Championship D?: Texas A&M Giddy For Gameday At Home

One season after Mike Elko led the Aggies' defense to an SEC standout year, they're ready to prove last season wasn't a mistake

COLLEGE STATION -- Texas A&M defensive DeMarvin Leal has a message for all opponents when they enter Kyle Field in 2021. Simply put, they better trust the passing attack. 

All running lanes will be closed upfront. 

“I definitely say we have the best defensive line in the country,” Leal said Monday afternoon. 

Leal's statement isn't an opinion. It's backed by facts from the 2020 season. In a COVID-19 season, the Aggies were tasked with a 10-game all-SEC schedule, leaving zero cupcake games to bolster the statline. 

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By the season's end, A&M finished with the No. 1 defense in the conference. Against the run? They finished second, allowing opponents to average 92 yards per game on the ground. Only Georgia was better in the trenches. 

That could be a different case in 2021. 

Leal will headline a defense that returns nine starters from a season ago. The motto is "unfinished business" for a unit that finished No. 9 nationally last season. That "unfinished business" doesn't just include being left out of the College Football Playoff. 

If you're not first, you're last. That includes just on one side of the football. 

"We can be as good as we want to," Leal said. "You know we come out, and we do our thing, we stick to our job and just play the game at 100 percent, we could have a fantastic season." 

Maybe now more than ever, the defense must be perfect for A&M's early success. The Aggies are replacing four offensive linemen, along with a new quarterback in Haynes King. Even though the Longview product could be special, offensive line chemistry doesn't grow on trees. 

Add in the fact that Kent State added 12 transfers to help fix its defense, maybe points won't come as easy as some expected. The Golden Flashes are projected to win the Mid-American Conference for a reason, and in large part, it's due to the offense. 

Dustin Crum is coming off a stellar junior season. A&M could make sure his senior year is only met with groans and gripes in front of a packed Kyle Field. 

Most of all, they can prove something to themselves — they belong in the College Football Playoff conversation. 

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"You want to prove it to the world, obviously, but if you get caught up in the lights and the glamour of that, you'll never get where you want to go," safety Leon O'Neal said. "We have a standard to what we do here, and we apply it every single day. We’ve got to get better. That’s it." 

O'Neal might be the voice representing the 12th Man on defense. Charismatic, energetic, and the life of the meeting room, the senior has a prominent presence on social media. 

He also has been the do-it-all defender of the secondary. Last season, he finished with  32 total tackles and a pair of interceptions. Perhaps his best trait is the one most hidden. 

Watch him hit. Players usually need to catch their break for a play or two after he knocked it out of them. 

"One thing you could never doubt about Leon is he loves to play ball," A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. "He loves to work out, he loves to get prepared to play. He loves to play and he loves being at Texas A&M. And that energy is infectious." 

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Infectious is key for every player who takes a snap on Saturday. Four games or not, the Golden Flashes offense impressed. They led the FBS in scoring (49.9 ppg) along with average yards per game (606.5 ypg). 

Early jitters can't be a thing for A&M. Last season in the season opener against Vanderbilt, the Aggies trudged their way to a 17-12 win. The following week led to a 28-point loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. 

A&M won't face the Crimson Tide in Week 2.  It doesn't matter, since Colorado is going to lay down in Denver in front of its fans at Empower Field. 

Fisher is looking for consistency. The defensive line has it. So do the linebackers. All five starters from the Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina return to the secondary. 

Anything missing for a championship defense? 

Business is booming in Aggieland Monday morning. Maybe the soon-to-be-named defense just needs the extra oomph to propel them to the top spot. 

That's where 102,733 fans can help out. 

"Everybody's coming back," Leal said. "I believe the 12th Man is going to be unbelievable and just extremely loud."  

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