A&M — Bryce Foster, No. 61
With limited time in the pocket on Sept. 10, sophomore quarterback Haynes King struggled to find time for plays to develop. Now, an important piece to the maroon and white wall has been activated back into the lineup in sophomore center Bryce Foster.
When asked on Sept. 12 how valuable Foster’s return to the offensive line was, junior guard Layden Robinson said when anyone comes back from recovery, it helps because more support makes your team better in general.
“[Foster] is always going to be ready,” Robinson said. “He was always there with us. Even when he wasn’t playing, he was making sure that he kept himself up to part with the defense we’re going against, what our scheme is and he’s always talking to our coach, just communicating.”
Once Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher announces his official start, if they decide to play him, expect an immediate change in the game and freshman center Matthew Mykoff to be moved back to second string.
Miami — Henry Parrish Jr., No. 21
In the Week 2 matchup against the Mountaineers, the Fightin’ Farmers allowed 181 rushing yards on an unprecedented 52 carries to three different running backs, a receiver and a quarterback. This week, the Aggies won’t have to worry about as many rushers but do have to switch their focus to one player who is possibly more lethal than all those players combined.
Sophomore running back Henry Parrish Jr. has carried the ball 37 times the past two weeks and accumulated 217 yards and four touchdowns. In both of Miami’s victories, the Florida native had over 100 rushing yards, so expect Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis to continue to feed him the ball.
A&M — Jaylon Jones, No. 17
According to Fisher, junior cornerback Jaylon Jones is being evaluated this week in hopes of his return to the Aggie defense as soon as Saturday’s matchup against No. 13 Miami.
What does this mean for the secondary?
Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin will be getting an experienced corner specialist back into the rotation to help the current starters in senior Brian George, sophomore Tyreek Chappell and freshmen Denver Harris and Smoke Bouie.
Miami will be bringing in an experienced wide receiver core and a quarterback who can hit these wideouts at any point of the field. If Jones is activated, this will relieve some of the stress.
Miami — Tyler Van Dyke, No. 9
If I had a dollar for every time I heard this sophomore quarterback’s name, I could pay someone to write this for me. After being named the starter midway through the 2021 season, sophomore quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has turned the Miami offense around.
In Miami’s Week 1 and 2 matchups, Van Dyke has completed 73.9% of his passes, threw for 448 yards and has a 172.9 passer rating. His favorite target is sophomore receiver Xavier Restrepo who has 11 receptions for 172 yards and a touchdown through two weeks, and when these two get going, it’s hard to stop.
If the Aggies don’t apply continuous pressure in the Hurricane backfield, Van Dyke will pick apart the maroon and white, and the game will be over before it starts.
A&M — Donovan Green, No. 18
In the upset loss to Appalachian State, the 12th Man witnessed a glimpse of how valuable this Dickinson native could be to the Aggies’ offense.
With the first completion of the game, King hit freshman tight end Donovan Green on a drag route that resulted in 12 yards and a first down. This was the last time the freshman was targeted; however, this was one of the most impressive and valuable plays of the game.
Fisher said everything with the offensive system will be reevaluated this week, and if this is the case, let’s hope they reevaluate who to feed the ball to come game time on Saturday and that Green is at the top of the list.
Miami — Corey Flagg Jr., No. 11
With the hype surrounding the Miami offense, people tend to overlook the experienced 11 on the opposite side of the ball. This includes the suffocating sophomore linebacker who lives in the opponent’s backfield.
The Houston native will be making his return to the Lone Star State with a plan to cause chaos in the Aggies’ backfield. Corey Flagg Jr. leads Miami in both tackles and tackles for loss with 10 and 3.5.
Everyone on the Aggies’ offensive side of the ball needs to beware of No. 11 come Sept. 17.
A&M — Tunmise Adeleye, No. 30
If there was one positive after last week’s matchup, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye would be it.
With the lack of blitz packages called by Durkin, senior quarterback Chase Brice saw hardly any pressure. In fact, out of four quarterback hurries in the game, three of them were from Tunmise.
The Katy native was one of the few players who caused mayhem in the backfield and ended the game with five tackles, four of them being solo. Expect Adeleye to bring this same energy to A&M’s Week 3 matchup.