A&M-UCLA, Argyle-La Grange highlight Slovacek's I-35 Showdowns

Slovacek's logoTo honor the loyal football fans that travel great distances to support their favorite team, DCTF and our friends from Slovacek’s in West, Texas are proud to present The Slovacek’s I-35 Showdowns of the Week. Texas A&M (0-0) vs. UCLA (0-0) 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station “After about 50,000 people, it all sounds about the same” Perhaps a mountain is being made of such a molehill of a comment, but hyperbole is par for the course when you’re headed into a season opener in the wide, wide world of college football. In the end, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen and the Bruins’ performance Saturday against Texas A&M will decide whether his answer to a question about the crowd noise at Kyle Field was the unfounded bravado of an over-hyped teenager or an early example of Brady-esque calm under pressure by a phenom with seemingly limitless upside. Regardless, the 12^th Man is a bear that needed no poking – so Mr. Rosen better be ready to withstand the pressure of one of college football’s most intimidating environments at full throat. Before he spends too much time discussing crowd noise, however, Rosen ought to be prepared for a ferocious Aggie front four led by Myles Garrett, perhaps the defensive world’s best hope for a Heisman Trophy this fall. Garrett and bookend Daeshon Hall combined for 19.5 sacks a year ago, meaning any attempt to double team either of them is simply a selection of where your pass protection will fail more rapidly. Despite Rosen’s words and his status as a could-be future Heisman contender and first-round draft pick, he is not the quarterback with the most to gain or lose in this contest. Trevor Knight, making his first start at A&M after transferring from Oklahoma, bears on his shoulders the weight of the post-Manziel era expectations for an Aggie offense. If the Aggies are to survive the SEC West this fall, he’ll need to find a level of consistency that evaded him in his time at Oklahoma, where he was alternately dazzling and disappointing. If Knight shows up at his best, A&M’s embarrassment of riches at wide receiver (Kirk! Reynolds! Seals-Jones! Noil!) will instantly make this unit one of the most feared in the nation. The UCLA defense boasts some playmakers as well, though, headlined by defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes, linebacker Deon Hollins and ball-hawking safety Randall Goforth. Argyle (1-0) at La Grange (0-0) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Panther Stadium in Hewitt This much-anticipated intersectional battle of 4A powerhouses has lost a considerable amount of star power, and will now put to the test the depth to which these programs have been built. La Grange tailback JK Dobbins, the Ohio State commit considered an early-season favorite to claim the title of Mr. Texas Football for 2016, suffered an ankle injury early in the Leopards’ season opener against Liberty Hill. Lightning cancelled the game, but could not erase Dobbins’ malady. His departure from the lineup will force La Grange coach Matt Kates to devise a game plan without the use of the team’s go-to presence who has gained nearly 6,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 80 touchdowns over the past three seasons. On the other side of the field, Argyle coach Todd Rodgers will be fielding a team without its starting signal caller. Senior quarterback Dane Ledford, a Tulane pledge, sprained his wrist late in the first half of the Eagles’ 33-21 win over Lucas Lovejoy. Zac Pelton and Braden Pruett split the snaps in Ledford’s absence, combining to complete 9 of 11 pass attempts. Neither coach would ever admit to seeing a silver lining to the injury of their star player, but one of them will learn that his team has what it takes to overcome the void and claim victory over a quality opponent nonetheless.