No. 14 Texas A&M visits Mississippi State seeking sixth straight win

Judging from the energetic response, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko believes last week’s bye was right on time for his No. 14 Aggies.

They did well before the mid-season break in grabbing the Southeastern Conference lead, highlighted by a 41-10 rout of Missouri. More challenges await over the next three weeks, with Saturday’s visit to last-place Mississippi State presenting numerous red flags for A&M (5-1, 3-0 SEC) to heed in a season marked by upsets of ranked teams.

“This group of kids, the last time they went down to Starkville, it wasn’t pretty,” said Elko, referring to the Aggies’ 42-24 loss in 2022 while ranked 17th. “So, I don’t even know that we need to look at other people.

“I think we just need to be aware of our own history and understand what it takes to be successful, why we’re doing things, to give ourselves a chance to have success. And understanding that if we stop for any second, we’re going to put all of that at risk.”

The Aggies have won five in a row since losing to Notre Dame, averaging nearly 447 yards per game. Their defense has been solid as well, allowing 311.13 yards in league play, 318 overall and just 16.7 points per contest.

Rebuilding MSU (1-5, 0-3) has dropped five straight, including the past two at top-ranked Texas (35-13) and No. 5 Georgia (41-31) on Saturday. The Bulldogs enter with the league’s lowest-ranked defense in several categories including yardage (465.8 per game) and scoring (33.2 points), but first-year coach Jeff Lebby takes heart in making small strides, such as two interceptions last week in Athens that led to 10 points and outscoring the ’Dawgs 21-7 after halftime.

Texas A&M will mark the third consecutive ranked foe for MSU, which closes the season against No. 11 Tennessee, No. 19 Missouri and No. 18 rival Ole Miss. The Bulldogs lead the series 9-8 but enter the game as 15 1/2-point underdogs according to BetMGM College Sports Odds.

“I think our guys are incredibly encouraged and enthused by the fact that we’ve had really good moments,” Lebby said. “We’ve got to make sure there’s more and more of those moments every single Saturday and build on the good and continue to take away the bad.”

Running wild

Texas A&M’s running game ranks ninth nationally and second in the SEC at 232.3 yards per game. The group is led by Le’Veon Moss, who is second in the conference with 101.5 yards a game. Moss led the Aggies’ win against Missouri with a career-high 138 yards rushing, his third 100-yard outing this season, and three touchdowns. Moss credited success in the run game to offensive coordinator Collin Klein and his creative schemes.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “We’ve got so many different formations; but we could be running the same play, you wouldn’t know.”

Growing pains

MSU quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. is coming off a career-best 306-yard, three-TD performance at Georgia highlighted by scoring passes of 24 and 35 yards. The freshman is 39 for 73 passing for 550 yards in three appearances, including 450 in two starts since taking over for injured Blake Shapen. Georgia didn’t sack Van Buren but Texas dropped him six times for 45 yards. MSU has allowed 19 through six games.

Healthy Weigman

Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman returned for the Aggies against Missouri after missing three games with an injury to his throwing shoulder. He completed 18 of 22 passes for a season-high 276 yards to help the Aggies’ upset. Elko said Weigman was healthy against the Tigers, but it certainly didn’t hurt for him to get a little bit of rest during A&M’s bye week.

“He is in a really good place,” Elko said. “I think every day of rest is helpful for him. It just builds the strength back into it.”

Blanket coverage

Safety Isaac Smith has emerged as the leader of a rebuilding Bulldogs defense. The sophomore is second in the conference with 56 tackles (24 solo) and ranks 12th nationally. His 11.2 stops per game lead the SEC, and Lebby credits his all-around play as motivation against a challenging gauntlet of ranked teams.

“This is the guy that plays the game exactly how you want to play,” he said. “He’s got great toughness, great attitude every single day. And his energy has been infectious for our entire unit.”