ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

We've only played two games and Texas A&M's earlier opponents will never be confused for those they will face once Big 12 play begins.

But a look at the statistical improvement for the Aggies when comparing their first two games with last season's disappointing 4-8 campaign is stunning.

The Aggies currently rank in the top 20 in eight national statistical categories after notching victories over New Mexico and Utah State. In those same categories last season, the Aggies ranked in the top 40 last season in only one and in four of those categories, they ranked 97th or worse.

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman realizes it is still very early in the season and claims not to get too wrapped up in his team's statistical improvement.

"I'm very realistic when it comes to statistics. I don't spend a whole lot of time looking at the stats," Sherman said. "The biggest stat we have is the turnover ratio. It goes without saying that if you don't turn the ball over you have an excellent chance to win the football game. We've been fortunate enough to do that, not turn the ball over and create turnovers in the last couple of ball games. That's really the only stat I pay a whole lot of attention to. That is the most important one."

And as strong as the Aggies' early production has been, Sherman said his team could have been even better.

"We missed some opportunities," Sherman said. "We could be a little more accurate in our passing. We caught the ball pretty well. We made some nice catches. We've got to pass-block better. [Quarterback] Jerrod [Johnson] made a lot of big plays with his feet, but I'd rather not have him run around quite as much as he is."

The Aggies' schedule toughens beginning this week with a game against UAB followed by their nonconference finale against Arkansas at the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Texas, next week. And their conference schedule starts with a tough game when Oklahoma State visits Kyle Field on Oct. 10.

"Productivity is really a measurement of wins and losses at the end of the season, and we'll see at that time," Sherman said.

But here's an interesting trend for Texas A&M DE/LB Von Miller, who leads the nation with six sacks after the first two games. If he can maintain his current clip, he'll end up with 36 sacks. The Aggies produced 13.5 as a team last season.

Here's a look at Texas A&M's statistical transformation after only two games.

Texas A&M by the numbers: 2009 vs. 2008 2009 (2 games) Natl. ranking 2008 (fulls season) Natl. ranking Rushing offense 248.0 11 88.5 114 Passing offense 341.5 6 252.4 27 Total offense 589.5 1 340.9 78 Scoring 39.5 17 25.0 64 Net punting 41.1 9 36.0 43 Turnover margin 2.0 5 -.83 104 Sacks 5.0 2 1.33 100 Tackles for losses 9.0 T6 4.83 97