Tag: Le’veon Moss

‘Nobody wants to see that’ Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reflects on Le’Veon Moss’s injury

Texas A&M HC Mike Elko recently reflected on star running back Le’Veon Moss’s season-ending injury

Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) will host New Mexico State on Saturday night after the Aggies’ Week 11 bye week, knowing that their path to the College Football Playoff hinges on winning their final three regular-season games.

After facing the Aggies, which looks like a blowout win on paper, A&M will head to Auburn for a tough road test next weekend. The regular season finale vs. Texas looks like the toughest game on the schedule for both teams.

However, starting on Saturday, the Aggies will be without star running back Le’Veon Moss for the rest of the year.

On Wednesday, during the weekly Aggie Football Hour, head coach Mike Elko discussed Moss’s injury and the impact it’s already had on A&M’s now thin running back room, with Amari Daniels and EJ Smith being the only scholarship back on the roster:

“Nobody wants to see that. When you see a kid who has worked as hard as he’s worked, put in everything he’s done, to have the season that he was having, and now to have to deal with the adversity of coming back from that injury, you hate it for him.”

Before his injury, Moss had an All-SEC-level season, finishing with 765 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

According to Elko, Moss completed his unspecified lower leg procedure as of Wednesday morning.

No. 15 Texas A&M will host New Mexico State on Saturday, Nov. 16. The game will air on SEC Network at 6:45 p.m. CT.

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Predicting Texas A&M’s 3 remaining football games ahead of Week 11 per ESPN FPI

Here are the latest ESPN FPI predictions for Texas A&M’s three remaining regular season games

Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1) came in at No. 14 and the second team out in the first College Football Playoff projections, ahead of No. 15 LSU and right below No. 12 SMU, as the Aggies are in a great position to finish out the year strong and earn one of the final playoff spots.

After losing to South Carolina in Week 10, most in the national media jumped off the Aggie bandwagon, which began with A&M’s 38-23 win over LSU in one of the more memorable comebacks in program history, vaulting the Aggies to No. 10 in the AP Poll before dropping to No. 15 after falling to the Gamecocks.

Amid the second bye week of the season, head coach Mike Elko is now dealing with the season-ending injury to star running back Le’Veon Moss, meaning junior back Amari Daniels and senior EJ Smith will now become the primary running backs for the final three games.

According to ESPN FPI, here are the latest predictions for New Mexico State, Auburn (on the road), and the season finale vs. Texas.

Texas A&M vs. New Mexico State

Date: Nov. 16

Location: College Station, Kyle Field

ESPN Matchup Predictor: 99.0% chance Texas A&M wins

Nothing has changed here. However, how Elko uses the new and very thin running back rotation will be interesting, as the hope is that the passing game can produce some early scores to keep Amari Daniels and EJ Smith from having to endure unnecessary snaps.

Texas A&M at Auburn

Date: Nov. 23

Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium

ESPN Matchup Predictor: 61.8% chance Texas A&M wins

Texas A&M’s chances to defeat Auburn on the road in Week 14 slightly decreased after the news that RB Le’Veon Moss will miss the rest of the season, but Auburn isn’t South Carolina, so I’ll still give the Aggies the nod.

For more Auburn news and analysis, visit Auburn Wire.

Texas A&M vs. Texas

Date: Nov. 30

Location: College Station, Kyle Field

ESPN Matchup Predictor: 24.7% chance to win

Texas A&M’s chance to defend its home turf and defeat rival Texas dropped nearly six points after losing to South Carolina and Moss’s injury, which isn’t surprising. How the Aggies perform in the next two games will likely determine this matchup.

For more Texas news and analysis, visit Longhorns Wire.

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Can Texas A&M overcome RB Le’Veon Moss’s season ending injury?

Amari Daniels and EJ Smith will need to step up over the next three games

Texas A&M’s perfect record in the SEC standings evaporated in the second half of Saturday’s 44-20 loss to South Carolina, as the Aggies were outscored and outplayed on the road in the most lopsided SEC matchup under first-year head coach Mike Elko.

Things got worse two days after the loss, as it was revealed that star running back Le’Veon Moss would miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a knee injury in the first half of Saturday’s game. On Monday, Elko spoke to the media, revealing Moss’s diagnosis while noting just how well the junior had performed before the news:

“Same thing happened with Tyreek (Chappell). When you see young people turn a corner… You hate for anyone to see adversity, but you hate to see it for those kids. You would like to reward them with a clean path.”

“It’s extremely unfortunate for him. He was having a great year.”

The Aggies still have everything in front of them, tied for first place in the SEC standings at 5-1 entering the bye week, knowing that wins against New Mexico State and Auburn (on the road) will set up a likely play-in scenario vs. Texas for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Texas A&M’s RB room suffered a significant blow due to its paper-thin depth. Junior Amari Daniels and senior EJ Smith are the only scholarship backs on the roster, with Moss now shelved.

“I think we will try to look at everything on the table. We are confident in Amari (Daniels). EJ (Smith) will be the primary backup. At this point, everything is on the table.”

While Daniels, who has already run for 466 yards and six touchdowns, is more than skilled enough to take over, saving his touches is key down the stretch, meaning freshman athlete Terry Bussey could see snaps at running back, as Elko alluded to during the Monday presser:

“Terry (Bussey) is talented… Understanding he is still a freshman, that is maybe lost a little bit.”

“He is effective in the role he’s in, and we are trying to expand that role.”

Realistically, after the bye week, Daniels and Smith will take most of the running back snaps vs. New Mexico State in what is hopefully a short day for both players. At the same time, walk-on RB Anthony DiNota should also see time against the Aggies before Daniels and Smith play nearly every running back snap vs. Auburn and Texas.

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Texas A&M HC Mike Elko gives injury update on running back Le’Veon Moss

Texas A&M junior running back Le’Veon Moss will miss the remainder of the season

Texas A&M football coach Mike Elko opened his weekly press conference by taking responsibility for the loss and breaking the news that junior running back Le’Veon Moss will be out for the rest of the season.

“… so you guys are aware Le’Veon will be out for the year. That will be something we deal with”

This is devastating for Moss, who was on pace to make an All-SEC team. He is the engine that makes the running game so dynamic. He earned the starting spot when Rueben Owens was lost for the year before the season began, and he has been the workhorse for 10 weeks.

Amari Daniels will carry the load with EJ Smith, but the Aggies will have to rethink their play calling now that they are missing their offensive MVP.

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Notable Pro Football Focus grades after Texas A&M’s 44-20 loss to South Carolina

Here are just some of the interesting PFF grades after Texas A&M’s 44-20 loss to South Carolina

Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) will head into the bye week questioning what went wrong vs. South Carolina on Saturday night. The Aggies were blown out of the building, falling 44-20, their biggest season loss thus far after reeling off seven consecutive wins.

This loss wasn’t an aberration, starting and ending with A&M’s porous run defense, aided by 25 missed tackles and a poor performance in the secondary that kept the Aggies behind in the second half after entering halftime tied 20-20 after scoring two touchdowns.

Behind redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed, A&M’s offense moved the ball well in the first half. Still, after starting running back Le’Veon Moss left the game due to a knee injury, OC Collin Klein failed to find any imagination per the play calling, resulting in a scoreless second half.

Going into the bye week, getting back to the basics is key, especially on defense. At the same time, Klein will need to mix up the playcalling, specifically if Le’Veon Moss will be out for an extended period of time.

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:

Senior wide receiver Jabre Barber led the Aggies with seven receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown in one of his best performances in Maroon & White, earning a team-high 784 offensive grade and 77.6 passing grade. He was the only consistent option in the passing game on Saturday night.

QB Marcel Reed, who finished 18/28 for 206 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and 46 rushing yards, was unsuccessful in the eyes of PFF, earning a low 51.3 offensive grade, a 47.3 passing grade, and an average 60.4 running grade.

Running back Amari Daniels, who finished with a team-high 83 rushing yards, including a 55-yard touchdown, continued his strong pass-blocking season (76.9) while finishing with a team-high 73.1 running grade.

On the downside, Texas A&M’s O-line was collectively bad in pass protection, as every starter except left tackle Trey Zuhn earned Pass Pro in the mid-20s, high 30s, or even single digits.

Defense:

As I previously mentioned, the Aggies missed 25 tackles defensively, the most since missing 19 against Notre Dame. While this has been an up-and-down issue throughout the season, it’s fixable, especially during the bye week.

Player-wise, PFF revealed that an impressive 15 Aggies earned a defensive grade above 60, while linebacker Solomon DeSheilds earned a team-high 72.4 overall.

In terms of pass-rush success, star defensive end Nic Scourton was average by his standards, earning the second-highest pass-rush grade (67.4) behind Cashius Howell’s prolific 90.9 grade, even though the Aggies failed to produce a sack and just six tackles for loss.

Coverage-wise, the secondary held up after allowing several explosive plays but struggled overall. However, nearly every cornerback or safety earned coverage grades at or above 60.

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Texas A&M HC Mike Elko provides update on RB Le’Veon Moss’s injury status

Texas A&M HC Mike Elko provided a breif update on RB Le’Veon Moss’s health status

Texas A&M’s seven-game winning streak ended at the hands of South Carolina on Saturday night. The Gamecocks destroyed the Aggies, 44-20, in one of the more lopsided losses for the Aggies in several seasons.

Knowing just how physical South Carolina has been all season, Texas A&M’s defense needed to match that physicality but failed to do so while missing 25 tackles, the most in more than eight seasons.

Offensively, quarterback Marcel Reed earned his fourth start of the year but looked average in the second half. The injury to starting running back Le’Veon Moss certainly hindered the Aggies’ offensive rhythm.

Moss exited the game early in the first half after sustaining what looked like a brutal knee injury on the sideline. Trainers requested a cart to take Moss off the field, which is usually a very bad sign.

After the game, coach Mike Elko provided a brief but positive update on Moss’s injury, stating,

“It doesn’t look as bad as it did on the field.”

While this single sentence is not equal to a final medical diagnosis, Moss may have avoided the worst outcome. However, we will hear more going into the week.

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Instant reactions to No. 10 Texas A&M’s blowout 44-20 loss to South Carolina

Texas A&M falls 44-20 on the road to South Carolina, dropping its first SEC game of the season.

No. 10 Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) was handled by South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 SEC) 44-20 on the road, the Aggies’ first SEC loss of the season.

The SEC is an extremely competitive week-to-week league. There are no trap games in this league. You line up, and the better team each week wins. On Saturday, the Gamecocks punched A&M in the mouth and ran away from the Aggies in a statement win.

Coach Mike Elko’s style of defense was absent. The Aggies were plagued by untimely penalties and a lack of toughness. However, the most unforgivable thing had to be the poor tackling. The defense was called perfectly several times, but the defender missed the sack or there was a defensive penalty.

Offensively, they looked like the team that stepped onto the field against Notre Dame to start the season. Redshirt quarterback Marcel Reed started; however, the spark from his three-touchdown comeback win over LSU was missing. They couldn’t push the ball downfield, the running game stagnated with the loss of running back Le’Veon Moss in the first half and Reed had two costly turnovers.

Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

It was not a good night in the office for the coaching staff or the players, who dropped a tough game before the second bye week of the season. This loss is not season-ending, but the Aggies will need to win out to have a chance at the SEC title game and a college football playoff spot.

Going into their second bye week, the Aggies’ next game is at home against New Mexico State on Nov. 16 at Kyle Field in Bryan-College Station, Texas.

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Texas A&M star RB carted off with injury vs. South Carolina

With a reported knee injury, Texas A&M star RB Le’Veon Moss was carted off the field in the first half against South Carolina

Texas A&M’s Week 10 road test vs. South Carolina has been all Gamecocks thus far, as the Aggies quickly fell behind 14-0 before two Randy Bond Field goals cut the lead to 17-6 with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half.

However, the Aggies are now dealing with a possibly serious injury to star junior running back Le’Veon Moss, who, after catching a pass from quarterback Marcel Reed, was hit low out of bounds and stayed on the ground for a sustained period of time.

After being helped off the field without putting any pressure on what looked to be his right knee, Moss stayed in the injury tent for the rest of the first quarter while the training staff requested a cart. While any speculation is inappropriate now, it does not look good for the star back.

Through eight games this season, Moss has run for 757 yards and ten touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per rush.

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Texas A&M’s red zone offense will be tested against LSU’s defense

Texas A&M’s red zone offense has been the best in the SEC, but will face the best red zone defense against LSU

Ahead of Texas A&M’s Week 9 showdown against 8th-ranked LSU inside what could be a sold-out Kyle Field on Saturday night, we at Aggies Wire have analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of both teams, including the Aggies’ highly efficient red zone offense under first-year OC Collin Klein.

Going into the matchup, this looks like a quarterback duel that could come down to the final possession, as Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman needs to find the same rhythm he had during the Aggies’ 41-10 win over the Missouri Tigers earlier this year, while LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier is one of the best throwers in the country.

One area of interest before both teams take the field is Texas A&M’s borderline elite red zone offense, which scores touchdowns on nearly 80% of its trips. Meanwhile, LSU’s red zone defense allows an SEC-best 33% in the red area, pitting the best against the best.

For the Aggies to make it in the endzone against the Tiger’s stout front and impressive linebacker play, OC Collin Klein will need to get in his back, utilize motion, and find ways to get tight ends open, utilizing various mesh concepts to get receivers on the move and confuse the defense.

However, If and when the Aggies move the ball down the field and reach the red zone, star running back Le’Veon Moss will be the focal point, as the junior has already scored eight touchdowns through seven days.

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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Aggie RB Le’Veon Moss is one of the most efficient backs in the SEC

Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss is becoming one of the top offensive players in the SEC

Seven weeks into the 2024 college football season Texas A&M has made a big jump in the running game. The offensive line and running back corps have been in sync, having developed into one of the SEC’s top rushing attacks.

The workhorse has been junior running back Le’Veon Moss who is currently third in the SEC in rushing yards (609) and top 20 nationally. He also has the best average yards per carry in the conference with any player over 60 carries at 6.9. However, one of the most impressive stats when rushing the ball with three yards or less.

Moss and Daniels are 1a and 1b with a 100% success rate meaning no matter what down if the distance is under three yards they are converting.  Between their tough nose running and the improved offensive line the Aggie running game has kept them afloat on the offensive side of the ball while they have been figuring out the passing game.

https://twitter.com/SEC_StatCat/status/1844448962943778835

All indications show that Moss with have over 1,000 rushing yards and at least double-digit touchdowns when the season comes to an end. Depending how well Conner Weigman plays the rest of the season he might be the team’s offensive MVP as well.

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