Texas A&M’s defense has lived in opponents’ backfields this season.
Through the end of the regular season, the Aggies tied with SEC rival Oklahoma for the most sacks (41) in the nation. They were third in the nation with 104 tackles for loss.
Going up against Texas A&M’s disruptive defense will likely be Miami’s toughest task in Saturday’s first-round playoff game at Kyle Field. But fortunately for UM, it Is bringing one of the nation’s top offensive lines to College Station.
“They’ve got an elite pass rush,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “No. 1 in the nation in sacks. Their third-down defense is really good. Obviously, the players they have has something to do with it, but I think (Aggies head coach and defensive play-caller Mike) Elko does an elite job with the packages and the blitzes and the patterns that he brings.”
As a unit, the Aggies’ pass-rushing defense has been among the nation’s best. In addition to racking up 41 sacks, Texas A&M ranks eighth in the nation in pass-rush grade, according to Pro Football Focus. The team has 210 total quarterback hurries.
Defensive end Cashius Howell leads the way for the group. The former Bowling Green defender transferred to Texas A&M before the 2024 season. He had a strong season last year before becoming one of the nation’s top edge rushers this year.
Howell finished the regular season with 29 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. His 90.5 pass-rushing grade from PFF was 16th nationally and secnd in the SEC among defenders with 200 or more snaps. Howell was named an AP first-team All-American on Monday.
“He’s fast. He’s very fast off the ball,” said UM offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, who was also named an AP All-American. “He’s got some good bend to his game. He knows football a lot. He knows a lot of football — talking about reading offensive tackle’s shoulders and stuff. He’s going to be a great player for this game. And not only that, but he’s going to be a great player in the NFL as well.”
Luckily for Miami, the Hurricanes’ offensive line has been one of the nation’s top pass-blocking groups. UM is tied for seventh in the nation with just 11 sacks allowed, and PFF gives Miami the No. 4 pass-blocking grade in the nation. Miami’s offensive line was rated the fourth-most efficient unit in the nation by PFF and allowed 47 quarterback pressures, which was fourth-best nationally.
Three of the Hurricanes’ five starting offensive linemen — Mauigoa, left tackle Markel Bell and center James Brockermeyer — earned pass-blocking grades of 80 or better. Miami’s three other main offensive linemen — right guard Anez Cooper (75.2) and left guards Matthew McCoy (68.9) and Samson Okunlola (61.5) — earned grades between 60 and 80.
“(The Aggies) do one hell of a job, chasing down a quarterback,” Mauigoa said. “And we’re going to do our best to protect Carson Beck.”
A key for the Hurricanes’ offense will be avoiding third-and-long scenarios where the Aggies can focus on rushing the passes. Texas A&M has the nation’s best opponent third-down percentage, allowing conversions on fewer than 23 percent of third downs.
“You’ve just got to do a really good job of protection, and you’ve got to do a good job of straining to get open,” Dawson said. “But where they’ve gotten people a lot is when they get you in third down, the patterns they bring are tough. And so you’ve got to do a great job of protection. Your eyes have to be really dialed in at running back to who you have. And so we’ve just got to be on point in protection.”
