‘Auburn-Texas A&M Really Going To Decide Potential Fates For Both These Teams’: CBS Sports’ Aaron Taylor Previews Matchups

(CBS DFW) — The assemblage shot regular play is nearing the location stretch. CBS and CBS Sports Network volition beryllium airing tons of enactment arsenic league races commencement to benignant themselves out. The SEC West is up for grabs, with #12 Auburn visiting #13 Texas A&M. Army and Air Force combat it retired successful Arlington, Texas with the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy hanging successful the balance. And Boise State visits #25 Fresno State to find who volition instrumentality location the coveted Milk Can. CBS’s Norm Elrod talked to CBS Sports’ Aaron Taylor astir the matchups.

#12 Auburn @ #13 Texas A&M, Saturday, November 6, 3:30 p.m. ET connected CBS

READ MORE: SportsLine Week 9 AFC North Picks: Steelers Offense 'Very, Very Limited, Says Larry Hartstein

Both Auburn and Texas A&M are 6-2 and cervix and cervix successful the rankings. And some teams are coming disconnected of coagulated wins. Which squad has the vantage here?

“I picked Texas A&M to triumph this game, due to the fact that of their antiaircraft line, their moving game. And their backmost Zach Calzada is playing astatine a overmuch higher level of football. The happening that’s going to marque the quality successful my sentiment is Texas A&M’s quality to halt the run. Bo Nix has played masterfully for the Auburn Tigers. You cognize what they person with the Big Tank determination successful the backfield and what they’re doing there. But cipher has been capable to consistently tally the shot connected Texas A&M. Four of their past six opponents failed to ace 100 yards. So they are a squad that doesn’t fto you get much.

And I deliberation that’s going to enactment immoderate unit connected Bo Nix the quarterback, who’s been playing astatine a lights-out level. He’s astir benignant of similar a watered-down Johnny Manziel, the celebrated backmost that won the Heisman for Texas A&M. But I don’t cognize if he’s acceptable yet to triumph this crippled with his arm. Another cardinal origin is the information that Auburn is facing Texas A&M, which is their 4th ranked hostile successful a row. That is simply a murderer’s row, and it takes a tremendous magnitude of physicality and tests your depth.

Texas A&M, they’re coming disconnected a bye week. So they’re going to beryllium fresh, which besides gives them immoderate schematic advantages, due to the fact that they tin propulsion successful immoderate caller strategical wrinkles there. You instrumentality each that into effect, and I deliberation this is going to beryllium a immense triumph for Jimbo Fisher’s squad that desperately needs it. They’ve already proved that, successful beating Alabama, they’ve go a subordinate successful the West.”

Both Auburn and Texas A&M person 3 of their 4 remaining games successful the SEC West. How bash you spot the play playing retired for each?

“It’s truly interesting. This crippled this play betwixt Auburn and Texas A&M is truly going to determine the imaginable fates for some of these teams. It’s simple. The Auburn Tigers triumph this weekend, they person a accidental to play their mode into the SEC Championship crippled by facing Alabama astatine the extremity of the season.

Texas A&M, connected the different hand, they’re a squad that has 2 losses successful conference, and that puts them astatine a small spot of a disadvantage. If they find a mode to triumph this play though, it keeps the doorway open. We cognize brainsick things hap down the stretch. The Aggies wouldn’t surely clasp and power their ain destiny, but it gives them a changeable to enactment live down the stretch, which astatine this constituent of the play is each you tin inquire for. But the pressure, successful my opinion, is truly connected Auburn. If Auburn tin find a mode to triumph this shot game, past they perfectly power their ain destiny for not lone the SEC Championship, perchance a nationalist 1 arsenic well.”

Army vs. Air Force, Saturday, November 6, 11:30 a.m. ET connected CBS

Both Army and Air Force usage the triple-option offense. So some teams tally the shot a batch and seldom propulsion it. What makes this benignant of discourtesy unsocial and effective?

READ MORE: NWSL Playoffs Start Sunday; Carli Lloyd Possibly Playing In Last Match

“Both Army and Air Force tally a mentation of the triple enactment which gives them an advantage, due to the fact that it forces the defenses to beryllium skilled and marque bully decisions with their eyes. Teams simply can’t bash that. Now what’s absorbing astir a matchup similar this is that some of these defenses spot this discourtesy each play long. So determination are nary gimmies, determination are nary gotchas, determination are nary surprises. It simply comes down to fundamentals.

These 2 offenses pb the federation successful unreserved yards per game. Army is simply a overmuch much accepted triple-option team. Air Force runs a batch of triple-option but they’ve besides got velocity option. They tally trap, they tally power, they tally flip sweep, they tally immoderate accepted tally schemes arsenic well. These defenses, Air Force’s apical 10 successful the state and Army’s is close determination arsenic well.

This is going to travel down to who tin destruct the atrocious play. It’s not astir making a large play. It’s astir eliminating the catastrophe. Air Force wasn’t capable to bash that successful their past outing a mates of weeks agone against San Diego State. It outgo them the shot game. Army we’ve seen conflict astatine times, got into that large shootout with Wake Forest, but a mates cardinal costly mistakes outgo them that game. You don’t person to marque a large play erstwhile the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy is connected the line. You person to simply execute and destruct the atrocious one. The squad that does that the champion volition spell down arsenic the victor of this ballgame obviously, but much importantly person a accidental to triumph each oregon portion of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, which with these players that are going to beryllium connected the tract connected Saturday is each that matters.”

What are the differences betwixt these 2 offenses, and are their respective defenses amended prepared to halt it?

“One of the absorbing storylines going into this crippled is that some of these offenses pb the federation successful rushing. But they some person backmost issues. They’ve been rotating, connected the Army broadside 3 antithetic quarterbacks played successful the Wake Forest game. They each person a antithetic accomplishment acceptable that they bring to the table… Keeping an oculus connected who’s going to beryllium nether halfway is going to beryllium a truly cardinal storyline successful this game.

Army is simply a accepted triple-option team. Three options, you person the fullback dive, you person the backmost keep, and you person a pitch. They bash tally immoderate toss-sweep stuff, but it’s arsenic accepted of a triple enactment arsenic you tin run. So the linebackers, the safeties, the cornerbacks each person to beryllium capable to tackle good successful space. Air Force, connected the different hand, we’ve mentioned is simply a small spot before, runs immoderate powerfulness and immoderate spread strategy and immoderate trap and immoderate counters, immoderate accepted things that you would spot successful immoderate discourtesy that isn’t option-based.

So the defence I deliberation that is suited champion to grip this is going to beryllium Air Force’s. And the crushed wherefore is due to the fact that erstwhile they played Navy earlier this year, they held them to nether 70 yards of full offense. And Navy is simply a triple-option squad has had a agelong past of beating the federation successful rushing themselves. This portion that the Falcons bring to the array is arsenic athletic, is arsenic agelong and arsenic large up beforehand arsenic I’ve ever seen. I deliberation due to the fact that of that, they’ve surely got an vantage connected that broadside of the football.”

Boise State @ #25 Fresno State, Saturday, November 6, 7:00 p.m. ET connected CBS Sports Network

These 2 Mountain West teams person played each different adjacent successful their past fewer outings. And the Milk Can is connected the line. How bash you spot this crippled going?

“I’ve been truly impressed by a mates things for each of these teams. First and foremost, Jake Haener, the backmost from Fresno State, has played astatine an astonishing level. I had an accidental to spot them earlier successful the year. I had an accidental to spot their backs and the mode Mims has stepped up, their violative enactment being physical. On the antiaircraft broadside of the ball, their antiaircraft coordinator, William Inge, has done an astonishing occupation of getting those guys to play astatine a ace precocious level. We saw what they did connected the roadworthy to UCLA. We’ve seen them triumph immoderate large ballgames. Fresno State, to me, has a accidental to beryllium the league champion, if they tin proceed to execute and not sprout themselves successful the ft similar they did retired determination against Hawaii.

MORE NEWS: '2021 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast' Begins November 3rd In Las Vegas

On the different broadside of the ball, I’ve been truly impressed with Boise State and what they’ve been capable to do. With erstwhile subordinate and present first-year caput manager Andy Avalos taking implicit the team, they started retired 3-4. But what you cannot contradict is that they’ve gotten backmost to doing 2 things: executing shot but besides having fun. I deliberation determination was a small spot of unit that was starting to physique internally successful that program. They had a bye week, they took that unit off. And I deliberation the nett effect is that they person an accidental present to beryllium backmost to .500. And I deliberation they’re going to usage that momentum to decorativeness the twelvemonth highly strong.”