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Aggies' defense braces for aerial-minded Red Raiders

By RICHARD CROOME
Eagle Columnist

I'm thinking of a number between a bunch and a lot. And it's definitely not my credit score, which I wish could match this number.

It's yards passing by Texas Tech this weekend in Lubbock.

The number is going to be high no matter what the Aggies do. It's one of those givens every Saturday, like Texas coach Mack Brown leaning over and clapping every time the cameras show him along the sidelines.

The Aggies can blitz three or drop nine back into coverage or mix it up however they like. They can have their best game in years defensively, and it won't matter.

The Red Raider attack has averaged triple-digit yardage a quarter so far this season, and it will again Saturday.

Tech coach Mike Leach probably believes his Red Raiders are due a big game, since their 460 yards passing last week against Iowa State was a season low.

The Aggies are well aware they will have their heads on a swivel, going cross-eyed from watching receivers intersect in front of them as any number of future NFL pass-catchers look to pad their stats.

"My freshman year, they told us don't bring your football cleats, bring your track cleats," said A&M safety Devin Gregg, who will be chasing down Tech receivers for the third time in his career. "You are going to have to run with those guys. We're prepared for it, and we know we are going to need some fresh legs this week."

Fresh legs and short memories. The Aggie secondary will have to take on a closer's mentality and forget the previous play, because more often than not, it will be something A&M doesn't want to remember. When a team averages 8.9 yards a pass attempt, the defense is going to be picking itself up quite a bit.

Tech's offense operates like a volleyball team in sync. The setter has so many options that no matter how many blockers are along the net, it never seems to be enough. It usually takes a back-row player to limit the damage.

That's where Gregg and company come in, keeping the Red Raiders from making big plays, so A&M's defense can extend drives in hopes that Tech will make an unforced error - or A&M can force one.

"[We need to] just keep playing to the last play, and keep them out of the end zone because they can have as many yards as they want if we keep them out of the end zone," Gregg said.

The problem with that strategy this year is Graham Harrell. The Tech quarterback is completing nearly 75 percent of his passes and he's only thrown three interceptions. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is twice that of any other Tech quarterback in school history, and that's a mouthful.

So this matchup could be a number-crunchers dream, especially for those on the "Guns Up" side.

The Aggies can spin it any way they want, but ranking 75th nationally (out of 119) against the pass is not a confidence builder going into pass-happy land on the South Plains. If the Aggies leave Lubbock having dropped only 10 places in that category, they should pat themselves on the back.

Fortunately for the Aggies, wins and losses aren't measured by yards. Tech's 489 yards against the Cyclones was also a season low, yet it may have been the Red Raiders most impressive victory. Tech led 42-3 before waltzing in with a 42-17 result.

In contrast, Tech's 49-45 loss at Oklahoma State came when the Red Raiders ran ... sorry ... threw roughshod over the Cowboys for 646 total yards.

A&M has numbers to fall back on as well, just not as gaudy. The Aggies are among the top 25 nationally and first or second in the Big 12 Conference in time of possession, turnover margin and rushing offense. But just as yards don't necessarily convert into points, neither do those three categories.

A&M has gotten the most out of all three, though, scoring on all but two of its 33 possessions in the red zone, including 22 touchdowns.

That's the best formula of all when trading points in a shootout, and that is A&M's best hope in the unfriendly confines of Jones AT&T Stadium.