ANALYSIS: Miami Hurricanes face first real test in Texas A&M

After falling to Texas A&M 17-9 on the road last season, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and his Hurricanes will have their shot at avenging that loss tomorrow at 3:30 PM as the Aggies roll into Hard Rock Stadium for the week 2 matchup.

Coming off of a 52-10 season opener victory over New Mexico, Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher and his No. 23-ranked team in the country are looking to hand Miami its first loss of the season, after knocking off Miami (Ohio) 38-3 last Friday night.

Leading the way for the Aggies offensively is sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, who hit on 18 of 23 passes for 236 yards and five touchdowns against the Lobos. While Weigman showed his arm talent against New Mexico last week, he also displayed his capability to escape the pocket when needed, which will be something the Hurricanes defense must try to keep to a minimum.

Out wide, the Hurricanes’ secondary will be tested by the wide receiver quartet of Evan Stewart, Noah Thomas, Moose Muhammad, and Ainias Smith. In the Aggies season opener, Stewart, who is coming off of a solid freshman campaign where he hauled in 649 yards and two touchdowns, led the receiver core with 115 yards and two touchdowns against New Mexico, while Thomas hauled in 74 yards and three touchdowns. 

In the backfield, the Aggies used somewhat of a running back-by-committee approach in their season opener, which saw the likes of Miami native Amari Daniels (7 carries, 51 yards), Le’Veon Moss (6 carries, 26 yards), and true freshman Rueben Owens (7 carries, 25 yards) split carries throughout the matchup. 

Under second-year defensive coordinator DJ Durkin in 2022, the Aggies defense struggled mightily against the run, allowing 208.8 rushing yards per game (124th nationally). On the ground last season, the Hurricane rushed for 175 yards but could not find their way into the Aggies end zone, which proved to be costly. They will hope for a different result this time around, but it won’t be an easy task against a strong Aggies defensive line unit that is looking to turn the page in 2023. 

Against the Lobos, Durkin’s unit showed some progress, allowing just 91 yards on the ground, but against a revamped Miami offensive line and a running back room that rushed for 250 yards and three touchdowns against the RedHawks last week, the Aggies will have their real first test against what looks to be a potent ground attack. 

Through the air, Texas A&M’s defense was the best in the nation, allowing 156.2 passing yards per game, but it only returns one starter (Demani Richardson) from that secondary unit that was so dominant. In their first game as a defensive back group, Texas A&M allowed 131 yards while nabbing one interception thanks to Boston College cornerback transfer Josh DeBerry, who also led the team with 10 tackles. 

During last year’s matchup, Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw for 217 yards on 21 of 41 passes with zero touchdowns. This time around, the Hurricanes will hope for a stronger showing from Van Dyke as they look to pick up their first top-25 win at Miami under Cristobal.

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