Here’s everything you need to know about Texas A&M’s road contest Saturday against SMU.

When: Today
Where: Dallas, Texas
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Current Line: Texas A&M (-34)

Game Buzz: Some people are surprised the Aggies are favored by fewer than five touchdowns. This is SMU’s first game since June Jones resigned as head coach, and the Mustangs already lost 45-0 to Baylor and 43-6 to North Texas. If you’re an A&M fan and don’t mind seeing your team trounce a hapless opponent, this is your Super Bowl.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

NO. 6 TEXAS A&M AGGIES

Players To Watch:

  • QB Kenny Hill
  • QB Kyle Allen
  • WR Ricky Seals-Jones
  • DE Myles Garrett
  • DB Howard Matthews
  • LB Justin Bass

Keys For Texas A&M:

  • Attack the SMU offensive line. The Mustangs have given up 13 sacks in just two games. The Aggies will give up yards on defense this season. The unit’s most athletic players are young. But it needs to be aggressive and disruptive to offset that. SMU makes an easy target to build confidence.
  • Stay healthy. Speaking of injuries, A&M is without Speedy Noil, and a handful of other players had to leave the game against Rice. With the meat of the SEC schedule on deck, the team needs to protect its horses.
  • Put the game away early. It would be nice to accomplish more in this game than moving to 4-0, but the longer it takes to cement the final result, the less time coach Kevin Sumlin will have for development and trying out plays, or whatever else A&M can do to be productive.

Glaring weakness to watch: Linebackers — The team’s front seven in general did a poor job of getting push against the Rice offensive line and letting passing targets roam free in the flat. Granted, there were a few injury issues, but since it’s a recurring issue dating back to last season, it’s worth monitoring.

Most interesting part of the game: Will Kyle Allen and some of the other four- and five-star true freshman get a longer run in the second half?

Team buzz: The Aggies vaulted into the Associated Press Top 10 on the strength of an upset win at South Carolina on college football’s opening night, and the team will stay there as one of the hottest, buzz-fueled programs in the country until it loses a few games.

SOUTHERN METHODIST MUSTANGS

Players To Watch:

  • RB Kevin Pope
  • LB Stephon Sanders
  • WR Darius Joseph
  • LB Beau Barnes
  • QB Kolney Cassel
  • WR Der’Rikk Thompson

Keys For SMU:

  • Find a way to get first downs. It’s a modest goal, but as many as Texas A&M allowed against Rice, it should be doable. Even if the team doesn’t put up a lot of points, it would help the team’s confidence to wrack up 250-plus yards of offense.
  • Protect the quarterback. SMU may want to think about max protection in this one, with Myles Garrett bearing down on the QBs. Neal Burcham already got wiped out earlier this season, and the team is on pace to give up 72 sacks this season.
  • Don’t watch the scoreboard. It’s not a good situation for the Mustangs this season, and this game won’t leave the team feeling warm and fuzzy. But SMU can’t evaluate its performance based on the score. This team, much like Vanderbilt, needs to take baby steps in the right direction, especially on offense. If it can, it should embrace that as a positive outcome.