Texas A&M’s offense has spent the first six games searching for answers, and the numbers on the offensive line tell a pretty clear story about where some of the biggest problems - and a few bright spots - have come from.
The Aggies are 3-3, and with a new offensive coordinator, a new receiver and a rebuilt offensive line all folded into the mix, the group up front has been asked to come together fast. That hasn’t always happened. But when you dig into who’s actually been on the field most often, three names keep rising to the top: left tackle Tyree Adams, center Mark Nabou Jr. and right tackle Wilkin Formby.
Those three have been the most consistent pieces on the line, and among Texas A&M linemen with at least 100 snaps, they’ve also been the top pass blockers. Formby, in particular, has been the standout.
He leads the Aggies in pass blocking, is the highest-graded Aggie overall and is the highest graded tackle in the country. He hasn’t allowed a sack and has given up only four quarterback hurries.
Nabou Jr. has been just as important on the inside. He’s the team’s best run-blocking lineman among those with at least 100 snaps and has allowed only one sack this season. Adams has also been steady as one of the linchpins of the unit.
But the guard spots have been a different story. That’s where Texas A&M has had its toughest stretches, and where some of the protection issues have started to pile up. Trovon Baugh, who has the fourth most snaps among offensive linemen, has given up a team-high four sacks.
The Aggies tried to shake things up against the Tigers by moving Formby to guard and plugging Lamont Rogers in at right tackle. The result was rough.
Rogers graded as one of the worst pass blockers in the game and allowed three pressures, which was the most on the team that night. The same kind of outcome showed up with Sam Roseborough, who also got a shot at playing time.
So while Texas A&M appears to have hit on three important pieces in Adams, Nabou Jr. and Formby, the line still isn’t settled. Injuries and uneven play have made the unit unreliable, and that has shown up in the run game as well. If the Aggies can identify two more linemen who can hold up consistently, the second half could look very different.
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