Texas A&M football fans should have no doubt about the influence football head coach R.C. Slocum has on his team. Slocum put the hammer down on the Aggie defense before the Oklahoma State game, and the defense responded.
The rejuvenated Aggie defense flew across the field and made sure the poor soul chosen to carry the ball for OSU was met with a substantial amount of force before they hit the ground.
With the 0-2 University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish coming onto Kyle Field on Saturday desperately needing a win, the Aggie offense must find the firecracker that set off the defense against OSU.
Sixty-four yards. That is how many rushing yards the Oklahoma State offense had Saturday. Not many teams with production like that will win a game without a gun-slinging quarterback with a 450-yard passing day.
There was no way OSU quarterback Aso Pogi could have that kind of day when the Wrecking Crew racked up six sacks and continually planted Pogi on his back just after he got rid of the ball.
The Aggie defense allowed the OSU offense to convert only two of 16 third-down conversion attempts, and could easily have posted a shutout if the Cowboys had not been the benefactor of a short field after they intercepted a tipped pass and returned it to the A&M 10-yard line.
With the defense understanding what it takes to play hard, there should be no problems handling the Irish when they come to Kyle Field for the first time.
Hopefully, this week, Slocum will talk to the offensive unit the same way he talked to the defense last week.
Junior quarterback Mark Farris mustered only 92 yards Saturday, a far cry from the 34-yard mark he put up against Wyoming on Sept. 6. Granted, Oklahoma State may be a better team, but Farris and the offense need to find their problems, or let Slocum point them out before Notre Dame comes to town.
Redshirt freshman Keith Joseph should be recovered from a nagging shoulder injury, and the Aggies have found a new, offensive light for the future in true freshman Derek Farmer, who ran the ball well against the Cowboys in his first college football game.
Farmer?s day, in which he posted 50 yards in 10 carries, was the only bright spot for the Aggie offense and was marred only by a fumble inside the OSU five-yard line.
If Slocum and his coaching crew can repeat the extraordinary tutelage they gave to the defense for the offense, then the Irish may start their season 0-3.
A win this weekend would give the Aggies all the momentum they need to make waves in the Big 12 conference while heading into a crucial road schedule.