The Texas A&M women’s swimming and diving team rolled to a 179-121 road victory over Kentucky in its 2015-16 season-opener on Wednesday at the Lancaster Aquatic Center. “It’s one of those games where you have to shut your man down and dominate your box, like coach says”.
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Alex Collins has excelled in the lead tailback role, displaying great vision, cutting instincts and power after contact. They have improved the past three weeks but were still hurt by passes over the top against Texas A&M and Alabama. Collins’ 682 rushing yards rank No. 14, his 113.7 yards per game is No. 25 and his average of 5.5 yards per carry is No. 63.
With Florida and LSU playing on Saturday, the number of undefeated teams in the SEC will drop from three to two – and that number might drop to one if 5-0 Texas A&M loses to Alabama. Offensive guard Joseph Cheek said having an extra week to practice the new plays will be useful Saturday.
On the flip side of that, only one of the next 17 plays gained at least ten yards, and later A&M had another stretch of 19 plays with just one double digit gainer. Saban pointed to a long touchdown reception by Calvin Ridley last week as a turning point in Alabama’s win against Arkansas.
This can most easily be explained by assuming that A&M scripts their first few drives and has a very specific set of plays that they have game planned for that week.
WR Damion Ratley was the other guy in the Texas A&M receiving corps to come up with big plays against Mississippi State. Christian Kirk and Josh Reynolds have combined for 902 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while Ricky Seals-Jones has 15 receptions. Ole Miss scored on a wild 66-yard touchdown pass from Chad Kelly to Quincy Adeboyejo that involved the ball bouncing off a player’s helmet as well as a 73-yard throw on a run-pass option play. He came in late in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss.
“I grew up a lot that day, let’s just put it that way”, Jones said with a smile.
Many analysts expected the Razorbacks would win their first three games against Texas-El Paso, Toledo and Texas Tech and enter SEC play unbeaten.
Reynolds is averaging an SEC-best 21.3 yards per catch and has three touchdowns.
“They have really good skill guys”, Saban said. A&M ran 84 plays (technically 85 but I didn’t chart the final play, considering it to be a garbage time snap), and had a success rate right at 50%, and both running and passing were right around the 50% number.
While Jones doesn’t let the game from two seasons ago define him, it did help add to the chip on his shoulder that he’s played with since he was younger. That frees up defenders to stop short gains before they can gash the back end of the defense.
Optimism was high after Coach Bret Bielema said last year’s 7-6 record and 31-7 pounding of Texas in the Texas Bowl were a launching point and not a landing point.
But these Aggies, unlike last year’s group, are rested, ready and primed to build on their fast start because of last week’s open date and a more physical mindset.
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Only one College Football Playoff contender will emerge from this matchup and many people are probably predicting that team to be the Alabama Crimson Tide.
