The is the $64 Question at 2:30 PM on CBS "Will A&M streak to big lead against Bama? Or have the Tide caught on to Manziel? Posted: 10:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, 2013 BY SUZANNE HALLIBURTON - AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF COLLEGE STATION — Nick Saban was tossing word bouquets, some with bright blooms of hyperbole, the Aggies’ way earlier in the week. The Alabama coach specifically addressed Texas A&M’s extreme tempo offense and quarterback Johnny Manziel. The Aggies scored 20 points on his Crimson Tide defense a year ago before the first quarter was over in Tuscaloosa. “Texas A&M has an outstanding team — one of the best offensive teams probably in college football, maybe in the history of college football in terms of their quarterback’s ability to make plays and the great job of executing that they do,” Saban told reporters during a teleconference. “They’re a very well-coached team.” A&M certainly was one of the country’s best offenses a year ago, as Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. The Aggies were third in the nation in total offense with 558.5 yards per game. And they averaged 44.3 points a contest. Saban likely gave those A&M statistics more credence because the numbers were generated against top defenses from the Southeastern Conference. But these SEC teams also weren’t accustomed to the quick tempo or defending and tackling runners in space. A&M’s offense caught everyone by surprise a year ago, with the Aggies scoring a touchdown on its opening drive in 10 straight games. Against the best opponents, A&M built an early 20-point cushion on Alabama and had leads of 10 and 12 points against the stunned defenses of Florida and LSU. The Gators and Tigers adjusted to Manziel, keeping him in the pocket, allowing for their teams to post road wins at Kyle Field — the Aggies’ only two losses. Saban said he has studied those LSU and Florida game tapes for tips on Manziel. Alabama, devoting All-American linebacker C.J. Mosley to spy on Manziel, adjusted after the first quarter. But after the Crimson Tide held the Aggies scoreless in quarters two and three, Manziel led A&M to nine points in the fourth, the difference in a 29-24 Aggie victory. Manziel’s stat line against ‘Bama was almost pedestrian, compared to his other games in 2012. He threw for 253 yards and rushed for 92. A&M’s offense is streaking again, averaging 600 yard and 58.5 points per game. But the opposition has been sub-par, with games against Rice and Sam Houston State, a top school from the Football Championship Subdivision. Manziel has made a point of not scrambling through two games. He’s run 13 times for 55 yards in his five quarters of play. That vanilla strategy is likely to change Saturday. Manziel, after all, led the SEC in rushing a year ago with 1,404 yards. The Tide is expecting Manziel to return to his running instincts. But will they be prepared for what Saban called one of the best college offenses ever? “It’s all about the games we run, the stunts that we’ll have up front,” Alabama defensive lineman Jeffrey Pagan told reporters. “If we have a game where something is inside, then we’ll have somebody outside to cover the game. It’s all about really our rush lanes and us staying in the right position.” “You’ve just got to look at his hips and look at the right things,” Pagan said. “You can’t get caught looking at his feet or hands or his head or anything like that. You’ve just got to look at his hips because his hips will never lie.” TODAY’S GAME 6-Texas A&M vs. 1-Alabama, 2:30, CBS, 1370"
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 13:04:32 +0000
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