FanPost

A&M vs. Auburn: The Paleo-Perspective

Bob Levey/Getty Images

The average Neanderthal man, in his prime, say experts, would have been able to bench-press about 500 pounds. That impressive upper-body strength was needed to pierce the thick hide and rib cage of the giant land mammals he hunted with only crude implements.

Fast-forward 40,000 or so years.

The successful linebacker of the Homo sapiens variety in the SEC West, say experts, must possess the ability to bench-press at least 400 pounds to efficiently fell his darting, and oftentimes charging, quarry.

What is it they say? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Naturally, the successful nickel back in the SEC West is no mere troglodyte, but that 400-pound bench-press mark is a key threshold. Teams with frail linebacking in the SEC West tend to get shredded. (Look no further than the Aggies’ 107th ranking against the run last season as Defensive Coordinator John "The Chief" Chavis worked to institute his system.)

This season, Aggie outside linebackers Shaan Washington and Otaro Alaka are now regularly benching more than 400 pounds.

Also, Aggie secondary players like Donovan Wilson are reported to have put on muscle. Wilson, who notched 63 tackles last year as a sophomore, including a season-high 10 tackles against Ole Miss, gained 10 full pounds of the sinewy stuff.

During Saturday’s match-up at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, expect the battle of big, powerful bodies to heat up in the trenches like a Galaxy Note 7 battery warehouse. Strength will be a decisive factor.

Tested mightily in its first game of the season, Auburn's defensive line was largely responsible for keeping Gus Malzahn's squad in the game. This may be the best defensive line he’s had yet during his tenure at Auburn. The Aggie running game, headlined by Sooner transfer Keith Ford, will be tasked with finding (or opening) requisite cracks in the armor. Only Malzahn’s confused three-quarterback system allowed Clemson to notch the win during Auburn’s prime-time opener at home.

In last week’s cupcake against Arkansas State, Auburn’s Sean White got the majority of the snaps and Malzahn’s offense looked less like a "Game of Thrones" episode than it did in the Clemson game. Expect a more settled Auburn offense this Saturday against the Maroon and White.

In its season opener against UCLA, the Aggie defense kept its somewhat shaky offense in the game. It tightened up in the red zone, forcing the Bruins to settle for two field goals that last year would almost certainly have been touchdowns. Still, against UCLA, with 468 yards allowed (albeit over additional play, 87 total plays to be exact), Chavis’ defense is a work in progress.

The cupcake against Prairie View A&M was less instructive, but expect the Aggie defense, led by rush ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall, to build on these two early games.

Expect secondaries Armani Watts, Donovan Wilson and Justin Evans, all NFL caliber, to turn in solid performances at Jordan-Hare, as well.

Malzahn knows Auburn has to run the ball for his system to work. Kamryn Pettway is Auburn's north-south guy while Kerryon Johnson is Malzahn’s fast, featured running back. Pettway tends to run people over, while Johnson is more fleet of foot.

If Johnson and Pettway can be kept in check, Auburn will be hobbled.

Thanks to Chavis, the Aggies now have great depth in the secondary and linebacker positions with tremendous flexibility to swap out parts.

But Chavis has also been building muscle between the ears of his charges. Witness the complex and varied blitz packages executed against UCLA, which kept Bruin quarterback Josh Rosen out of his comfort zone for much of the Aggies’ opener. Under Chavis, interior gaps are being maintained when they need to be and linebackers are processing plays more quickly. Running lanes are not opening up as they once did. This has allowed safeties to focus on playing safety.

While the Neanderthal had brute strength, he was benched permanently by a group of humanoids called Homo sapiens, who better combined both brains and brawn. These humanoids will be heavily tested as the ball is kicked off at Jordan-Hare Stadium 6:00 p.m. Central on Saturday.

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