Aggies facing The Perfect Storm?

The Texas A&M Aggies (1-1) are coming off of a bye-week and desperately in need of calmer waters. They won’t get it this weekend. The University of Miami Hurricanes (1-1) will blow into town like Ike did last week.

The Aggies are looking for answers. First, who will start at quarterback? Starter Stephen McGee, who has started 29 straight games, may miss this one. He is rehabilitating an injury to his right (throwing) shoulder. Head Coach Mike Sherman told reporters this week that he won’t decide until Saturday.

If McGee cannot go, then the duty falls to sophomore Jerrod Johnson. The backup QB stepped in cold against New Mexico to guide the Aggies to three first half touchdowns on the way to a 28-22 victory. Johnson threw three TD passes and had no interceptions.

More questions swirl around Tailback Michael Goodson’s injured knee. Goodson was sidelined during the last game. Sherman says he is ready to go.

The most serious concern may be quarterback-turned- wide- receiver Ryan Tannehill. He injured his ankle against New Mexico, leaving the Aggies in a desperate need for capable pass catchers. Tannehill leads the pass receivers with six catches for 116 yards.

Fullback Jorvoskie Lane needs one touchdown to move ahead of all Aggies in that category. He has 44 touchdowns and is tied with Darren Lewis (87-90). Lane has carried for seven times for 19 years on this season.

Lane desperately needs to step in and play fullback, Sherman told reporters this week. Second string FB Anthony Vela is out with an injury. That leaves only a freshman to play fullback.

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Sherman may have used his bye-week to hunt for his missing offense. So far this season, the Aggies have out-scored the opposition 37-10 in the first half. However, the second half the Aggies were pummeled 30-7. Sherman’s West Coast offense has yet to score a third-quarter point.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes showed they are a tough team. They were down 9-3 against fourth ranked Florida at the end of the third quarter two weeks ago. Florida’s Heisman Trophy winner QB Tim Tebow piled on 17 points in the fourth to pull away.

Both teams have not been able to put up large offensive numbers this year. The Aggies pass defense has allowed 157 yards per game. The opponents haven’t had to pass on the Aggies since their rush defense is so porous.

The Aggies need to find a way to defend Miami’s superior athleticism. Last year, that superiority was demonstrated when the Canes rolled up a 31-0 lead before they emptied their bench.

If the Aggies can’t find a way to slow down the Hurricanes and fail to jump-start their second half offense, it will be a long day at Kyle Field. Miami is a four-point favorite.

Kick off is 2:30 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on ABC. Sirius Satellite Radio will be broadcast the game on channel 123.

By Jay Goode
Big 12 Fans Texas A&M Correspondent

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