14th-ranked Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0 SEC) remains in first place in the SEC standings after defeating Mississippi State 34-24 on Saturday afternoon, as the Aggies will host 8th-ranked LSU inside what could be a sold-out Kyle Field in Week 9.
While a win is a win, Texas &M’s offense left too many plays on the field, mainly due to starting quarterback Conner Weigman’s poor footwork and accuracy issues that led to two costly interceptions. However, enough plays were made through the air and on the ground, including junior running back Le’Veon Moss’s two rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, head coach Mike Elko and DC Jay Bateman made several adjustments that led to an impressive second-half outing, as the Aggies pressured Bulldogs freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren and essentially shut down Mississippi’s passing attack.
After the game, Pro Football Focus released the latest grades from the matchup. Here are the most notable grades on both sides of the ball for every Texas A&M contributor:
Offense:
Quarterback Conner Weigman finished the game with a team-low 48.5 PFF grade, a 36.1 offensive grade, and 33.1 passing grade within a clean pocket. Weigman’s two interceptions came in a clean pocket, as the signal caller was only pressured. Overall, this was one of his worst career performances.
On the offensive line, starting right guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams was stellar once again, finishing with the second highest pass blocking grade (85.8), while starting left tackle Trey Zuhn led the team with an 88.2 pass blocking grade, which is good for third among 209 offensive tackles.
In 38 snaps, senior wide receiver Jabre Barber finished with a team-high 78.9 offensive grade, and and 80.4 receiving grade after leading the team with 92 receiving yards.
Defense:
Defensively, junior linebacker Scooby Williams led the unit with an 84.6 defensive grade, paired with a 84.9 run defense grade and a 77.7 pass rushing grade after recording six tackles and two tackles for loss, including his first career interception.
Sophomore linebacker Taurean York led the Aggies with 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, earning 69.0 defensive grade and a team-high 84.7 tackling grade in one his his better career performances.
On the defensive line, defensive tackle Shemar Turner and defensive end Rylan Kennedy were consistently in the backfield making plays, finishing with impressive defensive grades and pass rush marks:
Shemar Turner: 84.3 defensive grade (season-high), 76.9 run-defense grade, 75.9 defensive grade, and a 79.2 pass-rush grade.
Rylan Kennedy: 75.9 defensive grade, 53.9 run-defense grade, 70.8 pass rush grade.
Texas A&M will host LSU at home on Saturday, Oct. 26th, at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on ABC.
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