When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
Latest line: Texas A&M is favored by four points
TV: ABC
Radio: 560 WQAM, 1260 AM (Spanish)
Weather: 91 degrees, 50 percent chance of rain
Online: Twitter
Quick slant: The Hurricanes and Aggies face off in a rematch of last year’s low-scoring game in College Station, Texas. Both teams enter after picking up dominant wins against overmatched opponents in Week 1.
About Miami (1-0): The Hurricanes rolled to a Week 1 victory over Miami (Ohio), racking up nearly 500 yards of offense. The defense excelled, as well, holding the RedHawks to just three points.
About No. 23 Texas A&M (1-0): The Aggies dominated New Mexico, picking up a 52-10 victory. Sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, a former five-star prospect, threw for five touchdowns. Texas A&M has struggled on the road in the last two years, losing its last six true road games.
Three things to watch
1. Texas A&M is bringing arguably the nation’s top group of wide receivers down to Miami. Former five-star prospect Evan Stewart led the Aggies with 115 receiving yards in the win, scoring two touchdowns. Noah Thomas, a 6-foot-6 receiver, had three scores. Texas A&M also features talented receivers Moose Muhammed III and Ainias Smith. The Hurricanes’ defensive backs have a tall task in front of them.
2. Miami rushed for 250 yards in their season-opening victory, splitting carries evenly among Henry Parrish Jr., Mark Fletcher Jr., Ajay Allen and Don Chaney Jr. All but Allen scored a touchdown in the win. Texas A&M did well against the run in Week 1 but was terrible in round defense last year, surrendering 209 rushing yards per game. The only Power 5 teams that were worse against the run were Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and Stanford. The Hurricanes will test the talented but unproven defensive front on Saturday.
3. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson brought his version of an Air Raid offense to the Hurricanes this offseason. In the season-opener, Miami dominated on the ground. But they won’t be able to do that all season, and Dawson likes to push the ball downfield with long passes. After throwing two deep twice in their season-opening win, the Hurricanes may need to throw deep passes in order to spread the field against the Aggies. Look for more deep shots if Texas A&M moves up on defense to stop the run.
