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 wide receivers, headlined by Evan Stewart, Ainias Smith, Noah Thomas, Moose Muhammad III, Jahdae Walker, and more.
Highlights
Enough cannot be said for the play of Stewart and Smith through the first half of the season. Both are tied for the most receiving yards among all Aggies with 451 yards apiece. While Agent Zero has yet to find the endzone through the air, he already has one kick return for a touchdown back in Texas A&M’s win over Arkansas.
Stewart, meanwhile, is tied with Thomas for the most receiving touchdowns for A&M through the first half of the season (4).
The loss of Conner Weigman to a season-ending foot injury was a tough pill to swallow, as the Aggies’ high-octane offense was on full display, and the talent level from the wide receivers corps proved to be a central factor.
Areas of improvement
Thomas’ four receiving touchdowns came during the first two weeks of the season, with three alone in A&M’s season opener versus New Mexico. He totaled 74 receiving yards in Week 1, but since then, he’s surpassed the 40-yard receiving mark just once in last week’s loss to the Vols.
Muhammad, meanwhile, seems to be the odd man out in what is, in reality, a crowded receiving room. He has just 14 receptions for 130 receiving yards and one touchdown, with the latter coming all the way back in Week 1. Muhammad’s 9.3 yards per reception mark a steep decline from his 15.7 average over the previous two seasons.
Final grade: C+
The Aggies rank seventh in the SEC in receiving yards per game (268.1), which is solid but by no means up to par given the talent level in the receiving room. Granted, not all the blame should be shouldered on the players. Weigman’s injury undoubtedly impacts how potent this offense can be through the air, and A&M’s porous pass protection from the offensive line doesn’t help.
Still, the drop-off over the last month can’t be ignored. Since throwing for 399 yards in a Week 3 win over UL Monroe, the Aggies haven’t surpassed the 300-yard mark. Over their last four games, they’ve averaged 216.3 yards per game through the air.
If the Maroon and White hope to steer their season back on track to a strong finish, something has to give on offense. If A&M can address their shortcomings on the offensive line, alongside some added ingenuity via play-action or through some motion, it should help reawaken the receiving performance that was on display earlier in the year.
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