Texas A&M coach Mike Elko is under pressure seven games into his third season at the helm, as the Aggies sit at a disappointing 4-3 and 1-3 in SEC play, and will head to Tuscaloosa to face No. 13 Alabama on Saturday afternoon. While A&M's offense is one of the worst in the conference, largely because starting quarterback Marcel Reed has regressed, the Aggie defense has stayed steady.
Before the season, Texas A&M's secondary was widely seen as one of the country's deepest rotations, led by senior cornerback Dezz Ricks and senior safeties Dalton Brooks and Marcus Ratcliffe, along with key transfer additions cornerback Rickey Gibson and safety Tawfiq Byard.
However, this group struggled in coverage at the start of SEC play, allowing too many blown coverages in losses to Kentucky and at LSU, but after Mike Elko handed off the defensive play-calling duties to first-year DC Lyle Hemphill, this unit has drastically improved, even during the Aggies' 27-6 road loss to Missouri.
Since the LSU loss, Dezz Ricks has been nearly perfect in coverage, and the return of Tawfiq Byard has improved the Aggies' tackling in space; communication in coverage has also improved, as the unit held Missouri QB Austin Simmons to just 147 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
Entering Week 8, Texas A&M's secondary ranks 10th in passing yards allowed, which is good for third in the conference behind Oklahoma (6th) and Tennessee (8th). Texas A&M's underwhelming pass rush will face Alabama's leaky offensive line, which allowed an average of three sacks per game, ranking 129th nationally.
If the pass rush can pressure Alabama QB Keelon Russell, Texas A&M's secondary will have a chance to force turnovers and get the defense off the field.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M's defense ranks Top 10 in key category before facing Alabama