Kyle Field too much for Huskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are playing for the right to represent the North Division in the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday. The Big Red takes on Texas A&M. The game is set for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at College Station, Texas and will be broadcast by ABC (Columbus Cable channels 7 and 8).

The Aggies are a fine team, coming off a 17-16 home loss against Oklahoma last week.

Dennis Franchione has the Aggies ready for the game with an 8-2 record. A&M is a football team that looks much like Nebraska. The Aggies like to run the football and will want to play ball control against the Blackshirts.

The leader of the offense is quarterback Stephen McGee (6-foot-3, 208 pounds, sophomore). McGee is not a flashy passer or an outstanding runner, but the team rallies around him. Plainly put, he is a winner, much in the mold of Zac Taylor.

On the season, McGee is 152 of 243 (62.6 percent) with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. The Aggies pass for 194 yards per game. McGee has run for 482 yards (48.2 ypg) with two touchdowns.

Texas A&M also has two very solid running backs. One is a speed back, and the other is outstanding in short-yardage situations.

The speed threat is Mike Goodson (6-0, 192, Fr.). He was one of the top recruits in the nation a year ago. Goodson averages 62 yards rushing per game and has two scores. He picks up seven yards a carry.

The power in the one-two threat is Jorvorskie Lane (6-0, 274, So.). Lane is actually closer to 300 pounds. He is one of the national leaders with 18 rushing touchdowns this season. Lane has 616 yards rushing on the year.

As a team, the Aggies run for 213 yards per contest.

The receivers are not the strength of the A&M football team. No receiver on the squad has more than three touchdown catches through 10 games. The leading receiver is Chad Schroeder (6-1, 186, Sr.) with 34 catches for 509 yards and three touchdowns. The other main target in the passing game is tight end Martellus Bennett (6-7, 248, So.). His size makes him an inviting target. He has 30 receptions for 420 yards and three scores.

No other receiver has more than 16 catches this season. That may bode well for the Nebraska defense.

The offensive line wants to dominate at the point of attack. Each side of the offensive line is similar. One side has a pair of 298 pounders. On the other side the Aggies weigh 315 and 317 pounds respectively. From tackle to tackle, A&M averages 6-5 and 304 pounds per man.

The leader is guard Grant Dickey (6-5, 315, Sr.). The Aggies have only given up 13 sacks through 10 games this season. Much of that credit goes to the running ability of McGee, who keeps defenses honest.

The defense of the Aggies is very solid and surrenders 128 yards per game on the ground and 181 yards per contest through the air. Those totals would be even more impressive if not for the Oklahoma Sooners gaining good yardage on the ground last week against the Aggies. Oklahoma picked up 244 rushing yards at A&M last Saturday night.

The defensive leader for the Aggies is linebacker Justin Warren (6-3, 242, Sr.). He paces A&M with 71 total tackles.

The secondary is very young, but they have not given up many yards passing per game in 2006. Strong safety Melvin Bullitt (6-1, 201, Sr.) is second on the team with 59 tackles. The rest of the secondary is composed of freshmen and sophomores.

The Nebraska passing game may be able to take advantage of that youth, but the Aggies have been solid, only allowing 11 touchdown passes during the season.

Up front, the star for A&M is defensive end Chris Harrington (6-5, 267, Jr.). He has 48 tackles and leads the squad with 6.5 tackles on the year.

The Aggies are always very sound in the kicking game. Kicker Layne Neumann (6-0, 174, Sr.) is 10 of 12 on field goals and has missed only one extra point this season. A&M has a long field goal of 39 yards this season. Punter Justin Brantly (6-4, 228, So.) averages 45.7 yards per punt as a very talented punter. Kerry Franks (5-11, 196, Jr.) is a dangerous kick returner with a touchdown and a 31 yard average per kickoff return.

This will be a very tough game for Nebraska. Kyle Field is one of the toughest places in the nation to play. That being said, A&M has already lost two home games in 2006.

The Huskers must play error-free football to have an opportunity to win. I believe that the depth in the Nebraska running game may make the difference. With a solid effort both running and passing Nebraska can win.

A&M is fundamentally sound, and I think the home field advantage makes them the choice. Look for the Aggies to prevail 20-14.

Jim Dolezal is a local Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers' opposition from a hometown perspective every Thursday throughout the season.