After kicking off the season with a comfortable 52-10 win over New Mexico, the No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies will face a much tougher test this Saturday against the Miami Hurricanes from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
It was a strong start for the Aggies on both sides of the both. Quarterback Conner Weigman was near perfect in his execution going 18-of-23 for 236 yards and five touchdowns. He completed passes to six different wide receivers, but Evan Stewart (eight catches, 115 yards, two touchdowns) and Noah Thomas (six catches, 74 yards, three touchdowns) established themselves as the top targets.
Overall, Texas A&M racked up 411 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per play in the debut of new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Defensively the Aggies were stout, holding the Lobos to 222 yards and 3-of-12 on third downs. If there was one concern for Texas A&M, it was the penalties. The Aggies were flagged nine times for 98 yards.
Miami also started the season with a comfortable win, beating Miami, Ohio 38-3. The Hurricanes rushed for 243 yards with Henry Parrish (nine carries, 90 yards, touchdown) and Mark Fletcher Jr. (nine carries, 76 yards, touchdown) getting the bulk of the work.
Texas A&M won last year’s game at Kyle Field, 17-9. Both teams, however, stumbled to 5-7 finishes.
Let’s take a closer look at the odds and trends (all odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook):
Texas A&M Aggies at Miami Hurricanes
Time/TV: 2:30 p.m. CT (ABC)
Point Spread: Texas A&M -4.5
Over/Under: 51.5
Moneyline: Texas A&M -184, Miami +152
Analysis: Both teams are circling this game as one that can show positive signs for a turnaround this season. Weigman has one real road game to his credit to date and it was a poor performance in a 13-10 loss to Auburn last year. He was 14-of-36 for 121 yards in that game. It was only his second career start but his inexperience is certainly a concern.
Texas A&M won last year because the Aggies’ defense held up strong against the Hurricanes in the red zone. With the locations reversed if Miami gets the same opportunities, they will cash in. In a close game, the nod goes to the experienced quarterback, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke.
Prediction: Miami 27, Texas A&M 21
