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Kirk Herbstreit names the most important thing that will decide the Texas A&M-Ole Miss game
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There’s a big one in Oxford Saturday evening. No. 11 Texas A&M visits No. 15 Ole Miss in a matchup featuring top 25 vs. top 25. The Aggies (7-2, 4-2 SEC) are looking to stay within range of the SEC title game, should Alabama stumble again.
And the Rebels (7-2, 3-2 SEC) are looking to play spoiler.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit touched on the game Saturday morning during a SportsCenter appearance.
“I think the most important thing is going to be Matt Corral’s play-making ability as a thrower and especially a runner,” Herbstreit said. “He’s been gimpy the last few weeks with an ankle. (But) it looks like the best he’s been in weeks coming into this game. And A&M is just a notch below Georgia with their defense and how physical they are at the line of scrimmage. So, if you’re (offensive coordinator) Jeff Lebby and (head coach) Lane Kiffin, you gotta go tempo and be able to crank it up and go as fast as you can, because you know that’s going to be an equalizer.”
Since allowing 38 points to the Crimson Tide in their Oct. 9 upset, A&M has allowed 31 points total over the last 3 weeks. Auburn mustered just 3 points in last week’s Aggie win over the Tigers. The Aggie defense has forced 7 turnovers in its last 3 games and hasn’t allowed 100 yards rushing in any of the contests.
“Then, you gotta hope that your defense is physical,” Herbstreit continued. “That’s one area of concern (the Ole Miss run defense). Now, here comes Isaiah Spiller, who’s one of the more physical backs. I think this A&M offense after the Alabama game has been a different team. They’re playing with a tremendous amount of confidence. Anytime you beat Alabama, you take the field expecting to win every game that you play. So, it’s about tempo on offense if you’re Ole Miss, and it’s about (co-defensive coordinator) DJ Durkin’s defense being as physical as they’ve been all year.”
Spiller has 3 straight games over 100 yards rushing since a 46-yard performance against the Tide. He’s averaging 6.5 yards a carry during the stretch.
The Aggies and Rebels kick off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
