The Aggies have already played 2 teams ranked No. 1 in the nation and another ranked No. 8, so they’ll know what to expect Saturday when they travel to Athens to take on No. 4 Georgia.

But to come away with their 1st victory against some of the nation’s best, the 7-3 Aggies, ranked No. 24 in the latest AP poll, these 5 things must happen.

1. Georgia letdown

Can Georgia coach Kirby Smart get his team up emotionally for another big SEC game? Just last week, the Bulldogs punched their ticket to the SEC Championship Game and Smart must prevent his team from looking ahead to a potential matchup with No. 1 LSU and the chance to make the College Football Playoff.

Smart understands the potential pitfall.

“This is a big one, because they have a really good football team, and our guys are coming off an emotional victory where we have to go get prepared for the grind of the SEC, which is another good football team,” Smart said.

And that starts in the trenches where Georgia’s massive offensive line will have to bring it once again in order to keep the Aggies’ smothering defensive front off of Bulldogs running back D’Andre Swift.

2. Stop the run

Expounding on the previous point, while juniors Justin Madubuike and Jayden Peevy, along with sophomore Tyree Johnson and freshman Demarvin Leal have done an outstanding job along the defensive line, the Aggies still might need to fill the box with linebackers and safeties in order to neutralize one of the nation’s top offensive lines. That’s a matchup worth monitoring.

The Aggies held South Carolina to 45 yards rushing. Regardless, Georgia is going to try to run the football; it’s what they do. The Bulldogs are 4th in the SEC averaging 208.4 rushing yards per game.

“That’s their identity,” Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher said. “You’re never going to be able to shut them down, but you have to be able to play and you have to match their physicality and toughness. It’ll be a huge challenge for our defense.”

3. Control the football

Texas A&M senior center Colton Prater shared SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors after the Aggies rushed for a season-high 319 yards on 46 carries for a 6.9-yard average per attempt in a 30-6 thumping of a South Carolina team that owns the only victory over Georgia this season.

Prater is the focal point of an emerging offensive line that will face perhaps its toughest test to date. Georgia ranks No. 3 in the nation against the run (75.5 yards per game) and has allowed only 1 rushing touchdown this season.

Fisher will counter with packages that include 2 running backs and a tight end, and 2 tight ends with 2 backs and a fullback. It’s a ploy the Aggies used to near perfection last week against South Carolina enabling RBs Cordarrian Richardson and Isaiah Spiller to rush for 130 and 129 yards, respectively.

“It’s like the triple option of today when you have 2 backs in the backfield, because nobody knows really how to defend it anymore,” said Smart. “You can see how they’ve gotten better and better and better at running the ball every game, and it really came to fruition against South Carolina.”

Fisher also noted that it’s a package that the Aggies can use to throw off as well and keep the opposition off balance while continuing to possess the football.

“It’s still sound football,” said Fisher. “You can still throw it. People don’t realize getting in spilt backs is still as good of a formation as there is to throw the football. When your backs can catch it and you’ve got a tight end who’s versatile, that’s as good a formation as there is. You can do all kinds of stuff out of that.”

Both teams have been proficient in winning the all-important time of possession battle. The team that controls the football on Saturday will likely be the winning one.

4. Pick off Fromm

It is imperative that the Aggies pick off Georgia QB Jake Fromm.

It won’t be easy. Fromm has thrown 3 interceptions this season — all against South Carolina, and that is the Bulldogs’ only loss. He threw just 6 last year — but 3 came in 2 losses.

If the Aggies can play to their strength and slow the Bulldogs’ run game, Fromm could be forced to put the team on his shoulders. He failed to complete 50 percent of his passes over his past 2 games at a time when the Aggies haven’t allowed the opposing QB to complete more than 46 percent of his passes over the past 4 games and did not give up a TD pass in 3 of those.

Making the Bulldogs one-dimensional and then taking advantage of that with turnovers will be key for the Aggies to come away with a victory.

5. Flip the field

Field position will be huge Saturday and that’s where the Aggies must take advantage with All-American, Ray Guy Award winning punter Braden Mann, as well as with punt and kick returner Ainias Smith.

Mann is 3rd in the nation, averaging 48.2 yards per punt. He has booted 22 punts of 50 yards or better and has also had 18 punts downed inside the opponents’ 20.

Smith also can help flip the field. He is 4th in the SEC in punt return average (13 yards) and 5th in kickoff returns (20 yards). Springing Smith against a somewhat mediocre Georgia special teams defense (8th in SEC in punt coverage, 6th in kickoff coverage) will be another big key Saturday.