It’s Thursday night, and you know what that means: Mail Call!

Q: Is Bryce Anderson still on the team?

A: So far as I know, yes.

With all of the preplanned shuffling of the OL, you think anybody popped up to maybe get a start on Saturday? (Naytch)

No, I think they’ve got the five they want starting for now. But they also think they have capable reserves who have earned playing time. I would only look at the two guard spots, and I’d stick with Ivy and Baugh.

Q: What worries you most about Arizona State?

A: The passing game. They have some really tall, physical receivers who ripped off some huge gains in their opener.

What do you think from the Missouri State game that people might be jumping to conclusion too quickly? (MC9008)

That the offensive line may not be good. I’ve been a critic, as most folks now, but there’s a lot of doom and gloom from national observers over three series. In other words, people who didn’t watch the game.

Q: How much improvement does D. Sanford bring, after seeing how well the 3 main LB’s played last year.

A: He’s your fastest, most experienced (in the system) and biggest playmaker at linebacker. The other guys played very well in the opener, but Sanford’s return will push that group to a higher level. It’ll also allow you to rotate more in the heat.

Game 1 to Game 2 improvement. It’s a football cliche or rule? What unit improves most?

I hope the offensive line does. Like I said, it wasn’t bad for much of the game — it was actually really good at times — but if they can come out and play like they did in the third quarter right off the opening snap, they’ll be tough.

How will we mix it up to keep the QB off balance?

Lots of different looks. Probably a good bit of blitzing, some overloading a side — stuff we saw last year, but never knew when it was coming or where.

Which DE shines.

I hope Marco Jones does. 

Which LB or DB gets a sack?

Let’s go with Dalton Brooks.

 Are you sticking with 47 this week? (R23)

Don’t see any reason to change it.

Q: Is @Jefecita Thunderballs turning cartwheels in the living room yet?

A: Not yet, but the improvement has already been noticeable.

Isn’t ASU’s D fairly aggressive? And if so, will we throw quick outs, attack the middle of the field, slants (Bussey), TE seams, dig routes, etc.?

They weren’t last weekend because they didn’t need to be, but yes, they’ll come after you. And I think that yeah, you’ll see some quick game because if they can get the Sun Devils caught going upfield while a quick pass has a receiver already running on the outside, you’re in business.

How do you see ASU trying to attack our D?

I definitely think they’re pass first. That’s where their best offensive weapons are and they like to spread opponents out and throw quick stuff and then try to go over the top.

Are there any coaches or staffs in college football now using AI tools to help them? If so, any idea on how? (Tsip Despiser)

I’m sure they are, probably in team analysis (scouting) and other areas, but it’s just a guess.

Q: Was it smart for the SEC to put expelling LSU on the agenda unless they knew they had the votes and intended to follow through with an expulsion? (QuickDrawMcGraw77)

A: It doesn’t matter whether or not we thought they were going to do; what matters is LSU believed they might. And that was what they wanted. Whether it was a bluff or not, we may never know, but it altered the course of events.

Q: Did you watch the Tres Amigos breakdown of the game? They pointed out R. Owens tendency to misread blocks. Is this something that we can expect him to get better at? At this stage of his career, why has he not learned to read his blocks better? (defender’s hat being on the inside/outside shoulder of his o-linemen) (GilleyCat)

A: I think he has gotten better at it. He really struggled with it as a freshman, got better with it last year and I thought he was all right Saturday. I honestly don’t know why it’s been such a process for him, but he’s still a capable SEC back.

Q: Cutter Boley and the ASU wide receivers had a productive game last week. No doubt they are going to try to have long speed show. How do you see the very good, but not yet the Wrecking Crew, Aggie defense responding? (NemoJones)

A: It’s time to break out the real Elko defense: a bunch of different looks to confuse Boley, blitzing from all over the place and just being generally aggressive with their receivers. Get them behind the sticks early and then tee off.

Q: Why isn’t this team getting more love after game 1? Everything I’m seeing on national media talks about their slow start (91Ag)

A: Haters gonna hate. There was nothing sexy or controversial about how A&M beat them; they just ground them down. And, like I said, the national media didn’t watch. They don’t know.

Q: Has the Message Board Geniuses X site used Aggie Huddle material yet to your knowledge? (TheThreadEnder)

A: So far as I know, not yet. I guess we’re not “smart” enough.

Q: With the limited snaps on defense for game one, what does Elko need to do to get a full evaluation of the defense? (GasAg90)

A: He said last night on his radio show that he knows what he has. I’ll go with that.

Q: With the success of Baker and Edwards can we expect to see them sooner?

A: I would not be surprised.

When do you think we open the route tree to it’s fullest?

Maybe this weekend. No later than LSU.

Do you think Anderson will just go ahead and medically retire?

I don’t know. I really don’t.

I really Liked what Watkins brought to the table, can he push for more playing time?

It’ll be tough with Sanford returning, because that means he’ll have Sanford, Coney, Lockhart and Mikhail ahead of him. But I don’t think they’d be shy to put him out there if they needed to.

Q: Given what the new RBs showed, how do you feel about RB depth/quality now?

A: Quality never concerned me. I thought they had one of the deepest stables in the conference before, but I figured a lot of that was because of KJ Edwards. After seeing Carsyn Baker as well, now I’m definitely sold.

Will this year’s DE group have more sacks than last year? 

That’s a lot of sacks to make up. Cashius Howell had 11.5 on his own and they had 27.5 from he guys up front. From the defensive ends alone, they had 22 — and all but 2.5 of those sacks came from players who are gone. So no, I doubt they will.

Who are the top 5 most important players on the team? (MaroonMaverick)

Marcel Reed, Mario Craver, Tyree Adams, Ray Coney and Dezz Ricks.

Reed — quarterback, duh.

Craver — most explosive offensive player.

Adams — left tackle, protects the blindside of the quarterback.

Coney — Middle linebacker and play caller.

Ricks — Top corner.

Like what you’re reading on AggieHuddle.com? Why not join us! Get quality reporting and analysis on Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball and recruiting, as well the best community you’ll find. All you have to do is click here.