Texas A&M’s ability to raise havoc on defense makes the Aggies a contender

Three years into his tenure as Texas A&M’s head coach, Kevin Sumlin has proven that he can make his Air Raid offense work in the traditionally run-heavy SEC West. But after a down year in 2014, in which the Aggies gave up at least 34 points in six games, it was clear that A&M needed an upgrade on defense.

That upgrade began in the offseason, when Sumlin poached well-respected LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. Chavis has the benefit of working with a number of young stars, including sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett and sophomore cornerback Armani Watts. With such a young team, there is room to grow on the Aggie defense.

However, rebuilds don’t happen overnight. And from an overall efficiency standpoint, Texas A&M is in almost the exact same place it was last year, going from 58th to 59th in the defensive S&P+ ratings. Remember, the talent is young, and young players can’t adapt to a new system immediately.

But the bottom hasn’t fallen out for the Aggies as they bend, but don’t break ... even if there’s a lot more bending than typical.

Despite giving up chunks of yards at times, Texas A&M has only allowed 17, 21 and 17 points against the three Power 5 opponents they have faced this year. That’s just 18.3 points per game allowed. By comparison, in 2014, every single Power 5 team A&M played scored at least 23 points, and eight of the nine scored 28 or more.

A&M’s total defensive numbers aren’t anything to be too excited about just yet, but there’s one area where the Aggies have already made a monster leap: havoc. Havoc rate is the percentage of plays where the defense makes a big play, which includes a tackle-for-loss, sack, interception, forced fumble or pass breakup. The Aggies were one of the worst teams at creating havoc in 2014, and now they’re one of the best.

While the young players can’t be trusted yet to play lockdown defense on every play, Chavis has a very workable strategy in place. A&M bends and lets opposing offenses have underneath plays, waiting for big defensive plays to happen. When they do (at nearly double the rate this year, from 13.3 percent to 21.5 percent) they can act as drive-killers.

The Aggies’ win over Mississippi State marked a fresh start, turning a 48-31 loss in 2014 into a 30-17 win this year. A&M forced two fumbles and came up big on third and fourth downs, holding MSU to a combined 5 of 16 on conversions. And because of how active the front seven has been, A&M suddenly has the 11th-best pass defense in the country, according to the S&P+ ratings.

A&M sits at 5-0 and is up to No. 9 in the AP Poll. With a relatively easy schedule to go along with the improved defense -- the Aggies’ SEC East crossover games are South Carolina and Vanderbilt -- this could be the year Sumlin’s team wins the SEC.

Next up in two weeks? Alabama. The Crimson Tide probably have the best team in the conference, but A&M has the tools to give Bama a scare. Like Ole Miss did earlier this season, the Aggies can ride a good pass defense, an efficient offense and big plays (plus some turnover luck) to a win.

A good defense is important, but one that wreaks havoc is the next best thing.