GAME PREVIEW: Aggies Head to Rocky Top to Face No. 19 Tennessee

Oct 13, 2023 | Football

By: Athletics Communications

Gameday: Tennessee

Saturday, Oct. 14 • 3:40 p.m. ET
Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee
Live Stats: Click Here

THE MATCHUP

Texas A&M: 4-2, 2-1
last: lost to Alabama, 26-20
Game Notes: Click Here
Tennessee: 4-1, 1-1
last: def. South Carolina, 41-20
Game Notes: Click Here

RANKINGS

Texas A&M: RV (AP, Coaches)
Tennessee: t19 (AP), 17 (Coaches)

WATCH

TV: CBS
Play-by-Play: Brad Nessler
Analyst: Gary Danielson
Sidelines: Jenny Dell

LISTEN

Radio: TAMU Sports Network
1620 AM/94.5 FM (local), SiriusXM 201
Play-by-Play: Andrew Monaco
Analyst: Dave Elmendorf
Sidelines: Will Johnson
Listen Live: 12th Man Mobile App

Spanish Broadcast: Click Here
102.7 FM (local)
Play-by-Play: Michel Gonzalez
Analyst: Pedro Luna
Analyst: Alejandra Dorbecker
Listen Live: 12th Man Mobile App

Texas A&M plays just its second true road game of the season on Saturday when the Aggies head to Knoxville to face No. 19/17 Tennessee in an SEC cross-divisional showdown. Kickoff at Neyland Stadium is set for 3:40 p.m. ET and the game will air nationally on CBS.

The Aggies enter the game at 4-2 and 2-1 in league play after a hard-fought 26-20 loss to then-No. 11 Alabama last weekend at Kyle Field. Meanwhile, the Vols were off last weekend and sport a 4-1 (1-1) mark going into Saturday. Tennessee cruised to a 41-20 home win over South Carolina in their last outing on Sept. 30.

This will mark just the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs, and only the third in SEC play. A&M won the first back in 2016, claiming a wild 45-38 double-OT victory at Kyle Field, and defeated the Vols during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season 34-13 in Knoxville.

Saturday's forecast calls for 73 degrees and breezy at kickoff under partly sunny skies.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Texas A&M and Tennessee meet for the just fifth time in program history Saturday with each team earning two wins in the series ... The Aggies have claimed the two most recent meetings, including a 34-13 win in Knoxville in 2020.
Graduate WR Ainias Smith hit the 2,000 yard mark with 88 receiving yards against Alabama, making him the eighth Aggie in program history to reach the plateau and the only 2,000-yard receiver in SEC history with at least 250 career rushing, punt return and kick return yards.
Smith, the FBS active career leader in punt return yards, has tallied at least 30 punt return yards in every SEC game this season and ranks second nationally, averaging 20.2 yards per return.
Junior LB Edgerrin Cooper has been a beast for the Aggies in SEC play, tallying 8.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks through the first three league games ... Cooper leads the SEC and ranks second nationally with 12.0 TFL and is tied sixth in the country with 6.0 sacks, while his 41 total tackles on the year are good for 10th in the SEC.
Sophomore DL Walter Nolen has recorded at least 1.0 sack in every SEC game this season as he leads the defensive line ranking fourth in the SEC with 7.5 TFLs and is tied for sixth with 4.0 sacks.
The Aggies lead the nation with 57.0 tackles for loss and 26.0 sacks on the year ... For the first time in program history, the A&M defense has racked up at least 6.0 sacks in three consecutive games after tallying 6.0 against Alabama and 7.0 in its first two SEC outings ... The Aggies have tallied 38.0 TFL and 20.0 sacks through three league games this season.
The defense has not allowed an opponent to get over 100 yards through the air and on the ground in a game this season, most recently holding Alabama to just 23 rushing yards ... The well-rounded Aggies rank top two in the SEC in total defense (268.8 y/g), tackles for loss (57.0) and pass break ups (26).

QUICK HITS

Sophomore RB Le'Veon Moss has hit his stride in SEC play, averaging 84.3 yards per game through A&M's first three outings ... He registered the first 100-yard game of his career with 107 yards against Arkansas.
Sophomore WR Evan Stewart ranks seventh among league players with 80.6 receiving yards per game, while his four touchdown grabs tie him for sixth in the league.
The A&M offense averages 35.5 points per game on the season, good for 19th among Power 5 teams, while its 15 passing touchdowns put the unit in a tie for 16th nationally.
Junior Tyreek Chappell and graduate transfer Josh DeBerry have been staples at corner for the Aggies early this season and help the team rank second in the league with 26 breakups ... DeBerry is tied for second in the SEC with eight passes defended, while Chappell ranks ninth in the league with four PBU.
Junior DL Shemar Turner has been a consistent disruptor on the line this season, recording at least 1.0 tackle for loss in five of the team's six games while also getting to the quarterback at least once in four of the team's six games ... Turner ranks among the top 10 in the SEC with 3.5 sacks and 6.5 TFL on the year.
The Aggie defense has shut down opponents on third down early this season, ranking sixth nationally with a 25.0 opponent conversion percentage ... The unit also ranks seventh in the country allowing just 13.7 first downs per game.
Junior PK Randy Bond ranks third in the country with 62 total points and is seventh averaging 10.3 points per game ... His 13 made field goals on the season are tied for the most nationally.
Quick starts have been a key to Aggie victories in the Jimbo Fisher era ... The Aggies are 33-6 when scoring first and are 32-2 when leading after the first quarter.

MILESTONES TO WATCH FOR

Graduate WR Ainias Smith continues his climb through the A&M record books and needs just two receiving touchdowns to move into the top five all-time, currently sitting in a tie for seventh with Mike Evans (2012-13) at 17 scoring receptions.
Smith enters the week with 153 career receptions and is in pursuit of Josh Reynolds' (2013-16) 164 career mark to crack the top five on A&M's all-time list.
Smith became the eighth Aggie in program history to reach the 2,000 career receiving yards mark, upping his total to 2,043 against Alabama ... He is 197 yards away from moving into seventh all-time, chasing Uzoma Nwachukwu's (2009-12) 2,239 yards.
On the verge of breaking into another top five, Smith is currently in a tie with Christian Kirk (2015-17) for sixth with 814 punt return yards and is in need of 110 yards to move up a spot ... He is also just 57 yards away from passing Isaiah Spiller's (2019-21) 3,578 career yards to crack the top 10 of A&M's all-purpose yards list, entering the week with 3,521.
Junior WR Moose Muhammad III is on the cusp of moving into the top 20 of A&M's all-time career receiving touchdowns list with nine career scoring receptions, while he is also 118 receiving yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard mark for his career.
Sophomore WR Evan Stewart, who eclipsed the 1,000 career receiving yards mark in the win over Arkansas, is 149 receiving yards and five receptions away from cracking the top 30 all-time at A&M in each category.

SWISS ARMY KNIFE

Graduate WR Ainias Smith has been called a "Swiss Army Knife" by head coach Jimbo Fisher because of his do-it-all ability on the field.
A true quadruple threat, Smith has gained more than 250 yards as a rusher (389), receiver (2,043), punt returner (814) and kick returner (275) ... Among Aggies already in the 3,000-yard club, only six players even have stats in all four categories and just two -- Dante Hall and Larry Stegent -- had 250+ in all four.
Smith is the only 2,000-yard receiver in SEC history to also rack up at least 250 rushing, punt return and kickoff return yards in their career ... The other 1,000-yard receiver to hit the 250-yard mark in rushing and returns was Kentucky's Randall Cobb, who posted 1,661 receiving yards along with 1,313 rushing yards, 619 punt return yards and 1,081 kickoff return yards from 2008-10.
Smith, who is the active FBS leader in career punt return yards, has etched his name into Aggie history, climbing into the top 10 on A&M's career receiving touchdowns (17), receiving yards (2,043), receptions (153) and punt return (74-814) lists, and is just 57 yards away from adding all-purpose yards to that list with 3,521 entering the week.
Smith put his dependable versatility on display in the win over Arkansas, returning a punt 82 yards to the house in the fourth quarter to lengthen the Aggie lead and eventually total a career-high 131 punt return yards and 202 all-purpose yards ... This marked the second special teams touchdown of Smith's career after taking a punt 95 yards to the end zone in 2021 against South Carolina.
Dating back to the 2019 LSU game, Smith has caught a pass in 33 straight games ... This streak is the 10th-longest active streak in the nation, sixth among Power 5 receivers, while it is also the longest streak by an Aggie since Christian Kirk (2015-17) had a string of 39 games.
Smith recorded the fifth 100-yard game of his career when he led the offense with 127 yards on seven catches in the win over ULM.
Smith has registered seven multi-touchdown games in his career, catching multiple TD passes in a game five times ... In the 2021 season opener, he hauled in a 63-yard scoring pass to put the Aggies up 17 points at the half and extended the lead in the fourth quarter with a 43-yard TD grab.

JOHNSON TAKES OVER AS QB1

Sophomore QB Max Johnson has stood ready for the Aggies and returned to the starting lineup under center Week 5 against Arkansas.
In the win over the Razorbacks, Johnson set new A&M career marks with 210 passing yards and 57 yards on the ground, while his two touchdown passes matched his previous best as an Aggie.
Johnson, who has played in 27 games as an SEC quarterback, was thrown into action in the second half of the Auburn game with A&M up 6-3 at the break after an injury to Conner Weigman and immediately tossed a pair of scoring passes in the third quarter to distance the Aggies and position the team for victory.
In his first season in Aggieland, Johnson led the Aggies to back-to-back victories over AP top-15 teams, topping No. 13 Miami 17-9 at Kyle Field in his first start for the Maroon & White before knocking off No. 10 Arkansas, 23-21 at AT&T Stadium ... Johnson's stint as the A&M starter was cut short the following week after suffering a season-ending hand injury at Mississippi State.
Johnson compiled an 8-6 record as the starter at LSU, surpassing the 300-yard plateau in passing yards six times in his two seasons in Baton Rouge, including career bests of 435 yards against Ole Miss in 2020 and five touchdowns against Central Michigan in 2021.

STEWART MAKES IMPACT

Sophomore WR Evan Stewart has become a favorite target for Aggie quarterbacks after making an immediate impact in his debut season and continuing to shine this year.
Stewart ranks seventh among SEC receivers, averaging 80.6 yards per game, while his four touchdown grabs on the year are good for sixth in the league.
In just his 14th career game, Stewart eclipsed the 1,000 career receiving yard mark, which tied him with Ryan Tannehill (2008-11) as the third-fastest Aggie to reach the millennium mark ... Only Mike Evans (2012-13) and Christian Kirk (2015-17) did it faster with Evans reaching it in 12 games and Kirk in 13.
Stewart made it back-to-back 100-yard games as he set career highs with 11 catches for 142 yards against Miami ... He became the first A&M receiver to catch 10-plus passes in a game since the 2017 season and the first to record back-to-back 100-yard games since the 2019 season.
Stewart started his sophomore season in a big way, registering the third 100-yard game and first multi-touchdown game of his career, racking up 115 yards on eight catches and a pair of touchdown receptions against New Mexico.
As a newcomer, Stewart registered two 100-yard games and ranked eighth among all SEC receivers, averaging 64.9 yards per game last season, which led all FBS freshmen nationally ... He was also tied for 10th overall and led all freshmen in the league with 53 receptions.
A highly-touted recruit in A&M's top 2022 signing class, Stewart was an Under Armour All-American that was also a track standout ... He earned top-two finishes at the Texas 5A state championships in the long jump and triple jump, while also helping his 4x400m and 4x200m relay teams to medal finishes.

MAROON GOONS

The Texas A&M offensive line returns great experience from last season ... Led by graduate Layden Robinson, who has been a staple at right guard over the last two seasons, the Aggies return three of five starters from a year ago.
The Aggies are tied for fifth in the SEC, allowing 12.0 sacks so far this season ... They are also among the top-five in the league, allowing 28.0 TFL on the year.
Robinson is in his third year as a starter after helping clear the way for one of the top running back tandems in the nation in 2021 and a 1,000-yard rusher last season.
The Aggies have seen Robinson, Trey Zuhn III, Mark Nabou Jr. and Chase Bisontis start all six games so far this season, while Bryce Foster, Kam Dewberry and Dametrious Crownover have had key roles on the line early on.

STEADY BACKERS

The Aggie linebacker trio of junior Edgerrin Cooper, true freshman Taurean York and senior Chris Russell Jr. have come into their own and sparked an aggressive A&M attack in SEC play.
Cooper has been a dominating force in SEC play, racking up 8.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks in A&M's three league games as he paces the Aggies with 41 total tackles on the season ... His 12.0 TFL on the year lead all SEC players and tie him for second nationally, while his 6.0 sack total is tied for sixth in the country and ranks second in the SEC.
York has immediately stepped into a leadership role as a true freshman, quarterbacking the defense at mike linebacker ... His 32 tackles on the season are second on the team, while ranking second among Power 5 true freshman linebackers and sixth among all freshman defensive players ... York was named SEC Freshman of the Week after leading the A&M defense with 11 tackles, 2.0 for loss, in the win over Auburn.
Russell has given the Aggies reliable production off the bench this season, tallying 14 tackles, including 2.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks ... In the win over Arkansas, Russell scored the first touchdown of his career when he got ahold of a tipped pass and returned it 16 yards to the end zone to lengthen A&M's lead in the third quarter.
The defense as a whole ranks 10th in the nation and leads the SEC in total defense (268.8 y/g) and rush defense (84.0 y/g), while leading the country in the tackles for loss (57.0) and sacks (26.0).
As a unit, the linebackers accounted for more than half of A&M's tackles for loss and sacks in the win over Auburn, as they tallied 6.5 of the team's 15.0 TFL and 4.0 of the team's 7.0 sacks.

NO FLY ZONE

The A&M secondary has shut down the opposition's passing game, landing the Aggies among the nation's best in total defense, passing defense and pass breakups ... Veteran leader and fifth-year starter Demani Richardson helps lead the group with 25 total tackles on the season.
Graduate transfer Josh DeBerry burst on the scene in the season opener, filling out the stat sheet and leading the way in his first game in the Maroon & White ... DeBerry matched his single-game career highs from Boston College with 10 tackles, a solo sack, a pick and a hurry.
A&M is second in the SEC and 14th in the country with 25 pass breakups on the season ... DeBerry leads the way as he second among league players with eight passes defended, while junior Tyreek Chappell is tied for ninth in the SEC with four breakups on the year.
The Aggies currently lead the league in total defense (268.8 y/g), with the No. 22 passing defense in the nation as they allow 184.8 yards per game through the air, good for third in the SEC, and have held four of their six opponents to less than 135 passing yards.
Under Coach Fisher, the Aggies have limited their opponent to less that 100 passing yards on 10 occasions, recently holding Auburn to just 56 yards through the air in the SEC opener after allowing just 95 passing yards in the win over ULM.
Richardson leads all defensive players with two career touchdowns, recording 82- and 27-yard fumble returns to the end zone in the wins over No. 10 Arkansas and No. 6 LSU, respectively, last season.

DEPTH ON THE D-LINE

A&M boasts one of the most talented and unpredictable defensive lines in the nation this season, led by the veteran experience of senior McKinnley Jackson on the inside and consistent production from junior Shemar Turner on the outside.
Jackson and Turner have been joined in the starting lineup by junior Fadil Diggs and sophomore Walter Nolen in five of the six games so far this season, while the Aggies have consistently used a full second rotation in every game this season that played in at least 11 games a season ago.
The line plays a vital role in the Aggies leading the SEC and ranking in the top 10 in the country in total defense (268.8 y/g) ... A&M leads the nation with 57.0 tackles for loss and 26.0 sacks on the year, after beginning SEC play with 15.0 TFL and 7.0 sacks in back-to-back games.
A&M ranks ninth in the nation in rushing defense (84.0 y/g) and has given up just one rushing score all season .. The line recently held Alabama to just 23 yards on the ground, marking the third time this season it has kept the opposition's run game in double figures, also limiting New Mexico (91), Miami (77).
As a unit, the defensive line has been a key part of the Aggies' success in shutting down their opponents on third downs as they are second in the league and rank sixth nationally allowing just 19 conversions on 76 attempts this season, good for a 25.0 conversion percentage.
Individually, Nolen leads the line ranking fourth in the SEC with 7.5 TFLs and is tied for sixth with 4.0 sacks, hitting a stride in SEC with at least 1.0 sack in all three games ... Turner, who has registered at least 1.0 TFL in five of the team's six games this season, ranks eighth in the SEC with 6.5 TFL and ninth with 3.5 sacks.