Texas A&M vs. Baylor Preview

It might me pointed out that Baylor and Texas A&M are the opposites of the same coin. But fans of either school would not admit it. It’s the annual Battle of the Brazos. These fans don’t see eye-to-eye on anything.

The Aggies (5-5, 2-4 Big 12) and the Bears (4-6, 1-5) are fighting to stay out of the cellar of the Big 12 South. They were in identical positions in 2008. Baylor won that contest, 42-21, and inspired a website to fire first-year Aggie Coach Mike Sherman. That one-page web site (www.firemikesherman.com) has remained up for the entire year.

The Aggie athletic department cut ticket prices to half price to spur lagging pre-game sales. Both teams could increase their post season chances with a win on Saturday.

The Aggies have shown problems with handling adversity. Baylor’s season has been full of adversities, too.

Baylor lost its starting quarterback. It has its backfield set now, but the Aggies are still having problems. Last week, Sherman benched runner Cyrus Gray, who had won Big 12 accolades for returning kickoffs. Sherman started freshman Christine Michael. Michael fumbled on his second carry. That miscue was returned for a touchdown. Gray mishandled three straight kickoffs, one of which went between his legs, setting up a first down for the Aggies on the six-yard line.

Sherman is waiting on punt returner Dustin Harris’s injury report. He went down with an ankle injury two games ago. Since then, the Aggies have failed to successfully field a punt.

It’s all about handling adversity, says Sherman.

"We have handled the adversity of the season fairly well, when it's hit us and we are able to talk our way through it and practice our way through it. This is a good practice team," he said.

"But the adversity in the context of the game we didn't always handle well," he said.

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The Aggies’ offense is riding high in the Big 12 standings. However, in 10 games, their yards-per-play is about the same as last year. The difference is Sherman’s hurry up offense. The Aggies have run 811 plays this year compared to 777 plays in 12 games in 2008.

The Aggies are in 104 th place in the NCAA in defense and last place in the Big 12 South.

The Aggies lead the all-time series, 65-35-9. However, in the last five games the Aggies are, 3-2.

The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. at Kyle Field in College Station. There will be no television. Sirius Satellite Radio will carry the game on channel 154.

By Jay Goode
Big 12 Fans Texas A&M Correspondent

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