Week 2 Game of the Week: No. 13 Miami vs No. 24 Texas A&M
The No. 24 Aggies of Texas A&M will host the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes Saturday night.
Miami has had a dominant start to the season, led by sophomore quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, with both of its wins coming in lopsided fashion.
The Hurricanes have spent the last few seasons creating a reputation for themselves as a force to be reckoned with, and a win over the Aggies would only solidify their campaign.
With one of the youngest, yet most time-efficient teams in the NCAA, Miami is led by Van Dyke, who plays like a seasoned professional despite his young age.
Van Dyke debuted last season as a freshman after the Hurricanes lost their starting quarterback and ignited a fire under his fellow teammates, bringing Miami to a whole new level of competition.
For him and his roommate, Xavier Restrepo, they are living the classic underdog story. Once benchwarmers together, and now, in just their second season, are on track to be set new records at the U.
Despite making five connections in their season opener for 100 yards and a touchdown, Van Dyke will have to find other ways to the Aggies end zone this weekend, given that Restrepo left with a foot injury last week.
After dropping from No. 6 to No. 24 following an upset loss to unranked Appalachian State, Texas A&M needs to pull out all the stops to avoid yet another loss as SEC play looms.
While Texas A&M’s defense was to blame for this early loss, this does not mean the offense is off the hook.
Aggies quarterback Haynes King found himself struggling to maintain possession and gain momentum. For a quarterback with as many interceptions as he does touchdowns, he may find himself on the back side of a revolving door.
After his subpar performance against the Mountaineers, coach Fisher could find himself utilizing ex-LSU starting quarterback Max Johnson as a better fit against the Miami defense.
Luckily, the Aggies have a saving grace in their run game with Devon Achane. In just two games, he already has five touchdowns.
Achane had one of the only big plays in their loss, where he returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown. Once his offensive line can find him a hole, he is going, going and gone. Achane is also a sprinter for the Aggies track team, being a multi-faceted threat.
This will be a classic tale of two cities as both Top 25 teams fight to climb their way up in the rankings before heading into conference play.
Molly White is a junior majoring in kinesiology, to contact her, her email is mkw5766@psu.edu.
