No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC) is taking full advantage of the bye week just four days after blowing out LSU 49-25 behind another elite performance from starting quarterback Marcel Reed, who threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, paired with 108 rushing yards and two scores, while the Aggies pass rush, led by senior edge Cashius Howell, produced seven sacked and 20 pressures.
Earning their first win in Death Valley since 1994, second-year head coach Mike Elko has continued to break down the barriers that have prevented the Aggies from earning a bid to the College Football Playoff since its inception. While there’s still plenty of work to do, Texas A&M has a legitimate chance to finish 12-0 and compete for a National Championship.
Before getting too far ahead, Elko spoke to the media on Wednesday during his weekly SEC Teleconference appearance and provided two key updates regarding sophomore running back Reuben Owens and starting left guard Chase Bisontis, who both sustained minor injuries on Saturday night. Owens, who left the game for a short time, is reportedly “going to be fine,” while Bisontis is “great” heading into the free weekend.
Owens, who will continue to start in place of senior running back Le’Veon Moss before he returns, rushed for 44 yards on eight carries, while Bisontis, who has continued to play at an elite level in both pass protection and run blocking. Concerning the team’s overall health heading into the second half of the season, Elko discussed the importance of staying healthy with everything on the line.
“Health is much more at a premium right now. The first bye week came so early in the year. There were still a lot of things we were trying to develop and clean up.”
“This week, coming off of five straight SEC games, the premium is staying sharp, staying crisp and staying at our level, but maybe some of that is pulling back the physicality just a little bit to get our guys healthy for the stretch run.”
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This is the right approach to avoid any pointless injuries before facing Missouri, South Carolina, Samford, and Texas to finish out the regular season. The Aggies are favored in all but the season finale against the Longhorns and will need to be 100% to pull off the win in Austin.
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