Coach ,

We are back for another big game matchup and some insight that coaches shared in their clinics this past off-season. It’s fun to see clinic talk translate to performance on the field. Thank you again to Caleb Hopkins for putting this together. Let’s see what we should watch for this week.

-Coach Grabowski 

We have an SEC west shootout this weekend for this week’s featured matchup. The #7 Texas A&M Aggies (3-0) take on the #16 Arkansas Razorbacks (3-0) in Dallas. 

The Aggies look for their 10th win in a row against Arkansas, but with sophomore quarterback Zach Calzada starting in replacement of Haynes King, the Razorback defense looks to make a statement & flip the script on this age-old rivalry 

Here’s what we know about some key coaches in the matchup and the impact of their units.

#7 Texas A&M University

Head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Aggie offense look to come out swinging against the Arkansas defense. His offensive philosophy is simple: turnovers impact the game much more than we think, get to the red zone and capitalize, and create big plays to flip the field. Averaging 28 points a game this season, the offense is looking to break open the playbook and strike quickly against the Arkansas defense

When asked about his philosophy about the short time of possession drives & why he thinks it will give Texas A&M the upper hand, Coach Fisher explained, “I’m a much better coach on a 3 play drive than a 12 play drive. If we can get to the red zone in 3 plays every drive, we’ll win the game.” 

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If you have ever wondered why your team can’t capitalize in the red zone and come out of the game with a W, then look no further than Jimbo Fisher’s course: Scoring in the Red Zone  

The Aggie defense has an aggressive mentality. They want to disrupt the offense and create turnovers, have perfect tackling to limit big plays, & give all-out effort, 100% of the time. These are the defensive philosophies that Mike Elko has engrained in the Texas A&M defensive DNA. 

The Aggies out-skill the Razorbacks on both sides of the ball in recruiting, but will the underdog mentality of Arkansas be too much for the Texas A&M defense?

Developing a Championship Defense is not something new to Mike Elko. Elko has how to revolutionized the A&M defense, and so can you! Create the aggressive mentality every defensive coordinator dreams of, and create more turnovers on defense with 8 easy drills & veteran coach knowledge 

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VS

#16 University of Arkansas 

With the pride of Arkansas finally back with the program, the Razorbacks are coming into Dallas hungry for a win, with Texas A&M winning 9 straight against the Hogs. 

Their mentality?  “All we got is all we need” From their 3-0 record, the Razorbacks definitely have what they need.

The Razorbacks are averaging 41 points per game with 210 yards through the air & 282 on the ground and are +2 in turnover margin. One of their keys to success? The offseason hire of offensive line coach Cody Kennedy.

Cody Kennedy brought in downhill run concepts from Tulane, where he had the Green Wave offense crushing opponents in the ground game with 32 rushing TD (7th nationally) and 217.1 yards per game (17th). 

Coach Kennedy used the Duo play to get the Greenwave over 7 yards per carry in 2020. To him, it’s a play in which they utilize their gap scheme double teams “up” to the linebackers. They equate it to getting 600 pounds of offensive linemen on 300 pounds of a defensive lineman.

He explains it more in this clip:

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Special teams play is a third of the game, and Arkansas has a SPECTACULAR special teams coordinator in Scott Fountain.

The punt & punt return teams for Arkansas have been an area of strength in their first 3 games, allowing an average of 3.4 yards a return, while their kickoff team has an 88% touchback percentage. 

How do they do it? Scott Fountain with this easy, 3 drill rotation every day in practice to compete in special teams at the highest level

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The defensive mentality of Arkansas has been a “bend but don’t break” style of football. The leader of the defense, Bumper Pool, is an NCAA top 15 linebacker, looking to stuff the high-powered offense of Texas A&M.

Rion Rhoades, linebacker coach for the Razorbacks needs his linebackers to communicate effectively this Saturday, and know situational football against the play-action pass and trickery the Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies bring on offense

Coach Rhodes explains the keys to his linebackers’ success, & how they translate these keys to on-the-field reads.

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Tune in Saturday at 2:30 (CST) to watch this SEC West duel in Dallas!

Never. Stop. Growing. 

Coach Hopkins