Texas A&M is undefeated in the season and has defeated Samford 48-0 in Week 13 to maintain SEC title game contention. However, the next game is against A&M’s archrivals, Texas. Tempers will flare, new strategies will come, and that playbook will almost be emptied on the field. One such play from Texas’s playbook has been repeated consecutively in the last four games. But is it a ploy to trap Mike Elko and extract a hard-fought win?

Texas has lost three games in the regular season, and it would be difficult to imagine them making the playoffs with 9 wins. The goal would be to hinder Texas A&M’s contention for the SEC title game and potentially elevate Georgia and Ole Miss in the rankings. To achieve that, Steve Sarkisian is using a screen pass to his wide receiver, Ryan Wingo, on the outside on the first play of the last four games.

In the Vanderbilt game on November 1, the screen pass play was executed for the second time. The kickoff happened, and on just the first play, Ryan Wingo caught an impressive 75-yard touchdown pass on the outside. That touchdown probably was the reason Texas won narrowly, 34-31, against Vanderbilt. Prior to that, the play was used against Mississippi State, resulting in a touchdown after Ryan Wingo caught a 60-yard pass on the first play.

“I think it shows how dynamic Ryan is when he gets the ball. Got to continue to get him the ball and start fast like that,” said Arch Manning after the Vandy game. Even Steve Sarkisian touted Wingo’s explosiveness and signaled to use him similarly in first-play screens.

“(Wingo) is unique, yes, he’s got speed, but he’s got size, and he’s running through tacklers now, as opposed to breaking down and trying to make them miss. He breaks a lot of tackles. So I think that’s something I can work on. No one can get him on the ground.”

Even against Georgia, we saw the same play happen. Texas started its 59-yard drive against Georgia with a 1-yard pass to Ryan Wingo, and the drive ended with a field goal. Lastly, against Arkansas, in their 52-37 win, Arch Manning threw a 9-yard pass to Ryan Wingo, and the first drive (81 yards) resulted in a touchdown. So, with Steve Sarkisian hell-bent upon not changing his first play, including against a blueblood like Georgia, could we see him use it against Texas A&M, too? And what would Mike Elko do to cope with it?

Can Aggies exploit Texas’s first-play tendency with Mike Elko manning the defense?

The Aggies are 11-0 in the season, and the defense is top-notch, considering Mike Elko’s defensive experience since 1999. The team ranks 16th nationally in total defense, second in sacks (39), 23rd in passing defense, and 27th in rushing defense. Elko prefers a multiple-front scheme with an aggressive 4-2-5 base, not to mention the Texas A&M head coach tends to present exotic packages on third downs. That’s why the team sits first nationally (21.99%) in avoiding third-down conversions. So, Elko could use the same heavy stunts, twists, and simulated pressures to exploit Sarkisian’s first-play tendency. 

Steve Sarkisian’s screen game surely forces LBs into confusion, leading up to explosive plays. However, Elko’s defense prioritizes pre-snap adjustments and spies to counter yards after carry. The coverage, too, has been top-notch for the Aggies this season.

“Last year, you know, we got a point during the season where the coverage piece of it was a little bit scarier for us than it has been, where I think now. We feel really good about that, and also had some edge guys and D-lineman who were pretty good one-on-one pass rushers,” said Texas A&M’s DC Jay Bateman.

That said, we can see Steve Sarkisian finally moving on from the play and setting up a trick play instead of the screen pass. Logically, that seems more likely since Texas could still make the playoffs with the win, however slim the chances would be. However, we have also seen the Texas head coach adjusting his plays in high-stakes situations.