These teams may have not met in the regular season, but they shared two common opponents, with each squad’s best win coming over Notre Dame early in the regular season. The Canes took down the Irish 27-24 in Week 1, and the Aggies knocked off Notre Dame 41-40 on the road in Week 3. Let’s run through each program’s season ahead of Saturday’s noon kickoff:
🤠 No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1)
The preseason No. 19 team had a stellar regular season, shooting into the top five by Week 7 and holding until its Week 14 loss to Texas in Austin. That loss was the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect regular season for the Aggies. However, it was enough to knock TAMU out of its first-ever SEC championship appearance. Still, Mike Elko’s squad comfortably made its first College Football Playoff appearance.
Texas A&M, similar to Oklahoma, wields one of the best pass rushes in the country, tied with the Sooners with 41 sacks on the year. The Aggies are sacking the quarterback on over 10% of opponents pass attempts — the highest clip in the country — led by senior defensive end Cashius Howell, who is tied for the second most solo sacks in the nation with 11.
The Aggies also boast the best third down defense in the FBS, allowing a ridiculously low 22.7% conversion rate — almost 6 percent higher than second place Indiana.
Elko’s offense is led by sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed, who is a proven nightmare for opposing defenses with his ability to extend plays with his legs. His connection with receiver KC Concepcion is one of the best QB-WR duos in the nation, with Concepcion accounting for almost a third of Reed’s passing yards. However, Reed is susceptible to interceptions with 10 on the year, tied with Carson Beck and John Mateer for the most in the CFP field.
🙌 Miami (10-2)
The Canes got off to a red-hot start with the win over then-No. 6 Notre Dame to open the year. They owned three ranked wins in the first six weeks of the season, but a Week 8 loss to Louisville and Week 10 loss to SMU sent Miami tumbling down the rankings, dropping as low as No. 18 in the Week 11 AP poll. However, Mario Cristobal’s team closed out the regular season on a tear, winning by an average of over 31 points in the last four weeks. The Canes’ CFP hopes were murky heading into selection Sunday, but Miami received the final at-large bid over Notre Dame to make its first CFP appearance.
It’s hard to predict an outcome for this game, as both teams possess an elite defense and explosive offenses. The Canes have the sixth-best scoring defense in the country, allowing just under 14 points per game. Cristobal has a wall of a rush defense, holding teams to under three yards per attempt and 86 total on the ground. And while not quite as good as TAMU, Miami has the 10th best third down defense, limiting teams to just a 30% conversion rate.
Remarkably, Reed and Miami quarterback Carson Beck have the exact same TD: INT ratio, each passing for 25 scores and throwing 10 picks. But the fifth-year Georgia transfer can sling it, eclipsing 3,000 passing yards this season. Also similar to Reed, he has a lethal connection with true-freshman wideout Malachi Toney, who has tallied 970 of his 3,072 yards. This game could come down to which team is able to limit the opposing QB-WR duo.
Both teams are pretty evenly matched on paper, and the crowd could be a determining factor in this matchup. The Canes left the state of Florida only three times all season, playing just four road games. And they definitely have not played in an environment as hostile as College Station. Be on the lookout for how Beck and the Miami offense handle the noise, because you can guarantee Kyle Field and the 12th Man will be rocking.
