Texas A&M draws Miami in the first round of the CFP, and Mike Elko's defense aims to confuse Carson Beck and choke out the Hurricanes' passing game.
Texas A&M football finally has its matchup, and it's a good one.
As the No. 7 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff, the Aggies will host the Miami Hurricanes at Kyle Field in a first-round showdown dripping with storylines, quarterback swagger and defensive edge.
Miami rolls into College Station with a 10-2 record and one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country.
Carson Beck is in his fifth year of college football, but his first at Miami after four seasons under Kirby Smart at Georgia. The production has followed him south as he's thrown for just shy of 11,000 yards in his career and has piloted an offense that has already taken down four ranked opponents this season.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko isn't fooled by the change of scenery.
"I think he's an extremely talented quarterback," Elko said of Beck. "Obviously, he does a really really good job at delivering the football; they've got a really good passing attack."
That passing attack leans heavily on true freshman sensation Malachi Toney, who leads the Hurricanes with 940 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Toney has already logged four 100-yard games this season, going off against Florida State, Louisville, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Even in Miami’s overtime loss to SMU, he still found ways to impact the game, finishing with 70 yards.
Elko knows the Aggies can't let Beck and Toney find an early rhythm. For A&M, the key isn't just pressure, it's confusion.
"In order to slow them down, we've got to create a little bit of indecision for him in the pocket," Elko said. "They’re very talented at wide receiver. Trying to figure out a way to get that out of rhythm will be critical… at least try to muddy the waters a little bit as best we can."
There is “we’re gonna win it all!’’ confidence in the Aggies locker room. And ...
Fortunately for the Aggies, this defense has been doing exactly that all year. A&M leads the country in third-down defense, allowing just 35 conversions all season. If the Aggies can force Miami into third-and-long and make Beck hold the ball an extra beat, Kyle Field may start to feel a lot less like a showcase and a lot more like a trap for the Hurricanes' high-flying offense.