SEC Spotlight: Gig 'em! A&M Wrecking Crew defense the real deal

Texas A&M allowed a cringe-worthy 5.9 yards per play last season, a stat that led to six of its opponents laying 34 or more points on the boys from College Station. As soon as the regular season ended, the Aggies let defensive coordinator Mark Snyder go and wasted little time luring John Chavis away from LSU.

After an offseason filled with speculation about just how quickly “The Chief” could repair a disastrous defense, the first results are in. They are, in a word, shocking.

Arizona State may consider adding A&M’s defensive line to its depth chart because the Aggies operated out of the Sun Devils' backfield all game. Myles Garrett led a furious defensive assault that tallied 14 tackles for loss, a single-game record in the Sumlin era.

Equally impressive was the fact that ASU's vaunted passing attack was held under 5 yards per attempt while mustering just 199 yards through the air. Garrett, who ended his night with 2.5 TFLs and a forced fumble, remarked that, “(Chavis) just changed the demeanor around here." He continued, “You've got to have effort, physicality, and we showed that (Saturday night)."

The defensive line trio of Garrett, Daeshon Hall, and true freshman Daylon Mack give the Aggies reason to believe Saturday night’s performance wasn’t a flash in the pan. By regularly collapsing the pocket, A&M's secondary was able to aggressively hound Sun Devil receivers, most notably containing the versatile D.J. Foster.

Todd Graham made the decision to move Foster to the slot this spring, but his star player didn’t register a single play longer than 11 yards on the night. Generally speaking, defensive coordinators have to choose between containing big plays and sending extra men in the pursuit of drive-killing sacks, but Saturday proved Chavis can have it both ways even while facing an experienced offense.

It’s hard to believe the biggest question mark on the team to this point is its quarterback play, but that’s a problem Sumlin and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital are happy to deal with now that the Aggies have Ball State and Nevada ahead of them in the next two weeks. Both coaches intimated during their Tuesday press conference that the competition is very much ongoing between the fleet-footed Kyler Murray and former top-rated pocket passer Kyle Allen.

If A&M's offense catches up to its defense, something that’s expected under offensive mastermind Sumlin, then it’s safe to say the Aggies are legitimate national title contenders.

Must-watch game of the week

No. 19 Oklahoma at No. 23 Tennessee
Saturday, Sept. 12, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Neyland Stadium will be playing host to Oklahoma in what amounts to Tennessee's most pivotal game of the Butch Jones era. After dominating the recruiting trail for the past two seasons, Jones needs to prove he can replicate that success on the field. If the Volunteers hope to secure a victory over the Sooners, they’ll need to make significant adjustments in their secondary.

The excuse for their poor play on defense in the opener was simple: fall camp decimated their back four after losing LaDarrell McNeil and Rashaan Gaulden to injury. Unfortunately, both injuries were significant, meaning they’ll have to manage without them as they welcome a red-hot Air Raid offense to Knoxville on Saturday night.

Baker Mayfield lit up Akron last week in Norman, connecting on 23-of-33 passes for 388 yards and three scores. The Volunteers faced Dino Babers' Bowling Green squad Saturday afternoon and surrendered 433 yards through the air. Babers, an Art Briles disciple, runs an Air Raid system very similar to what OU will be rolling out against the Vols.

Look for UT defensive coordinator John Jancek to blitz Mayfield, a young passer with a history of turning the ball over. Jancek will need to revamp his approach one way or another after BGSU’s Matt Johnson picked the Vols apart inside a clean pocket.

The good news for Tennessee is that, while the defense struggled, its new-look rushing attack was even better than advertised. The trio of Josh Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, and Alvin Kamara ran for 356 yards and six touchdowns.

Kyler Kerbyson, the Vols' starting left tackle, was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week on Monday. If their offensive line replicates that performance against a veteran OU front, the Vols have an excellent chance of winning this game in a shootout.

Another encouraging stat was that Dobbs and the offense didn’t turn the ball over, winning the turnover battle for the third consecutive time dating back to last season. When you pepper in the promising play of true sophomore tight end Ethan Wolf (two TDs), it’s easy to envision the offense pulling its weight in this intersectional showdown.

The Sooners sealed last year's 24-point victory over the Vols with a fourth-quarter pick-6. We’ll see if Tennessee can turn the tables in front of the “Vol Navy” in the rematch.

Under-the-radar game of the week

No. 14 LSU at No. 25 Mississippi State
Saturday, Sept. 12, 9:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Bayou Bengals invade "Stark Vegas" on Saturday night with retribution on their mind. Last season's 34-29 Bulldog upset was the springboard for MSU's historic run to the top of the polls. This year, LSU enters a slight favorite, hungry to get its 2015 off the ground after its opener against McNeese State was canceled due to lightning.

Brandon Harris remains the question mark for the Tigers. Cam Cameron's offense was toothless at times last season (77th nationally), weighed down by poor quarterback play. If Harris can efficiently distribute the ball to Malachi Dupre and Leonard Fournette, the offense could make strides out of the gate.

The potential for exponential growth is there, as Harris possesses a big arm and the requisite confidence to evolve into a dangerous passer. Harris nearly led LSU to a comeback victory against Mississippi State last year, throwing for 140 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Anthony Jennings.

The Bulldogs' quarterback situation is far less complicated. Dak Prescott is the best signal-caller in the history of the program and, if his 300-plus total yards and three total touchdowns against Southern Miss was any indication, he hasn't missed a beat. The bigger question in their backfield is who will fill Josh Robinson's shoes as the primary ball carrier. Robinson's smash-mouth style forced defenses to respect their play-action passes, simplifying things for Prescott and his receiving corps.

If LSU can shut down MSU's traditional running game, Prescott could be forced into a few mistakes.

LSU's defense, while undoubtedly talented, will have to prove it's a cohesive unit after the loss of John Chavis this offseason. An offensive game plan built around Fournette should be enough to win this game if the defense regains its edge. A hot start to silence those famed cowbells wouldn’t hurt either, as MSU is riding an eight-game home winning streak.