Mike Sherman coached Brett Favre and faced Peyton Manning in the NFL. So he knows what to expect when his Texas A-M squad plays Josh Freeman and Kansas State today.
The Wildcats (3-2, 0-1 Big 12) are averaging 43.2 points and Freeman has averaged 255 passing yards per game. Those numbers would lead most conferences, but in the high-scoring Big 12, they’re merely in the middle of the pack.
That doesn’t leave Sherman any less impressed. Freeman, for starters, can make throws through sheer arm strength that most quarterbacks — college or pro — can’t pull off.
“The problems he presents are multiple in the sense that there’s not a throw on the field that he can’t make,” Sherman said. “If you’re on this hash over here, he can throw the out over there. Most college kids don’t have that arm strength. And a fair amount of NFL players, if they were put on this hash over here, they would struggle to throw that out.”
Sherman, who was head coach in Green Bay and an assistant with the Houston Texans, said the Wildcats try to emulate the Indianapolis Colts’ offense, with its quick-strike capability and pass-first mentality. It’ll be another difficult test for the Aggies (2-3, 0-1), who rank last in the Big 12 and 99th nationally in scoring defense, giving up 31 points per game.
“They’re a great play-faking team and then go for the explosive play,” Sherman said. “They will spread you out, very typical of spread offenses, but they have a little different nuances in their offense that other teams don’t. They want to throw the football.”
Adding to the challenge is the Aggies seeing their third different offensive system in three games.
Two weeks ago, they had trouble stopping Army’s ground-oriented triple-option. Last Saturday, it was Oklahoma State’s run-reliant, zone-read option. Now, it’s a pass-happy spread offense, with receivers cutting all over the field.
“We’ve gone from a wishbone to a spread-option to a bazooka-armed quarterback,” said A-M defensive coordinator Joe Kines. “We have our work cut out for us to stop a really strong passing game. They’re hitting on a lot of cylinders.”
Meanwhile, Sherman once again isn’t saying who his starting quarterback will be. Senior Stephen McGee sat out last week’s 56-28 loss to Oklahoma State as he continues to nurse a sprained throwing shoulder. Sophomore Jerrod Johnson again started in his place, and went 24-for-43 for 218 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
