Texas A&M Aggies’ hot streak in one important area continued in dominant SEC win over Florida Gators and Billy Napier
Texas A&M’s defense on third downs is becoming legendary and could help the Aggies’ chances in the College Football Playoff
Mike Elko made sure to knock on wood just a week ago following another otherworldly defensive showing from the Texas A&M Aggies and apparently that worked. Texas A&M was already on an absurd hot streak with their third down defense prior to playing Florida on Saturday. Now their third down defense is approaching legendary levels.
Yes, the Gators may have started hot this week, but once A&M’s defense got settled in it was game over. The Aggies’ explosive offense continued padding the lead as the game approached its late stages since the defense became an unbeatable force for the last three quarters.
Texas A&M key defensive stats and 3rd down streak
- Texas A&M continued their hot streak of defensive dominance on 3rd down, allowing just 1 conversion on 10 attempts by Florida.
- The Aggies have now allowed just two third down conversions on their opponents’ last 35 attempts across three games.
- The Aggies allowed two touchdowns in the first quarter against Florida
- Following the first quarter the Aggies defense gave up just 162 total yards and 3.68 yards per play the rest of the way. The worst FBS offense in the country averages 3.92 yards per play.
Texas A&M’s third down defense should set them apart in College Football Playoff
The Texas A&M Aggies allowed just one third down conversion on Saturday in their 34-17 win over the Florida Gators. They allowed just one against Mississippi State last week. The week before? Zero third down conversions allowed for the Auburn Tigers.
The Aggies’ defense entered the week ranked fifth among all FBS teams in third down conversion rate. They’ll head into next week ranked number one by far, allowing a first down just 20% of the time on third down throughout the entirety of the season.
The Aggies’ defensive performance wasn’t all sunshines and rainbows against the Florida Gators on Saturday, but it certainly finished that way. A&M allowed two early touchdown drives to Florida in the first quarter, giving up 157 total yards in the opening quarter alone. However, after that the entire defense began to gel as they allowed just 162 total yards in the remaining three quarters combined. They also allowed just 3.68 yards per play. For reference, the worst offense in college football averages around 3.92 yards per play.
That fast jump back into elite form for Texas A&M’s defense has–in previous weeks–been overly reliant on two key playmakers stepping up in the form of Taurean York and Cashius Howell. However, this week it was the entire unit, with several players making game-wrecking plays (like on Dayon Hayes’ sack and forced fumble in the post below).
Dayon Hayes had his incredible sack and forced fumble. Daymion Sanford has another 8+ tackle game with a couple for loss. Tyreek Chappell was winning from everywhere, racking up tackles, one in the backfield. Texas A&M’s defense is reaching it’s most impressive level at just the right time.
The Aggies still have to face off against Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Samford, and Texas, but if A&M’s defense keeps playing at this elite level there’s seriously a chance they go undefeated in the regular season. Regardless, this kind of defensive play translates and travels against any level of competition. If Mike Elko can get his defense to repeat the kind of effort they put together against Billy Napier and Florida as they face off against the rest of their SEC schedule, this season might be special for the Aggies.
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