With AP Photos.When Trevor Knight makes his debut for Texas A&M on Saturday against No. 16 UCLA it will be his first start since December 29, 2014.
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Aggies QB Trevor Knight will be enjoying the spotlight, too.
Not only will we be able to gauge how good the Aggie backfield will be this season, but we’ll see how the young interior guys on A&M’s offensive line handle Vanderdoes. Kirk led the SEC in yards per touch last year en route to winning SEC Freshman of the Year, and Reynolds racked up 907 receiving yards and five touchdowns. On flip side I’ve gone against their defense last four years. Hall said the ends rarely flip, so we’ll be treated to a pretty good matchup. “Kids have to make plays”.
Texas A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone held the same job at UCLA from 2012-15. A big road win would do the same for a UCLA team that stumbled last season as injuries wore down its defense. Coach Jim Mora loves how his team responds to the adversity of playing away from home and is eager to see how his guys deal with a crowd that will likely top 100,000.
Mora said the Bruins have no problems with entering the opener against the Aggies without a confirmed depth chart.
Rosen threw for 3,668 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a freshman last season and many believe the Bruins will be in the thick of the Pac-12 race despite an up-and-down, 8-5 season a year ago. Rosen threw for 3,669 yards and 23 touchdowns as a true freshman last season and is only going to improve as a sophomore. “I think being competitors, like we all are, it just kind of reignites a passion and a motivation and a level of commitment that maybe for some reason had subsided a tiny bit”.
The Aggies will look to their dynamic defensive end duo of Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall to get a pass rush on Rosen and make him get the ball out of his hands quickly.
Junior defensive end Myles Garrett is a current favorite to be the first non-quarterback selected in the 2017 National Football League draft, having accounted for 24 sacks, 33.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles in two seasons.
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As we did last season, every week we are going to give you the optimal college football Saturday viewing schedule, recommending the games with the highest mean Massey Composite ratings. “But you have to be cognizant of where they are and what their capabilities are and you have to have answers if they become as disruptive as they’re capable of becoming”. Left tackle Conor McDermott is one of the nation’s top linemen, and junior Kenny Lacy has started 12 games over the last two years. McDermott will be a draft candidate next spring, while Garrett is consistently mentioned as a potential No. 1 overall pick in 2017. Rosen credited Kirk’s natural ability to balance running a play as designed while still exploiting coverages, comparing that to what he called the “chalkboard routes” some receivers attempt. UCLA’s offensive line allowed the fewest (14) sacks among Pac-12 teams in 2015 but lost three starters. But he’s just very mature, he’s very calm.
