their Week 6 game against Alabama, However, there is one Aggie defensive end that has made a name for himself: Landis Durham.
Durham, not even projected as a starter in the preseason, leads the team with 5.5 sacks. That’s tied with Kentucky pass rusher Josh Allen for the best mark in the SEC and tied for third nationally. In this case the old coaching catchphrase “next man up” has come to fruition.
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Durham hasn’t been stat stuffing against weaker competition. Four of his 5.5 sacks have come in SEC play against Arkansas and South Carolina. The Aggies are going to need him to have a big game on Saturday if they have any hope of upsetting the Crimson Tide. He might not be Myles Garrett, but he’s proven he’s pretty darn good.