Texas A&M May Have Advantage In Passing Game vs. Oklahoma State

The Texas A&M Aggies' biggest advantage vs. the Oklahoma State Cowboys in The Texas Bowl might be through the air.

The Texas A&M Aggies have had a disappointing season, to say the least. 

However, after the firing of Jimbo Fisher and the hiring of Mike Elko, along with his new staff, there is new optimism for the future in Aggieland. 

If the Aggies can manage to pull out a win on Wednesday in the Texas Bowl vs. the Oklahoma State Cowboys, it could send them into the offseason season with some desperately needed momentum at their backs. 

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And if they are going to that, it very well might be due to their advantage in the passing game against the Cowboys' secondary.

Unlike their offense, which ranks among the nation's best, the Cowboys' passing defense is one of the worst in the nation, ranking as the No. 125 unit in the country and giving up 267.5 yards per contest through the air. 

They are so vulnerable on the back end, in fact, that they gave up a Big 12 Championship record 452 yards through the air to Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers earlier this month, shattering the previous record held by Sam Bradford from 2008.

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Meanwhile, the Aggies offense has found new life under third-string QB Jaylen Henderson, In the last three games of the season, completed 52 of 77 passes for 704 yards and six touchdowns with just two interceptions and a 164.9 passer rating. Not to mention 104 yards on the ground and a couple of touchdowns as well. 

Yes, the Aggies will be without a handful of their top pass catchers, with Ainias Smith heading to the NFL Draft, and Evan Stewart and Jake Johnson hitting the transfer portal.

That said, Stewart has not been a factor for weeks. And while the absence of Smith will certainly loom large, the Aggies still have plenty of receivers, including Noah Thomas, Moose Muhammad, Max Wright, and Jahdae Walker, that are perfectly capable of taking advantage of the Cowboys' secondary. 

And if they are able to do that, the Aggies should have a great shot of exiting Houston with a win and entering their first offseason under Mike Elko with some momentum.