Texas A&M @ Iowa State preview

Aggies face ISU in Ames on Saturday

This may be the Aggies best shot at a victory for the remainder of the year. Texas A&M will meet the Iowa State Cyclones Saturday in Ames, Iowa.

The Cyclones (2-5, 0-3 Big 12) are coming off a five-game losing skid.

This week could not have come any sooner, too. The Aggies (2-5, 0-3 Big 12) are black and blue and hurting all over after dropping three straight conference games. That was against the soft part of the Aggies’ schedule, too.

From the quarterback (Jerrod Johnson) to the tailback (Michael Goodson) the Aggies are banged up, head coach Mike Sherman told a news conference this week.

Also on the injured list is most of the offensive line, Sherman said.

For sure, Sherman needs to solve a mystery. His offense seems to disappear in the second half. Against Tech, the Aggies gained more than 245 yards of total O. In the second half, they gained only 32 yards.

This season Sherman’s offenses have scored only 27 points in the third quarter. The opponents have scored 46 points. Second half points total only 68 points; the opponents have scored 102 points. Solving that riddle may be the key to how Sherman’s Aggies fare the rest of the season.

Some sports analysts point out that Sherman’s teams in Green Bay had the same problem. Could he have a chronic problem in planning strategy in the half-time locker room? The record tends to bear that out.

Meanwhile, Sherman has some big deficiencies to overcome. One scouting service, Covers.com, gave the edge to Iowa State in points per game, time of possession, and fumbles. The Aggies have the edge in yards gained, penalties, and punting.

> Check out the great Big 12 sports gear online and buy Texas A&M football apparel & merchandise or Texas A&M football tickets through Big 12 Fans!

Aggie punter Justin Brantly is one of the premier punters in the NCAA with a 45.48 yard per punt average. However, Sherman’s punt coverage teams have given up so much return yardage that the Aggies stand near the bottom (80 th in the NCAA and 9 th in the Big 12). They have given up 1,319 yards on punt returns.

One bright spot is the place kicking of Randy Bullock. He hit 3 for 3 against Tech and was 1 for 1 against Kansas State a week earlier.

Sherman was asked in a news conference this week if he knew that Bullock had a strong leg.

"In competition with Richie (Bean)--every week they compete--he never beat Richie out on the field goals, until he made one more than Richie did right before Richie got hurt,” Sherman revealed in his news conference.

If Sherman can come up with more surprises in his roster, the Aggies may win this game. They play in Ames at 6 p.m. CDT.

By Jay Goode
Big 12 Fans Texas A&M Correspondent

More Texas A&M articles from Goode:

Find more Big 12 football articles online through Big12-fans.com!