There are always question marks when heading into a new season. Graduations and transfers leave holes to fill, new faces in the coaching and recruiting ranks creates anxiousness and anticipation of what might be.

Texas A&M, perhaps more than any other program in the SEC, illustrates that point as the 2016 season approaches. Outstanding talent along the offensive line, the transfer of two five-star quarterbacks and their share of new faces in the coaching staff contribute to the anticipation of the upcoming season.

Here’s a look at three key questions facing the Aggies as they look forward to the Sept. 3 opener with UCLA.

Noel Mazzone’s offense – Picking up, understanding and executing Mazzone’s offense is critical to the Aggies’ success in 2016. Head coach Kevin Sumlin brought in Mazzone from UCLA to try and come as close to recreating the magic the Aggies’ offense exhibited when it first joined the SEC back in 2012.

While most of the spread offenses that college football has been going to more and more rely heavily on the passing game, Mazzone insists that his scheme is much more run-oriented. In four seasons at UCLA, he had the Pac-12 leading rusher in three of those years.

That, in itself, raises question marks. Gone is Tra Carson, Texas A&M’s 1,000-yard rusher from last season. Gone is Kyler Murray, the Aggies’ second-leading rusher in 2015 (335 yards), who after his freshman year was one of two signal-callers to transfer out of the program. Junior James White returns with the most rushing yards (196) from last season. So who will step up and be the leader of the Aggies’ new offense in 2016?

It’s a running game badly in need of restoration. Despite Carson’s accomplishments, the Aggies were 66th in the nation in rushing, averaging only 169 yards per game. That’s bad, until you consider it was actually an improvement over the 2014 season, when it ranked 84th in the nation and averaged 150 yards per game.

Trevor Knight – The graduate transfer from Oklahoma was a Godsend to the Aggies’ program after both Murray and Kyle Allen transferred out. That’s not a knock on QB Jake Hubenak, it’s strictly from an experience standpoint. Hubenak has exactly one start at Texas A&M, that coming in last year’s Music City Bowl. And while Hubenak performed well, he certainly doesn’t bring the credentials to the table that Knight does.

Knight threw for 2,300 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore at Oklahoma. He beat Alabama in a bowl game, directing an offense that racked up 45 points against the vaunted Tide defense.

But Knight is coming into a brand new situation at Texas A&M. Not only must he learn the abilities of a whole new team, but at the same time absorb Mazzone’s new system as well. His leadership abilities are not a concern. He’s taken ownership of the program, and according to teammates, has the attention of the locker room. That’s a huge first step in leading the team through the 2016 season.

Run defense – The Aggies were downright awful against the run last season. Allowing an average of 213.7 yards per game on the ground, Texas A&M ranked 107th in the nation. That’s not very good, even considering it was actually an improvement over the 2014 season in which the Aggies yielded an average of 216 rushing yards per game, ranking 111th nationally.

But this is the second season under defensive coordinator John Chavis, and you can bet the Aggies’ defense will get nothing but better under “Chief.” He’ll continue to shore up the corps of linebackers and see to it that the middle of the Aggies’ defense isn’t as porous against the run as in previous years.

Chavis’ credentials are impeccable. He developed top defenses at two other SEC powerhouses before coming to College Station. He had the SEC’s top defense at Tennessee in 1996 and helped the Vols to a 1998 national championship. At LSU, Chavis earned the 2011 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.

If anybody can shore up the Aggies’ run defense, it’s Chavis.