Saturday, October 19
Starkville, Miss.
3:15 PM
Texas A&M
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Mississippi State
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No. 14 Aggies Hit the Road to Face Mississippi State
Oct 18, 2024 | Football
14th-ranked Texas A&M hits the road to Starkville this weekend to battle the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Saturday's kickoff at Davis Wade Stadium is set for 3:15 p.m. on the SEC Network.
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
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Secs(#14) Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Saturday, October 19, 2024 • 3:20 PM CT
Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi
Weather: sunny, mid 70s
WATCH
TV: SEC Network (Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Ashley Stroehlein)
Watch Live: ESPN App
LISTEN
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (Andrew Monaco, Dave Elmendorf, Will Johnson)
1620 AM/94.5 FM (local), SiriusXM 190
Listen Live: 12th Man Mobile App
Spanish Broadcast: Click Here (Pedro Luna, Michel Gonzalez)
102.7 FM (local)
Listen Live: 12th Man Mobile App
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Social Media: @AggieFootball on X
Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-5, 0-3)
- RANKING: AP: NR / Coaches: NR
- LAST GAME: Oct. 12
- at #5 Georgia 41, Miss State 31
- HEAD COACH: Jeff Lebby (Oklahoma '07)
- Overall Record: 1-5 (1st season)
- at MSU: same
- vs. Texas A&M: 0-0
Texas A&M Aggies (5-1, 3-0)
- RANKING: AP: #14 / Coaches: #14
- Last Game: Oct. 5
- at #25 A&M 41, #9 Missouri 10
- HEAD COACH: Mike Elko (Penn ‘99)
- Overall Record: 21-10 (3rd Season)
- at Texas A&M: 5-1 (1st Season)
- vs. MSU: 0-0
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- Texas A&M aims to even the series with Mississippi State and make it back-to-back wins over the Bulldogs after handing them a 51-10 loss a season ago.
- The Aggies boast one of the best rushing offenses in the nation, ranking ninth with 232.3 yards per game, while their SEC-best 5.6 yards per carry average as a team is good for 15th in the country.
- Junior RB Le’Veon Moss leads the strong Aggie rushing attack, ranking second in the SEC and 17th nationally with 101.5 yards per game, while his six rushing scores are the fifth-most in the league ... Moss is coming off a career-best 138-yard, three touchdown performance in the win over Missouri, marking his third 100-yard game and second multi-TD game of the season.
- Sophomore QB Conner Weigman returned for the Aggies in Week 6, leading them to a lopsided victory over top-10 Missouri, connecting on 18-of-22 passes for a season-best 276 yards.
- After limiting Missouri to just 10 points, the Aggies rank 17th in the country in scoring defense (16.7), while their 11 touchdowns allowed on the season are tied for 14th nationally.
- Junior DB Will Lee III has brought veteran leadership to the secondary and ranks second in the SEC with nine passes defended this season after breaking up a career-best four passes against Arkansas ... He ranks second on the team with 22 tackles, 20 of which are solo takedowns.
- Junior DL Nic Scourton has come on strong in league play, tallying 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks through three SEC games ... He made a massive impact in the win over Arkansas as all four of his tackles were for a total 16 yards lost, including a strip sack late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory ... Scourton ranks sixth in the nation and second in the SEC with 10.0 tackles for loss on the season, while his 4.5 sacks are good for sixth in the league.
QUICK HITS
- The Aggies’ offensive line has controlled the battle in the trenches while clearing the way for A&M’s top-10 rushing attack, as the unit ranks second in the SEC and ninth nationally allowing 20.0 tackles for loss and its 7.0 sacks allowed rank third among league teams.
- Junior RB Amari Daniels has played a key role in the Aggies’ success in the run game, ranking among the top-25 in the SEC with 40.8 yards per game ... After registering his second multi-touchdown game of the season with two 1-yard scores against Missouri, Daniels’ four scores on the year rank 10th in the SEC.
- Texas A&M has been efficient in the red zone as it ranks 15th with a 96.5 conversion rate with the team scoring on 21 of its 22 trips.
- The Aggies have held their opponents to 100-or fewer yards on the ground in four straight games, most recently limiting Missouri to just 68 yards and no rushing scores.
- The Maroon & White have disrupted the opposition’s aerial attack, tallying seven picks on the season, which is tied for second in the SEC and 19th nationally.
- Takeaways have been a key piece of the Aggie defense this season as A&M sits at No. 2 in the SEC and No. 15 in the country in turnover margin (1.0/g).
- Sophomore DB Marcus Ratcliffe has picked off a pass in three of the last five games to help him rank sixth nationally and lead the SEC with three interceptions on the year.
- Graduate K Randy Bond tallied 11 points in the win over Missouri, marking the 10th time in his career he has scored 10-plus points in a game ... Bond ranks 10th nationally with 11 made field goals this season while his 54 total points are good for 25th.
- Sophomore DL Nana Boadi-Owusu was named the 12th Man ahead of the 2024 season, becoming just the sixth student-athlete in program history to hold the season-long honor.
MILESTONES TO WATCH FOR
- Sophomore QB Conner Weigman continues to climb the Texas A&M record books and is in need of four touchdown passes to crack the top-15 all-time, entering the game with 18 career scoring strikes.
- Weigman is in search of 141 yards to move into the top-20 on A&M’s career passing yards list with 2,376 entering the week and is just four completions away from 200 for his career as he continues to work his way toward the list’s top-15 spots.
- Junior RB Le’Veon Moss is 150 rushing yards away from moving into the top-40 all-time at A&M with 1,207 to-date.
- Graduate WR Moose Muhammad III ranks 14th in career touchdown receptions at Texas A&M with 11 entering the week and his next scoring grab will move him into a tie with Chad Schroeder (2003-06) for 13th ... Muhammad is also five catches and 44 receiving yards away from cracking the top-30 all-time at A&M.
- Junior WR Noah Thomas is looking for a touchdown catch to move into the top-20 all-time at A&M, entering the week with nine to-date.
- Graduate K Randy Bond aims to break into the top-five of A&M’s
- career field goals list, entering the week with 50 makes as he chases Todd Pegram (2002-05) and Tony Franklin (1975-78) who are tied for fourth with 56 makes ... Bond enters the week with 244 career points and is 21 from moving up the overall and kicker-only scoring lists, eyeing Terry Venetoulias (1990-93) who ranks sixth among kickers and ninth overall with 265 career points.
QUARTERBACK ROOM
- The Aggies boast proven depth in their quarterback room with three players that have made multiple starts in their A&M careers and each thrown for at least 290 yards and multiple touchdowns in a game.
- Sophomore Conner Weigman began the year as the starter and recently returned after battling an early injury to guide the Aggies to a landslide victory over No. 9 Missouri in Week 6.
- Weigman connected on 18-of-22 passes for a season-best 276 yards, leading the Aggies to victory over a top-10 team for the second time in his career ... In the win over McNeese, Weigman guided the Aggies to touchdowns on all five drives he was in on in the first half, helping A&M take a 38-0 lead into the half.
- Freshman Marcel Reed has filled in nicely for Weigman, leading the Aggies to three straight victories ... In his three starts, Reed was responsible for eight touchdowns while compiling 514 yards through the air and 187 on the ground ... In the win over Bowling Green, Reed became the first Aggie quarterback to rush for 75-or-more yards in back-to-back games since Kellen Mond in 2019.
- Reed garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance at Florida after throwing for 178 yards and two scores to go along with 13 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
- Junior Jaylen Henderson started the final four games of the 2023 campaign, accounting for four touchdowns in the lopsided win over Mississippi State in his first start for the Maroon & White ... He has completed 53-of-78 passes for 715 yards and six touchdowns as an Aggie, while also adding 104 yards on the ground and two scores.
MAROON GOONS
- The Texas A&M offensive line has been winning the battle in the trenches, playing with great consistency despite having to display its reliable depth early on ... The Maroon Goons have helped the Aggies boast one of the best rushing offenses in the country while also holding strong to protect their quarterbacks.
- The Maroon & White rank ninth in the country and second in the SEC, allowing 20.0 tackles for loss on the year., while their 7.0 sacks allowed are good for third in the league.
- With the help of the o-line clearing the way, the Aggies rank 13th nationally and second in the SEC averaging 231.6 rushing yards per game and have racked up over 200 yards on the ground in three of the five games this season.
- The line is anchored by junior Trey Zuhn III, who was named a season-long team captain prior to the season and has been a staple at left tackle over the last two years.
- Zuhn started all 13 games last season and has logged 30 career starts as he helped clear the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in 2022 and helped A&M rack up over 400 yards of total offense in eight games last year.
- In the offseason, sophomore Chase Bisontis made the move to left guard after starting all 12 regular season games he played in at right tackle and the bowl game at right guard as a freshman in 2023 ... The Aggies added veteran experience with junior transfers Ar’maj Reed-Adams, who made 15 starts in 31 games played at Kansas and Kolinu’u Faaiu, who played in 16 games with eight of those being starts at center through three seasons at Utah.
- Offensive line coach Adam Cushing joined head coach Mike Elko in Aggieland after two seasons at Duke where his o-line kept its quarterback protected, ranking 12th among Power 5 schools allowing just 17.0 sacks and seventh nationally giving up just 51.0 tackles for loss in 2022 ... Duke also ranked in the top-18 among Power 5 schools in sacks and tackles for loss allowed in 2023.
ELEVATING THE RUN GAME
- Junior running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels have made big improvements in the offseason and have been a dynamic duo in the backfield for the Maroon & White early this year.
- Moss set a new career high in every category through the first three games of the season, notching 20 carries against Notre Dame, scoring two touchdowns in the McNeese win and tallying a then-career-best 110 yards in the victory at Florida.
- Moss notched his second 100-yard game of the season and third for his career with a career-high 117 rushing yards in the win over Arkansas to join the 1,000 career yards club with 1,069 to-date ... He ranks fifth in the SEC averaging 94.2 yards per game and is tied for ninth among league players with three rushing TDs.
- Daniels registered the first multi-touchdown game of his career with two trips to the end zone against McNeese and joined the 1,000 career yards club with 68 yards on 13 carries in the win at Florida ... He ranks among the top-25 in the league with 42.2 y/g and two scores on the year.
- Dual-threat freshman QB Marcel Reed has also contributed to the robust rushing attack, ranking 18th overall and third among quarterbacks in the SEC averaging 57.5 yards per game.
- As a team, the Aggies are No. 13 in the country and second in the SEC in rushing offense, averaging 231.6 yards per game.
- After eclipsing the 300-yards mark in Week 2, the Maroon & White tallied 310 yards on the ground in the win at Florida, marking the first time they have tallied 300-plus rushing yards in back-to-back games since the 2012 season.
- In the win over McNeese, A&M racked up 333 yards on the ground and five rushing scores, marking the most rushing yards in a game for the Aggies since rushing for over 500 yards against Northwestern State to start the 2018 season and the most rushing scores since reaching the end zone five times on the ground in the Orange Bowl win over North Carolina to cap off the 2020 season.
STEADY BACKER
- Sophomore LB Taurean York immediately stepped into a leadership role as a true freshman in 2023, quarterbacking the defense at mike linebacker, and was selected as a team captain by his teammates ahead of the 2024 season.
- In the season opener against Notre Dame, York helped lead the defense with nine takedowns in the game ... York leads the Aggies with 28 takedowns and has recorded five-plus tackles in three of the team’s six games so far this season.
- York started all 13 games last season, finishing second on the team with 74 tackles, which ranked in the top-20 among SEC players and third among league freshman ... His 8.5 tackles for loss were the most by an SEC freshman a year ago and ranked fourth on the team.
- He registered the first double-digit tackles game of his career with 11 against Auburn last season, including 2.0 for loss ... On the year, York tallied five-or more tackles in nine of the 13 games.
- York was a key contributor to the defense that led the SEC in rushing defense (108.8 y/g) and sacks (42.0), while also standing at second in the league and eighth in the nation with 99.0 tackles for loss and 19th in the country, third in the SEC, in total defense (316.2 y/g).
NEW-LOOK SECONDARY
- The Texas A&M secondary has seen a number of new faces in 2024, adding eight defensive backs in the transfer portal while returning sophomores Jayvon Thomas and Dalton Brooks have also made starts this season.
- Sophomore Marcus Ratcliffe has made an immediate impact for the Maroon & White after spending last season at San Diego State, starting all six games and helping lead the SEC while ranking sixth nationally with three interceptions on the year.
- Junior Will Lee III, who came to Aggieland from Kansas State, ranks second in the SEC with nine passes defended on the year after breaking up a career-high four passes in the win over Arkansas ... He also ranks second on the team with 22 tackles while his 20 solo takedowns rank among the top-25 in the SEC ... He recorded his first interception as an Aggie in the win over McNeese.
- Thomas, who has started four games at corner, made his first interception late in the fourth quarter at Florida, returning it 15 yards and getting the ball back in A&M’s hands to close out the victory.
- Lone veteran Bryce Anderson registered the first touchdown of his career when he came up with a tipped pass and returned it 45 yards to the house at Florida, becoming the third Aggie to have scored a defensive touchdown in their career.
- As a team, the Aggies rank 19th nationally and are tied for second in the SEC with seven interceptions on the season, while also ranking 15th in the country and second in the league with a 1.0 turnover margin.
DEPTH ON THE D-LINE
- Texas A&M boasts one of the most talented and unpredictable defensive lines in the nation, led by the veteran experience and consistent production of senior Shemar Turner and junior transfer Nic Scourton.
- Scourton has played with consistency in the SEC, registering at least 1.0 tackle for loss in five of A&M’s six games ... In the win over Arkansas he finished with 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, including a strip sack late in the fourth quarter to help the Aggies seal the victory.
- Scourton ranks sixth nationally and second in the SEC with 10.0 tackles for loss on the year, standing as one of two players in the league to hit double figures in the category ... His 4.5 sacks on the season are good for 20th in the country and sixth in the league.
- Turner started the 2024 season with a career-high seven takedowns against Notre Dame and made a pair of solo tackles for loss in a game for the second time in his career with 2.0 against Bowling Green.
- Juniors Shemar Stewart and Albert Regis have earned starting jobs on the line this season after being part of the Aggies’ consistent second rotation last year ... Stewart has come on strong in the last three games, getting to the quarterback in back-to-back victories while matching his career high with five tackles at Florida.
- As a defense, the Aggies have held their opponents to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground in four straight games, most recently limiting Missouri to just 68 yards and no rushing scores ... A&M boasts the No. 17 scoring defense in the country (16.7 ppg) and its 11 touchdowns allowed are good for 14th nationally.
SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS
- Graduate K Randy Bond was one of the nation’s leading scorers a season ago and continues to rank among the best in 2024 while also climbing A&M’s all-time scoring, field goals made and extra point lists.
- Bond currently ranks 10th nationally and third in the SEC with 11 made field goals this season, while his 54 total points land among the top-25 in the country and top-10 league scorers.
- Bond has posted double-digit points in a game 10 times in his career, most recently hitting double-figures for the third time this season with 11 points in the victory over Missouri by way of two field goals and five extra points.
- The kicker has been climbing A&M’s all-time field goals made, extra points and scoring lists, ranking sixth with 50 career makes and 10th overall with 244 points, while he is just two extra points away from the top 10, making 94 to-date.
- Last season, Bond registered a new career-long with a 52-yarder against ULM and he later connected from the same distance against South Carolina and Mississippi State.
- Four Aggies on the 2024 roster have registered a blocked kick in their careers ... Senior DL Shemar Turner blocked a pair of field goal attempts last season, getting his hand on the ball in back-to-back weeks against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and junior DL Albert Regis blocked a field goal attempt in the win over Miami in 2022, and senior WR Jahdae Walker blocked a punt a year later in Miami ... Prior to arriving in Aggieland, graduate DB Trey Jones III registered a blocked kick against Eastern Michigan in 2022.
THE ELKO EFFECT
- Known as one of the top defensive minds in the country, head coach Mike Elko has consistently produced highly disruptive and productive defenses throughout his career, most recently putting the Texas A&M defense on the map during his time as defensive coordinator and carrying the same standard as the head coach at Duke.
- In 2023, Duke led the ACC and ranked 16th nationally in scoring defense (19.0 ppg) while registering a top-five rush defense among league teams and standing in 17th in the country with 67 passes defended ... In Elko’s first season as a head coach, the Blue Devils ranked in the top-35 in the nation in scoring defense, rush defense, rushing touchdowns allowed and passes defended.
- After not finishing in the top-50 nationally in total defense for more than a decade, Elko’s first stint in Aggieland as defensive coordinator from 2018-21 coincided with consistent top-35 finishes, including a top-10 ranking in the 2020 final FBS total defense standings.
- Elko has produced top-50 defenses in 11 of the last 12 years with multiple programs (Duke, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Bowling Green).
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