Five matchups that will determine the Hurricanes’ playoff game against Texas A&M

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The Hurricanes’ first College Football Playoff game is approaching.

As the No. 10 seed, UM is headed on the road to College Station, Texas, to play No. 7 Texas A&M. The Aggies went 11-1 this season, winning their first 11 games before falling to Texas in their regular-season finale.

Miami and Texas A&M match up fairly evenly, and the game is expected to be a close one, which is reflected in the 3.5-point betting line that favors TAMU.

Here are five key matchups that will determine who wins Saturday’s game:

Miami’s defensive line vs. Texas A&M’s offensive line

Both of these teams are excellent in the trenches, so naturally, both line battles will play major roles in deciding the game.

Aggies offensive tackle Trey Zuhn III was the nation’s No. 1 pass-blocker, according to Pro Football Focus. He has allowed just one sack and eight total pressures this year. The team as a whole allowed 12 sacks, which is tied for 11th in the nation.

However, the Hurricanes’ pass rush is the best the Aggies have faced all year. Miami has a 91.8 pass-rush grade from PFF, trailing only fellow playoff team Texas Tech. Miami is tied for 18th in the nation with 34 sacks. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor are two of the top five defensive ends in the nation, according to PFF’s defensive grade (among defensive ends with 100 or more snaps). Defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. is 17th among all defensive tackles with 100 or more snaps.

When it comes to running the ball, Texas A&M ranks 61st with a 62 run-blocking grade. UM has the No. 14 run-defense grade with a 92.8 grade and is seventh nationally in rushing yards allowed per game.

Miami’s offensive line vs. Texas A&M’s defensive line

Like the Hurricanes, the Aggies have an elite pass rush. Texas A&M is tied for first in the nation with 41 sacks. All-American defensive end Cashius Howell has 11.5 sacks. His 90.5 pass-rushing grade from PFF was 16th nationally and second in the SEC among defenders with 200 or more snaps,

Miami will need to protect quarterback Carson Beck in order to keep its offense moving. Fortunately for the Hurricanes, their offensive line is tied for seventh in the nation with just 11 sacks allowed, and PFF gives Miami the No. 4 pass-blocking grade in the nation. Miami’s offensive line was rated the fourth-most efficient unit in the nation by PFF and allowed 47 quarterback pressures, which was fourth-best nationally.

Miami has also blocked well in the running game, ranking 10th nationally in run-blocking, according to PFF. Texas A&M has the No. 25 run defense by PFF grade and is 38th in rushing yards allowed per game.

Miami’s offensive line vs. the referees

The Hurricanes need to make sure they play a clean game on Saturday. The offensive linemen have been the culprit many times when it comes to penalties.

Miami ranks 125th nationally with 7.6 penalties per game. Five of the Hurricanes’ six main offensive linemen — Markel Bell, Anez Cooper, Matthew McCoy, Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola — have been called for six penalties each. Center James Brockermeyer is right behind them with five penalties.

The Hurricanes’ season-ending win over Pittsburgh was their cleanest win to date, tying for a season-low five penalties (three of which were on offensive linemen) and getting docked only 28 yards. They need to keep that going on Saturday.

Carson Beck vs. the Texas A&M secondary

Beck has been one of the nation’s top quarterbacks over the last four weeks. Since UM’s loss to SMU, Beck has completed 79.5 of his passes for 1,125 yards and 11 touchdowns with only one interception.

Miami needs that Beck to show up on Saturday, not the one who threw four interceptions against Louisville earlier in the season.

The Aggies have been solid defending the pass this year, ranking 21st nationally with 182.8 passing yards allowed per game. But Texas A&M has not faced a passing attack as good as Miami’s, which ranks 19th in the nation with 275.8 yards per game. Not many TAMU defensive backs rank highly in coverage grade; safety Marcus Ratcliffe has the best PFF coverage grade among Aggies defensive backs with 200 or more coverage snaps, and he ranks 66th nationally and sixth in the SEC. The next-best Texas A&M defensive backs are cornerbacks Dezz Ricks and Will Lee III, whose 66.4 and 66.3 coverage grades rank 54th and 55th in the SEC, respectively.

The Aggies also struggle to force turnovers, recording only three interceptions all season. If Beck protects the ball from them and has time to throw, he could have a big game.

Miami’s cornerbacks vs. Mario Craver and KC Concepcion

The Aggies have two dynamic wide receivers who are among the SEC’s best: KC Concepcion and Mario Craver. They ranked second and third in receiving grade among SEC receivers with 50 or more targets, respectively.

Concepcion is fourth in the SEC with 886 receiving yards and tied for first with nine touchdown catches. Craver is right behind him with 825 receiving yards, though he has four touchdown catches.

Miami may get a boost to its cornerback room as OJ Frederique Jr. is expected to return from an injury, and slot cornerback Keionte Scott may as well. But whoever is covering Texas A&M’s top receiving threats will need to be on top of their game.

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