Mississippi State is on the road again Saturday as the Bulldogs (4-5, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) travel to Kyle Field to battle Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3) for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2.

The Aggies’ three conference losses have all come against ranked teams — Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss — and all were by one score. Their three SEC wins, over Auburn, Arkansas and South Carolina, were each by double digits. To learn more about this Texas A&M team, The Commercial Dispatch chatted with Travis Brown, who covers the Aggies for The Bryan-College Station Eagle.

 

Editor’s note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

 

The Commercial Dispatch: Seems like it’s been a strange year for Texas A&M, with an immensely talented roster and results that haven’t always backed that up. What are the main things you’ve learned about this team now that we’re three-quarters of the way through the season?

Travis Brown: Offensive line play has been the stick in this Texas A&M team’s craw throughout the season. Aggie quarterbacks have taken the most hits of any program this season, with 33, and have allowed the 10th-most pressures with 109, all according to Pro Football Focus. For as talented as Texas A&M’s skill players are, the Aggies have been without their top quarterback due to injury and backup Max Johnson has had little time to work through his progressions to feed his talented receiving corps.

Defensively, the front seven have been even better than advertised, with the Aggies ranking second in the nation in sacks and first in tackles for loss. However, the secondary has had an up-and-down season. Ultimately, Texas A&M has not been able to play enough complementary football to win close games this season.

 

The Dispatch: Max Johnson has filled in admirably for Conner Weigman. What defines his game as a quarterback?

Brown: Toughness has defined Johnson’s season this year. He’s taken hit after hit and popped back up to continue to lead Texas A&M’s offense. He is prone to stick with the first read in his progression a little too long, which can put him under a little more pressure, but has delivered plenty of completions while a defender is taking him to the ground.

 

The Dispatch: Johnson aside, what are the main challenges the Aggies’ offense will present for Mississippi State’s defense?

Brown: We will see how much momentum carries into this game from the second half of the Ole Miss loss. Texas A&M’s offensive line played its best half of football this season after halftime in Oxford. If they can continue that kind of performance, the Aggies’ offense should click very well. Texas A&M has tons of talent out wide and can string together chunk plays through the air when the offensive line gives Johnson time.

 

The Dispatch: What do you make of this Texas A&M defense, and what does it need to do to slow down the Bulldogs’ offense?

Brown: For Texas A&M’s defense, success has come mainly from putting pressure on the quarterback. The Aggies were held to one sack last week, their lowest mark of the season. If the Bulldogs can keep the pocket clean, there are yards to be gained on Texas A&M’s secondary. However, if the Aggies are able to dominate the line of scrimmage, it’s tough sledding for almost any offense.

 

The Dispatch: Texas A&M will win if…

Brown: The offensive line plays like it did in the second half of the Ole Miss game.

 

The Dispatch: Texas A&M will lose if…

Brown: Pressure on Johnson forces a few untimely turnovers and the Aggies’ secondary doesn’t show up.