The Aggies Wire team is doing the same with Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2), looking to take a breather and reassess heading into the bye week. Namely, there’s no better time to take a pulse check on how the Aggies have fared through the first half of the season, with a deep dive on each positional group.
Next up, we’re looking at the Aggies in the backfield, headlined by Le’Veon Moss, Amari Daniels, and Rueben Owens.
Highlights
Texas A&M’s ground game is good for 83rd in the country, as the Maroon and White boast an average of 131.9 rushing yards per game. While that’s a tad below their 144.7 rushing yards per game average from last year (70th), there had to be an expected drop-off when elite speedster De’Von Achane declared for the NFL Draft.
Leading the way is Le’Veon Moss, whose 82.2 run grade at Pro Football Focus is the best among all Aggie runners this season. Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens have been solid complimentary pieces, but it’s no secret that Moss’ versatility has made him A&M’s true blue RB1.
Areas of improvement
While Moss boasts a strong running grade per PFF, Daniels’ 66.0 grade has been solid, at best. Meanwhile, Owens’ 62.1 grade is likely indicative of having a mere 3.5 yards per carry on the season, coupled with one fumble recorded. Truth be told, Owens’ struggles are to be expected from a true freshman, and he’ll surely get more efficient in the ground game as he continues to develop.
From a larger point of view, A&M’s run game has somewhat cooled off over the last few weeks, which is troublesome as the Aggies’ pass game has been stuck in a rut. While the Maroon and White average over 130 yards per game on the season, that’s dwindled to just 108.3 yards per game in the last three contests and just 54.0 yards in their loss to Tennessee. Among the larger SEC, their ground game ranks 11th out of 14 total teams.
Among the notable adjustments needed for this second half of the season is a kickstart to the ground game once again.
Final grade: C+
The Aggies ground game has had its moments over the course of the season, but it’s clear that there are areas to improve on as the second half of the schedule kicks into full gear.
The Maroon and White enter a pivotal stretch once they welcome South Carolina to Kyle Field in Week 9, and it will be interesting to see how Bobby Petrino leverages the run game as a possible means of lighting a spark in what has been a sluggish offense over the last few games.
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