Texas A&M offensive coordinator: QB Kyler Murray ‘capable of handling it all

Texas A&M 34, Auburn 30.

Christian Kirk, WR/PR, Texas A&M: Kirk is only nine yards shy of breaking Texas A&M’s record for freshman receiving yards. The Tigers (4-4, 1-4 SEC) have lost two-straight games and look like a shell of the preseason expectations that were once so bright. Ricardo Louis and Roc Thomas have combined for 763 receiving yards and three touchdowns while Melvin Ray has 13 receptions. The true freshman showcased his dual-threat abilities, as he completed 20 of 28 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown.

The next concern is his mastery of their passing game, which would allow him to carry the ball less and throw more, and would also ensure that they always have adequate spacing for their numerous burners to run around in.

Murray made a few brief appearances during the Aggies’ out of conference schedule, but didn’t get the starting job from Kyle Allen until last week’s game against South Carolina.

“The first is Murray’s body, he’s listed at 5’11” 185 and the former number is probably generous if the latter isn’t. The problem with this QB option play is that you give the defense a chance to choose which concept they’d rather defend; the inside power run featuring the QB or the perimeter sweep featuring the tailback. It will be very interesting to see if Murray will be able to use his quick feet to escape the pass rush from Lawson on Saturday.

Another individual matchup to pay attention to is Garrett vs. Auburn offensive tackle Shon Coleman. Armani Watts leads the Aggies with 75 tackles, Donovan Wilson has five interceptions and Myles Garrett has 10.5 sacks. Coleman has work cut out for him as the lineman that the Tigers will heavily-rely on to contain the Aggies’ 6-foot-5, 260-pound pass rusher. Last week, the Aggies were projected to finish third in the SEC during a poll of media that covers the league with Danuel House garnering pre-season All-SEC first-team recognition while Alex Caruso was named second team. But in the last three matchups, the games have ended in shootouts with both teams combining for a whopping 249 points.

If Texas A&M’s defense can avoid allowing multiple explosive plays from Auburn’s offense, the Aggies should be able to hold off the Tigers in what will likely be a very close and physical game until the end. Garrett is coming off a game against South Carolina where he had two sacks and two tackles for loss. With the win, Texas A&M earned a spot in Sunday’s SEC Tournament Championship Game to defend its title against the No. 1-seeded Florida Gators with kickoff set for 1 p.m. Connecticut on ESPNU. Last year, Texas A&M got the last laugh by defeating the Tigers, 41-38.

“We’ve put ourselves in a great position to continue our season into the NCAA Tournament next week, so we’ll get back to Baton Rouge tomorrow and start our preparation for what is to come in our season”.