2015 Football Preseason Preview: Texas A&M

Throughout this preseason, Purple & Gold will preview all of Western's 2015 football opponents. Today we look at the Texas A&M Aggies.

In game ten of the 2015 season, the Catamounts return to the road, this time, traveling to College Station, Texas and the “Home of the 12th Man” - Texas A&M's Kyle Field.

This is the first meeting between the Aggies and Catamounts on the gridiron.




Texas A&M            

When: Saturday, November 14  (Kickoff time and coverage will be unveiled by the SEC in the weeks prior to the game)

Where: Kyle Field (106,511), College Station, TX

Radio: Catamount Sports Network

TV / video: TBA

Head Coach:  Kevin Sumlin
Taking over the reins of the Texas A&M program on Dec. 10, 2011, Sumlin is in his 4th season in College Station. He has guided the Aggies to 28 victories in his first three seasons. Sumlin’s first three seasons have also included three road victories over teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press. The Aggies finished last season with an 8-5 record, including wins over No. 3 Auburn and No. 9 South Carolina.


Last Year's Record: 8-5 overall (home 3-3, road 3-2), 3-5 SEC

Offensive starters - Returning/Lost: 7 / 4
-The Aggies lost left tackle Cedric Ogburhi, left guard Jarvis Harrison, tight end Cameron Clear, and wide receiver Malcome Kennedy to graduation.

Defensive starters - Returning/Lost: 6  / 5
-On defense, the Aggies lost the following starters - defensive tackle Ivan Robinson, linebacker Donnie Baggs, cornerback Deshazor Everett, safety Howard Matthews, and safety Floyd Raven to graduation

Specialist - Returning/Lost: 5 / 2
- The Aggies lost place kicker Josh Lambo, and snapper Alex Freeman to graduation.

Offensive Formation: Multiple

Defensive Formation: Multiple 4-3

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin made the defense a top priority in the off season, as he hired John Chavis away from LSU (at a cost of $1.7 million per season), and the veteran defensive coordinator is tasked with fixing a defense that allowed 36.6 points per game in SEC contests last season. The Aggies are counting on Chavis to rebuild a unit that ranked 102nd in the nation and last in the SEC in total defense in 2014. The Aggies have a high-scoring offense loaded with big-play threats.

2014 Aggie Statistics:
Rushing Offense: 1949 yards
Yards per game: 150
Yards per rush: 4.6 yards
TDs rushing: 20
Passing Offense: 3971 yards or 305.5 yards per game
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 332-514-15
Total Offense: 5920 yards or 455.5 yards per game
Passing 1st downs: 179
Rushing 1st downs: 106
Fumbles-Lost: 15 - 5
Penalties-Yards: 68 - 663 yards
3d Down Conversions: 73 of 179
4th Down Conversions:  11of 18
Field Goals - Attempts: 10 of 20
Red-Zone Scores: 43 of 49 (88%)
Red-Zone Touchdowns: 34 of 49 (49%)
Punts : 62
Avg. per punt: 44.1 yds
Sacks: 36
PAT-Attempts: 59 of 59 - 100%
Field Goals-Attempts: 13 of 15
Time of possession per game: 26.14

In 2014, the Aggies played one (1) FCS team, Southland Conference member - Larmar,  The Cardinals were 8-4 overall last season. Playing in front of a record-setting crowd at Kyle Field of 104,728 - the Cardinals lost to the Aggies by a final score 73-3.

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