Previewing the offensive and defensive lines ahead of a matchup with the Bulldogs in Starkville
It feels like ages have passed since Texas A&M dismantled the Missouri Tigers in front of the 12th Man at Kyle Field. The Aggies spent last week getting healthy and attempting to fix their issues thanks to the always important bye week. Now, Texas A&M faces another SEC road contest after securing a win against Florida earlier this season.
Across from them stands a Mississippi State team that has struggled mightily thus far in 2024, with a 1-5 record including a bad loss to Toledo. However, the Aggies will need to maintain focus as the Bulldogs fought hard against Georgia last week in defeat.
This game holds much more significance than one might expect at first glance. Can Weigman repeat his impressive performance against Mizzou? How will the Aggies fare after their first bye week under Mike Elko?
As ever, we look to the trenches to try and get a feel for how this game will play out.
Offensive Line
Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
There is no way to sugarcoat what the Mississippi State defense has looked like through the first half of the season.
It isn’t pretty.
The Bulldogs rank near the bottom of every category in defensive statistics, including a 124th ranking in total defense. The Mississippi State defense has just five sacks so far this season ranking 127th in the nation. The rushing defense isn’t much better at 117th in the country. No defensive lineman for the Bulldogs has more than one sack this year.
In other words, Texas A&M’s offensive line should dominate Mississippi State come Saturday.
However, I must circle back to the fact that we haven’t seen how a Mike Elko-coached Aggie squad handles the bye week. I need to see this unit come back rested, not rusted after not having a game last week. With Weigman opening up a bit against Mizzou, I expect defenses to respect the passing game a bit more.
What does this mean moving forward?
The loaded boxes that we saw through the first half of the season could very well end up being a bit lighter moving forward, though once again that depends on Weigman continuing to produce like we saw against the Tigers.
I expect Le’Veon Moss, Amari Daniels, and EJ Smith to produce once more when the Aggies head to Starkville as Texas A&M leans on the offensive line to get the rushing attack going early and often.
Defensive Line
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Much like the Mississippi State defense, the Mississippi State offense has struggled in 2024. Texas A&M should be able to shut down a rushing offense that ranks just 96th in the country. I’ll still be keeping an eye on the perimeter runs here, but it’s less of a concern after what we saw from Texas A&M against Mizzou.
If there is one piece of this Mississippi State squad that gives me a bit of pause, it’s the passing attack that has improved a bit after Michael Van Buren took over for the injured Blake Shapen.
Van Buren threw for 306 yards last week against Georgia. However, MVB hasn’t been all that accurate and this Mississippi State offensive line has not been great in pass protection. The Bulldogs rank 122nd in sacks allowed this season – a stat that should pop out to a defensive line anchored by incredibly gifted pass rushers in Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart.
If the Aggies jump out to an early lead and force Mississippi State to throw the ball as I expect, Scourt and company should make life miserable for MVB.
I expect dominant performances by both trench units to carry Texas A&M to another SEC win come Saturday. Make no mistake about it though, this is still a huge test given the circumstances surrounding the game. How this squad performs out of the bye week sets the tone for the rest of the season.