COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -Texas A&M had one of the worst defenses in the country last season, a far cry from the team’s “Wrecking Crew” heyday of the late 1980s and early ’90s.
New coordinator Tim DeRuyter and a change to the 3-4 scheme has given the Aggies confidence and been a key to Texas A&M’s three-game winning streak and new No. 23 ranking.
The Aggies jumped into the rankings for the first time since early in the 2007 season by knocking off then No. 11 Oklahoma 33-19 on Saturday after allowing the Sooners to pile up 131 points in their previous two meetings. The defense had three goal-line stands.
“I think our kids take tremendous pride (in that),” DeRuyter said. “We preach to them all the time that we’re not going to let someone run the ball in our goal line defense.”
Texas A&M (6-3, 3-2 Big 12) gave up more than 426 yards a game in last year’s 6-7 season, 105th in major college football. The Aggies had the same ranking in scoring defense after surrendering 33.5 points a game.
Through nine games this season, the Aggies are in the top 50 in yards allowed (346.8) and the top 40 in points allowed (21.2). The run defense allows just 92 yards a game, sixth fewest in the FBS.
DeRuyter said it took some time to add his values and style into the defense, but that the players have bought into his teachings.
“It’s tough when you first come in because you’re changing a culture, a mindset,” he said. “But we’ve got the best defensive coaching staff in the country. We’ve got guys who know our system. They are positive coaches coaching with energy, emotion and swagger, and we demand it from our players. And when you have success against a team like OU it builds into that swagger.”
It is easy to see that DeRuyter’s players listen to the former Air Force defensive coordinator. His favorite phrase for describing what he wants on defense is “fanatical effort” and when talking to the players they repeat it constantly.
Senior Von Miller, a hybrid linebacker/defensive end who led the FBS in sacks last year, returned for another season after considering entry in the NFL draft. He wanted to help the Aggies get back to their stingy, “Wrecking Crew” ways.
He was so overcome with emotion after the win over Oklahoma – the first over the Sooners since 2002 – that he wept.
“The feeling overwhelmed me,” he said. “This is what I came back for. It just felt great to beat a top-caliber team like that at home in front of all the Aggies. We’ve been making promises to the Aggie nation forever and it just feels good to hold up our end.”
Fans were so impressed with the work of the defense Saturday night that many of them chanted “Wrecking Crew” in the final seconds of the win. DeRuyter rolled his eyes when asked about the chant this week.
“It’s nice to hear,” he said. “We use the term “Wrecking Crew” as a goal of our defense. I don’t know if we’re ever going to attain that, but it’s a great goal. Because the guys back in the ’80s and ’90s set a standard that very few have ever played at. It’s a tremendous compliment when the fans refer to us as that, but we’re not there yet.”
The group has gotten a boost from the emergence of senior middle linebacker Michael Hodges, a former walk on. Hodges had a career-high 19 tackles and two sacks for the most stops by an Aggie since All-America linebacker Dat Nguyen had 20 in the 1998 Cotton Bowl. It was a performance that earned him Big 12 defensive player of the week honors.
He said the confidence of the group has grown with each win and that the Aggies don’t plan to lose again this season. The Aggies play at Baylor this week followed by the home finale against Nebraska and a Thanksgiving matchup with rival Texas.
“We plan to win out, but we take it one game at a time,” he said. “The big goal now is focusing on Baylor, taking what we did well and what we did badly, and making corrections. There were a lot of smiles (Monday) morning but that’s OK. We have coaches that really keep us humble. There’s definitely not a let up.”
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