Game Day Preview: Mississippi State

The Matchup:	(#21) Mississippi State (3-1, 1-1) at (#14) Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0)
Kickoff:	Saturday, Oct. 3 - 6:39 p.m.
Venue:	Kyle Field
Watch:	SEC Network (Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer, Maria Taylor) | WatchESPN | WatchESPN (SkyCam Feed)
Listen:	Texas A&M Sports Network (Dave South, Dave Elmendorf, Will Johnson) | 12thMan.com - TuneIn - Sirius 83/XM 190
	Texas A&M Spanish Network (Pedro Vela, Noel Orellana) | 12thMan.com
	Westwood One Radio Network (Chuck Cooperstein, Tim Brown)
Live Stats:	12thman.com
Game Notes:	Texas A&M | Mississippi State | SEC

 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:       #MSSTvsTAMU

• A victory would give the Aggies a 5-0 overall start for the second year in a row, which hasn't happened since 1940-41.
• A victory would give the Aggies a 2-0 start in conference play for the second straight year, which hasn't happened since 1997-98.
• Another big crowd is expected at the redeveloped Kyle Field (capacity of 102,733) for the MSU game. Texas A&M is averaging 103,402 through the first two home games, which leads the SEC.
• Fourth-year A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin will be seeking his ninth victory over an AP Top 25 opponent when the No. 14 Aggies battle No. 21 Mississippi State. Among all A&M coaches, Sumlin ranks No. 3 in AP Top 25 wins behind NFF Hall of Famer R.C. Slocum (17) and Jackie Sherrill (9). Sumlin has compiled an 8-9 record vs. top 25 foes in his first 43 games at Texas A&M.
• True freshman WR/RS Christian Kirk is on pace to hit 1,000 all-purpose yards in the fifth game of 2015. The fastest any Aggie has ever reached 1,000 is six games by Leeland McElroy in 1995. Kirk, who is ranked No. 5 in the FBS (No. 2 in SEC),  needs 195 A-P yards to reach 1,000.
• Sophomore QB Kyle Allen is 48 passing yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard barrier in the fifth game of the season. Only four QBs have hit 1,000 yards faster than five games.
• Junior WR Josh Reynolds is one receiving TD away from moving into a tie for No. 5 in school history in career receiving TDs (with Mike Evans).
• Senior DT Alonzo Williams' next tackle will be the 100th of his career.

 
DIPLOMA CHASERS

By the end of the 2015 season, there will likely be more than a dozen graduates on the Texas A&M football roster.

• Five Aggies enter the fall semester with their degrees already in hand: TE Brandon Alexander, PK Taylor Bertolet, OG Joseph Cheek, P Drew Kaser and TE Caden Smith.
• Expected to receive their diplomas at Texas A&M's fall commencement include: DB Devonta Burns, RB Tra Carson,  DL Isaac Flores, OL Ryan Lindblade, C Mike Matthews, 12th Man Sam Moeller, OL Jeremiah Stuckey, RB Blaine Townsend, QB Jordan Traylor and RB/CB Brandon Williams.

 
MOELLER CLOSES IN ON 12TH MAN STARTS RECORD

Senior Sam Moeller (San Antonio, Texas /Antonian Prep) is slated to make his 31st consecutive 12th Man start against Mississippi State, which would give him sole possession of the school record for 12th Man starts at Texas A&M. Moeller is currently tied with Nick Lamantia, who also had 30 starts from 2006-08.

• Texas A&M's famous 12th Man tradition dates back to 1922 when student E. King Gill came out of the stands in the Dixie Classic in Dallas at the request of legendary head coach Dana X. Bible because of injuries to his football team. Gill never entered the game but "stood ready" in the Aggies' 22-14 win over the powerhouse Centre College Praying Colonels.
• In honor of the tradition, the Texas A&M student body "stands ready" to show their support of their team on the field.
• The 12th Man Kickoff Team tradition was started in 1982 by then-head coach Jackie Sherrill after being inspired by watching students build the famous Aggie Bonfire. "I knew that I could find, out of 40-some-odd thousand students, 11 guys that would cover kickoffs, but have no regard for their body and be tough as nails," Sherrill said. (Source: MyAggieNation.com) Beginning in 1991, a single 12th Man was chosen to represent the study body on the kickoff unit.

 
12th Man Starts 
 
NOTABLES: OFFENSE / DEFENSE / SPECIAL TEAMS

Team:

• The Aggies were turnover-free last week against ARK and won the turnover battle for the first time in 2015. It was the Aggies' first turnover-free game since the 2014 season-opener vs. South Carolina.
• Texas A&M holds a healthy 97-27 scoring advantage in the first half after the first four games of 2015.
• In the last three games, the Aggies have passed for 10 touchdowns against just one interception, while completing 66.7 percent of their passes (62-of-93).
• Texas A&M is converting on third downs at a solid 43.0 percent rate for the season (slightly up from 2014), despite converting just 6-of-21 third downs situations the past two games.
• The Aggie defense ranks in the top five nationally in QB sacks (17.0) and tackles for loss (38.0).
• With the 28-21 overtime win over ARK, the Aggies have won their conference opener in consecutive years for the first time since 2004-05.
• The Aggies will be seeking to start 2-0 in the conference in consecutive years for the first time since 1997-98 vs. MSU.
• The Aggies have started 4-0 in consecutive years for the first time since 1940-41. Texas A&M will be seeking its second straight 5-0 start, which hasn't happened since the Aggies started the 1939-41 seasons with at least eight straight wins.
• Twenty-two players weighing 300 or more pounds dot the Aggies' 2015 roster, which is the most in school history. Leading the way were junior OT Germain Ifedi and freshman DT Daylon Mack, who tipped the scales at 335 pounds.
• After his first three seasons, Sumlin's 28 wins were a record for an Aggie head coach. The previous record was 27 victories by National Football Foundation Hall of Fame coach R.C. Slocum in 1989-91.
• Changes to the Aggies' 2015 coaching staff include the additions of John Chavis (defensive coordinator/LB), Dave Christensen (run game coordinator/OL) and Aaron Moorehead (WR). 2014 LB coach Mark Hagen, who served as interim defenisive coordinator in the Liberty Bowl, shifted his coaching responsibility to DTs. Terry Price, who oversaw the entire DL from 2012-14, now focuses on the DEs.

 
Offense:

• Sophomore Kyle Allen has started at QB in the Aggies' last nine games (7-2 record in those starts, five straight wins).
• Allen arguably had the most complete game of his career against Arkansas, establishing career highs in total offense (363 yards) and passing yards (358) while completing 21-of-28 passes (75.0 percent which matched his single game career high) for two touchdowns with no interceptions.
• Making his rushing attempts count, Allen leads all SEC rushers with nearly 58 percent of his rushes resulting in a first down or a touchdown (11-of-19 / QB sacks aren't counted among the rushing attempts).
• The Aggies are 5-0 since senior RB Tra Carson emerged as the Aggies' workhorse running back in last year's bowl game. Carson has rushed for 320 yards and three TDs on 69 carries in 2015, which is more than triple the carries of the next most active RB rusher).
• Including last year's bowl effort (25-133), Carson is averaging 18.8 carries / 90.6 rushing yards in his last five outings.   
• Providing depth behind Carson are senior former walkon Brice Dolezal and freshman walkon Kwame Etwi. Dolezal was called the "human victory cigar" by Sumlin because he only saw action when the game was in hand prior to 2015. Etwi was an invited walkon after being named the District 16-6A Offensive MVP in 2014.
• Carson's top backup James White hasn't seen any action due to an undisclosed injured suffered after just two carries in the season-opener. Also providing depth is senior Brandon Williams, who converted to cornerback during the summer but remains an option at RB.
• The Scottsdale, Ariz., connection between Allen and true freshman WR Christian Kirk provided the winning margin over the Hogs when Allen and Kirk hooked up on a 20-yard TD catch in the first overtime period. Members of the 2014 and 2015 signing  classes, respectively, Allen went to Desert Mountain HS and Kirk attended Saguaro HS. Both were early enrollees at Texas A&M.
• After just four career games, Kirk has already earned SEC weekly honors twice -- Freshman POW honors after the Arizona State win and Special Team POW after Arkansas.
• With a career-high 173 yards vs. ARK, Kirk rolled to his third 100-yard receiving game in just his fourth career game. He already matched the Texas A&M freshman record for season 100-yard games set originally by Uzoma Nwachukwu in 2009 and matched by Mike Evans in 2012.
• Entering the MSU game, Kirk leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (7.5/g), TDs (5), catches (6.0/g), receiving yards (110.5/g), punt return yards (149), kickoff return yards (209) and all-purpose yards (201.2/g).
• Kirk is tied for second in the SEC with 15 "impact receptions," which is defined as catches resulting in a first down or a touchdown. He ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in "impact receptions" on second-, third- and fourth-down plays.
• Junior WR Josh Reynolds had the second 100-yard receiving game of his career with 106 yards vs. ARK. It also pushed him over 1,000 for his career in just his 17th game (fourth fastest in school history).
• Allen won the starting job out of August camp after a strong challenge from true freshman Kyler Murray. 
• Murray arrived at Texas A&M in June with sparkling credentials, including a perfect 42-0 record as a starter at Allen High School (suburb of Dallas). He was also named the 2015 Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year. Kyler's father, Kevin Murray, was a record-setting passer for the Aggies and posted a 25-6-1 record as a starting QB from 1983-86.
• With only 16 total rushing attempts this season, Murray ranks No. 9 in the SEC with four "impact rushes" on third downs (impact rushes result in a first down or touchdown). Murray is tied for second in the SEC with 53.9 percent of his rushes resulting in a "impact rush."
• The Aggies' WR corps returns five players that grabbed 29 or more catches in 2014, including three that grabbed more than 40 -- Josh Reynolds (52-842-13), Ricky Seals-Jones (49-465-4) and Speedy Noil (46-583-5).
• The offensive front returns three of five starters from 2014, including All-America candidates Germain Ifedi (RT) and Mike Matthews (C).
• Ifedi, as a redshirt junior, could have decided to jump to the NFL after the 2014 season but elected to come back for his junior year. Texas A&M has had an offensive tackle selected in the first round of the last three NFL Drafts (Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews and Cedric Ogbuehi).

 
Defense:

• The Aggies have already established Sumlin era highs for sacks (9 vs. Arizona State) and tackles for losses (16 vs. Nevada). The 16 TFLs vs. the Wolf Pack eclipsed the 14 from the ASU, which was also a Sumlin era high. 
• Texas A&M limits opps to 28.1 percent success rate on 3rd downs, which ranks No. 22 nationally. Last year, the Aggies allowed 40.0 percent.
• Sophomore DE Myles Garrett is tied for No. 2 nationally in QB sacks with 6.5 and No. 8 in TFLs (7.5). Last year Garrett broke Jadeveon Clowney's SEC freshman record with 11.5 QB takedowns.
• Nevada schemed for the challenge of facing Garrett by having its scout team defensive ends line up offsides in practice to simulate Garrett's quickness, according to the SEC Network TV crew.
• Despite the game-planning by Nevada and also having his wisdom teeth removed less than a week previously, Garrett matched his career high with 3.5 sacks against the Wolf Pack.
• Garrett teams with junior teammate Daeshon Hall to form perhaps the nation's most formidable pass rushing tandem. Both rank in the top 15 nationally and have combined for 10.5 sacks, which is more than any other teammate tandem in the nation..
• Virtually every time Chavis has spoken to the media since being hired, he has spoken confidently about his starting DEs Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall. He raised eyebrows in August when he called the ends two of the best in college football. "That's a pretty big statement, but I'm not afraid to make that statement," Chavis said.
• Garrett was a preseason All-American and All-SEC pick after breaking the SEC freshman QB sack record as a true freshman in 2014 (11.5).
• The defensive front returns all four starters from 2014 -- Garrett, Obioha, DT Hardreck Walker and DT Alonzo Williams.
• Providing a huge boost to the d-line has been 335-pound true freshman Daylon Mack, who is tied for No. 2 among SEC freshmen with four TFLs (No. 7 with 14 total tackles). Playing with great effort, Mack ran down a Ball State RB from behind after gain of 32 yards.
• Already making an impact in the middle is sophomore DT Zaycoven Henderson, made his first career vs. ARK. It was also the first sack allowed by Arkansas in 2015.
• Injuries kept the Aggies' top four linebackers -- Otaro Alaka, Josh Walker, Shaan Washington and A.J. Hilliard -- from going through spring drills under Chavis.
• Washington was the team's top returning tackler with 64 stops in 2014, despite missing three full games and not making any starts. He has started the first four games of 2015 and ranks No. 2 on the team with 24 tackles.
• Slowed by a fall camp injury, Alaka's first 2015 action came in game 2. He has started the past two contests (12 stops).
• Hilliard started the 2014 season-opener vs. SC at LB, but was lost for the season due to injury early in the third quarter after a strong start. He has started the last two games and contributed 18 stops.
• The Aggies' secondary has been boosted by the position change of Brandon Williams from RB to CB. The athletic and competitive Williams was voted a team captain by his teammates. He started six games at RB last year and was a stalwart on the Aggies' kick coverage units.
• CB De'Vante Harris has been one of the main beneficiaries of DC John Chavis' arrival. Excelling in man coverage, Harris made the critical fourth-down PBU to clinch ARK game and leads the team with three PBUs.
• Newcomer Justin Evans, who enrolled in January, has strengthened the Aggies with his physical play at safety (4th on team with 21 tackles). The 6-1,195-pound Evans earned all-conference honors at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC in 2014 (47 tackles, 5 interceptions).
• Sophomore DB Donovan Wilson, who made his first career start in last year's bowl game, has been a disruptive force in 2015 with 23 tackles, 3.5 TFL, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two pickoffs while starting every game in 2015.
• Sophomore safety Armani Watts led the team with three pickoffs in 2014 and also ranked as the top returning tackler in the secondary (59 tackles). He has picked up where he left off with a team-high 32 tackles, including a career-best 14 stops vs. ARK.
• The healthy return of Noel Ellis has given the Aggies more DB options. Ellis missed 2014 after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. With the disorder managed in 2015, he has contributed 12 tackles and recovered a fumble.

 
Special Teams

• Senior DB Sam Moeller is slated to make his 31st consecutive 12th Man start against MSU, which would give him sole possession of the school record for 12th Man starts at Texas A&M. Moeller is currently tied with Nick Lamantia, who also had 30 starts from 2006-08.
• Senior punter Drew Kaser is a weapon for the Aggies at punter. He broke the school record for punt average as a sophomore (47.4 average), the school record for coffin corner boots as a junior (22) and is on pace to break the school career punting record.
• Kaser is one of just two FBS punters averaging over 50 yards per boot (51.6). His low punt average game of 2015 was 48.8 vs. ARK last week (on four punts).
• Six of Kaser's 14 punts have been downed inside the opp 20, and nine have been 50-yard+ bombs.
• Texas A&M ranks No. 3 in the SEC (No. 18 in FBS) with a 41.4 net punt average.
• Fifth-year senior PK Taylor Bertolet has returned to the starter's role on field goals and extra points after concentrating on kickoff duties the past two seasons. Bertolet was the Aggies' full-time PK as a freshman in 2012 and connected on 13-of-22 FGs and a whopping 67 PATs that season. He has three career 50-yard plus boots and 169 career touchbacks on kickoffs.
• Bertolet has connected on 23-of-24 placekicks in 2015 -- 6-7 on FGs and 17-17 on PATs.
• Dynamic freshman Christian Kirk has handled the bulk of the Aggies' punt and kick returns in 2015. Kirk already has 79- and 56-yard punt returns.
• With Kirk leading the way, the Aggies lead the SEC with a 27.7 punt return average (6 for 166).

 
TERR0RIZING QBs IS HIS SPECIALTY

Sophomore DE Myles Garrett has lived up to his preseason acclaim with a strong start to 2015. He is tied for second in the FBS with 6.5 QB sacks.

• Garrett's sack and strip of ARK QB Brandon Allen forced overtime in the Aggies' 28-21 win over the Razorbacks.
• Garrett tied a career-high with 3.5 sacks lvs. NEV despite having his wisdom teeth removed less than a week previously.
• Nevada schemed for the challenge of facing Garrett by having its scout team defensive ends line up offsides in practice to simulate Garrett's quickness, according to the SEC Network TV crew.
• His older sister, Brea Garrett, was a NCAA Champion thrower for the Texas A&M track and field team. His older brother, Sean Williams, has played for several NBA teams and currently plays basketball overseas.
• Among his measurables are 4.46 in the 40, 10' 9.5" in the broad jump and 38.5" in the vertical jump.
• Described as a "dino-geek," Garrett says of his post-football life: "I want to be a paleontologist, whether it's amateur or professional." (Sports Illustrated, July 27, 2015)

 
NCAA QB Sacks Leaders 
BULKED-UP HALL FLIRTS WITH RECORD

Junior DE Daeshon Hall proved defensive coordinator John Chavis prophetic by earning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors on Sept. 7 after tormenting Arizona State with four QB sacks and two forced fumbles in the season-opener.

• Hall's four-sack effort tied for second-most in a single game in school history, trailing only the five-sack performance by Alex Morris vs. Houston in 1987.
• Hall matched the sack total of three first-team All-Americans: Jacob Green, Ray Childress and John Roper.
• Hall came to Texas A&M on his recruiting visit in 2013 as a 208-pound "basketball player," according to head coach Kevin Sumlin. He has bulked up to 260 pounds as a junior.
• Nickname is "Dae Dae."
• Moved from Seattle, Wash., to Lancaster, Texas in high school. His high school coach Chris Gilbert got his first glimpse of Hall playing basketball. "He was just like hammering dunks," Gilbert said. "He was a little thin, but I could tell he was strong. He said, 'Coach, I love basketball but everybody tells me they think I can play on Sundays, and I think I can.' '' (Dallas Morning News, Sept. 12, 2014)

 
TAMU single Game QB Sacks 
 
RECORD-SETTING REYNOLDS KEEPS FINDING ENDZONE

Preseason All-SEC WR Josh Reynolds keeps finding his way to the endzone. A&M's season receiving TDs record-holder, Reynolds has three in 2015 and will enter the career top five with his next receiving TD.

• Reynolds' 13 receiving TDs last season broke the school record of 12 originally set by Jeff Fuller in 2010 and matched by 2014 NFL first-round pick Mike Evans in 2013.
• Earlier this season, head coach Kevin Sumlin revealed that Reynolds set the record while playing through a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. "Maybe we can get 26 touchdowns out of him this year," Sumlin said, smiling. "We're excited about him now that he's 100 percent and ready to go and not a one-armed guy out there." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram,  Aug. 28, 2015)
• Of Reynolds' 13 receiving TDs in 2014, nine of them came vs. SEC opponents.
• Overlooked by FBS programs out of HS, Reynolds went to Tyler Junior College as a full qualifier and then transferred to A&M with three years of eligibility in 2014.
• Coaching staff was tipped off to Reynolds by A&M T&F coach Pat Henry, who had recruited Reynolds as a high jumper.

 
TAMU Career Receiving TDs 
KASER REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK

Senior preseason All-SEC punter Drew Kaser continues his assault on the Aggies' punting record book. He is on pace to erase perennial NFL All Pro Shane Lechler's A&M record for career punt average (44.69 average on 268 punts).

• Kaser is one of just two FBS punters averaging over 50 yards per boot (51.6). His low punt average game of 2015 was 48.8 vs. ARK last week (on four punts).
• Six of Kaser's 14 punts have been downed inside the opp 20, and nine have been 50-yard+ bombs.
• Kaser's career average stands at 46.2 on 122 career boots. Lechler's school record was an NCAA record with a minimum of 250 career punts and remains No. 2 on the NCAA list. For NCAA record consideration, Kaser would need 150 career punts.
• As a junior, Kaser deposited 22 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line, which broke the old school record of 21 set by Lechler in 1998.
• As a sophomore in 2013, Kaser earned All-America honors and was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award after leading the SEC and breaking Lechler's season school record with a 47.4 average.

 
NCAA Punt Average 
ALLEN WINS STARTING JOB IN AUGUST CAMP

Sophomore QB Kyle Allen, who started the final five games of the 2014, won a position battle in August camp to earn the starter's in a tight battle with freshman Kyler Murray.

• Allen has started at QB in the Aggies' last nine games (7-2 record in those starts, with five straight wins).      
• Allen arguably had the most complete game of his career against Arkansas, establishing career highs in total offense (363 yards) and passing yards (358) while completing 21-of-28 passes (75.0 percent which matched his single game career high) for two touchdowns with no interceptions.
• Allen matched his career-highs for passing TDs and TD responsibility with four passing scores and five total TDs vs. Nevada (four pass, one rush). It was his third career game with four passing TDs (also vs. Auburn and West Virginia in 2014), and his five total TDs match his four pass/one run effort against the Mountaineers in the Liberty Bowl.
• Allen has passed for at least one touchdown in every game he played when he attempted at least six passes.
• Last season, Allen was named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Aggies to a road upset of Auburn on Nov. 8 (41-38). He was also named the overall Game MVP in the Aggies' bowl game win over West Virginia after surpassing the 300-yard mark in total offense for the first time and throwing for 294 yards and four scores.

 
SPEEDY IMPACT

Preseason All-SEC WR Speedy Noil's impact on the Aggies' receiving corps and return units were impressive in his first season with the Aggies in 2014.

• Despite missing a midseason game due to injury, Noil was the Aggies' leader in all-purpose yardage and punt and kickoff return yardage, and he ranked third on the team in receiving yardage.
• Noil's 1,418 all-purpose yards ranked No. 4 by a freshman in school history.
• He was the fifth freshman (second true freshman) to reach the 40-catch plateau (46) and his 583 receiving yards ranked No. 5 in the freshman record book.

 
Freshman All-Purpose Yards 
ABOUT THOSE WRs

• Texas A&M is the only school in the SEC with three returning receivers that had 40-or-more catches last season. Ole Miss is the only other school with more than one 40-catch plus receiver returning.
• Texas A&M is the only school in the SEC with four returning WRs that had more than 400 receiving yards in 2014. 
• Texas A&M is the only school in the SEC with four returning WRs that had four-or-more receiving TDs in 2014. Junior Josh Reynolds, who had 13 receiving TDs last year, is the SEC's only returning receiver with double-digit scores.

 
RARE FRESHMAN

True freshman WR Christian Kirk has been a huge boost to an already-solid wide receiver unit that featured three returnees with 40 or more catches in 2014.

• After just four career games, Kirk has already earned SEC weekly honors twice -- Freshman POW honors after the Arizona State win and Special Team POW after Arkansas.
• With a career-high 173 yards vs. ARK, Kirk rolled to his third 100-yard receiving game in just his fourth career game. He already matched the Texas A&M freshman record for season 100-yard games set originally by Uzoma Nwachukwu in 2009 and matched by Mike Evans in 2012.
• Entering the MSU game, Kirk leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (7.5/g), TDs (5), catches (6.0/g), receiving yards (110.5/g), punt return yards (149), kickoff return yards (209) and all-purpose yards (201.2/g).
• Kirk is tied for second in the SEC with 15 "impact receptions," which is defined as catches resulting in a first down or a touchdown. He ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in "impact receptions" on second-, third- and fourth-down plays.
• Against ASU, Kirk became the first Aggie freshman in program history to hit the 100-yard plateau in receiving yards in his playing debut with 106 yards and a touchdown on six catches.

 
SEC ALL-PURPOSE YARDS LEADERS 
TWO-WAY SLIM

When senior Brandon Williams took a handoff for a three-yard gain in the first quarter against Nevada, he became Texas A&M's first two-way player since the late 1960s when future All-America and NFL All-Pro defensive back Dave Elmendorf and Ross Brupbacher saw action on both offense and defense for the 1968 Aggies.

• Williams, who was strictly a RB his first two seasons at Texas A&M, made the position change to cornerback after spring drills but remains an option at running back for the Aggies.
• "I'm a football player," Williams said. "I'm not a running back. I'm not a cornerback. I'm not a D-end. I'm a football player. I love to play football, so whatever I need to do to help the team win and play football, I'll do." (Bryan-College Station Eagle, Sept. 16, 2015)
• Williams started six games at RB and gained 388 yards on 87 carries in 2014.
• A five-star RB recruit out of Brookshire-Royal HS, Williams said he hadn't played defense since pee-wee football "and even then it was at safety." He signed with Oklahoma originally out of high school.
• Nickname is "Slim."
• "At 6-foot, 205, he's an average-to-slight build running back in the NFL. At 6-foot, 205, he's a big cornerback and a NFL prospect," Sumlin said. "He's physical, one of the fastest guys on the team, has long arms and he's strong. The sky is the limit for him. He helps our football team at cornerback, but he's also helping himself by showcasing where he can play at the next level. If he can improve his technique, he's gone from a free agent/late round to a draft pick. (The position change) helps him and it helps us."

 
WORKHORSE CARSON

The Aggies are 5-0 since senior RB Tra Carson emerged as the Aggies' workhorse running back in last year's bowl game.

• Carson has rushed for 320 yards and three TDs on 69 carries in 2015, which is more than triple the carries of the next most active RB rusher).
• Including last year's bowl effort (25-133), Carson is averaging 18.8 carries / 90.6 rushing yards in his last five outings.  
• Carson had a career-high 29 carries (96 yards) and was on the field for a whopping 80 plays in the Aggies' season-opening win over then-No. 15 Arizona State.
• "He's a workhorse," Sumlin says. "He's 230 to 235 pounds, a big back, great blocker, trustworthy. He can do everything for us and he's a leader."
• The Aggies' 2014 RB-by-committee was pared down in the offseason when Trey Williams opted to enter the NFL early and six-game starter Brandon Williams shifted to defense.
• Prior to Carson's recent run, his career high for carries and yards came in his first game in the maroon and white (14 carries for 76 yards vs. Rice on Aug. 31, 2013). In fact, prior to last year's bowl game, Carson had just five double-digit carry games and no 100-yard rushing games.
• Carson transferred to Texas A&M in 2012 after playing his freshman season at Oregon in 2011. Carson rushed for 254 yards in 10 games of action.
• A three-star RB, Carson broke LaMichael James' school rushing record at Liberty-Eylau HS in Texarkana, Texas with 2,202 yards as a senior. 
• Tra is short for Latravion.

 
"FAST START"-ERS

One of the opening periods of head coach Kevin Sumlin's practices is called "fast start." Occurring just after warmups, "fast start" features several live-action 11-on-11 series just like a game situation. He started implementing the period when his teams at the University of Houston were getting off to slow starts.

• In 43 games under Sumlin, A&M has scored at least 14 first-quarter points 20 times.
• Texas A&M has scored first in 36-of-43 games under Kevin Sumlin.
• On opening offensive series under Sumlin, the Aggies have scored 26-of-43 times with an impressive 25 touchdowns. 
• In first quarters under Sumlin (43 games), the Aggies have outscored their opponents 466-136.
• A&M has been outscored in the first quarter in just 11 games under Sumlin.

 
ROAD WARRIORS

• Texas A&M has compiled a 17-4 record in games away from Kyle Field during the Kevin Sumlin era.
• In the previous five seasons before Sumlin's arrival, the Aggies were 10-19 away from Kyle Field.
• The last winning record away from Kyle Field prior to Sumlin's arrival in 2012 came in 2006.

 
TOP 10 ROAD WINS

Head coach Kevin Sumlin's arrival in 2012 has coincided with the Aggies' recent trend of road wins over top 10 teams.

• Sumlin has posted three road victories over top 10-ranked teams -- 29-24 over No. 1 Alabama in 2012, 52-28 over No. 9 South Carolina in 2014 and 41-38 over No. 3 Auburn in 2014.
• Sumlin is the only Aggie head coach in school history with more than two top 10 road victories after just three seasons. (Paul "Bear" Bryant and Emory Bellard both had two).

 
SUMLIN VS. TOP 25

In his eighth season as a head coach, fourth-year Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin has a career record of 11-10 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 (8-9 at A&M).
 
Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at TAMU)vs. Duke, 2013                            No. 22            W, 52-48 
Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at UH)at Oklahoma State, 2009                No. 5             W, 45-35 
MAROON GOONS...

Calling themselves the Maroon Goons since 2012, the projected starting lineup of tackles Germain Ifedi and Avery Gennesey, guards Joe Cheek and Jeremiah Stuckey and center Mike Matthews weigh in at 1,540 pounds, or 308.0 pounds per goon. Collectively, they are one of the top five heaviest starting groups in school history.
 
Here's the Beef
(Starters/Possible Starters by career starts) 
MAROON DEBUTS

Several members of the 2015 signing class are already making their impact felt at the collegiate level: 
EXPERIENCED AGGIES

With 16 returning starters, the 2015 Aggies have the most returning starters of the Kevin Sumlin era at Texas A&M.

• The Aggies return eight starters on both offense and defense.
• Texas A&M has 44 lettermen returning from the 2014 team that posted an 8-5 record, beat two top 10 teams on the road and defeated West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl. The 44 returning lettermen is typical of the Aggies during the Sumlin era, which has also had 47 returning letterwinners in 2012, 46 in 2013 and 51 in 2014.
• The Aggies' 2015 roster boasts 18 seniors, which is the most since Sumlin's first Texas A&M squad in 2012. Half of those seniors have started at least five games during their Texas A&M careers, including four that have started 20 games or more (DL Julien Obioha, CB De'Vante Harris, OC Mike Matthews and DT Alonzo Williams).

 
NO OPPONENTS FROM STATE OF TEXAS ON 2015 SCHEDULE

Although the Aggies play nine games within the boundaries of the state of Texas, Texas A&M will not face a single opponent from the Lone Star State for the first time in program history in 2015.

• The 2015 home schedule features seven home games at the redeveloped Kyle Field, including SEC contests vs. Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina and Auburn.
• The Aggies will face just three true road contests in 2015 -- vs. Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and LSU.

 
AGGIES ON NFL OPENING DAY ROSTERS

A total of 28 Aggie football players were NFL rosters on the opening day of the 2015 season.

• The longest tenured NFL Aggie is All-Pro punter Shane Lechler with the Houston Texans, who is in his 16th season.
• Former A&M walkon Don Muhlbach, is in his 12th season snapping in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.
• QB Jameill Showers, now with the Dallas Cowboys, earned his degree at Texas A&M before finishing out his college eligibility at UTEP.
• For the fifth straight year, the Aggies had a first-round NFL draft pick (Cedric Ogbuehi, No. 21, Cincinnati Bengals).

 
AGGIES ON NFL ROSTERS