2018 TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL
GAME 11 | VS UAB
SATURDAY, NOV. 17, 2018
GAME TIME: 6 PM CT | SITE: KYLE FIELD | TV: ESPN2
WHAT TO WATCH FOR #TAMUvsUAB:
- Texas A&M steps out of SEC play as it hosts 2018 Conference USA West champions UAB for a 6 p.m. matchup Saturday at Kyle Field on ESPN2.
- Saturday's contest is Military Appreciation/Senior Night as Texas A&M honors its 17 seniors in a pregame ceremony.
- The game marks the second meeting between the two teams as the Aggies throttled UAB, 5619, in the lone meeting on Sept. 26, 2009.
- Texas A&M is bowl-eligible for the 10th-consecutive season, which is tied for the 11th-longest active streak in the FBS, fourth-longest among SEC schools behind Georgia (22), LSU (18), Alabama (15) and the longest among the 11 FBS schools in the state of Texas.
- The Aggies are facing their fourth opponent of the season ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the seventh opponent that is either ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll.
SETTING THE SCENE: TEXAS A&M vs. UAB
- KICKOFF: 6 p.m. (CT)
- SERIES VS. UAB: Texas A&M Leads, 1-0.
9/26/2009 | College Station | W, 56-19 - SITE: Kyle Field (capacity: 102,733)
- RANKINGS: UAB: RV (AP), 25 (Coaches) | Texas A&M: RV (AP), RV (Coaches)
- TELEVISION: ESPN2 (National)
Clay Matvick, play-by-play
Dan Orlovsky, analyst
Paul Carcaterra, sideline - RADIO:
Texas A&M Radio Network (Regional) - The Texas A&M Radio Network provides coverage via nearly 60 stations across the state of Texas.
Andrew Monaco, play-by-play
Dave Elmendorf, analyst
Will Johnson, sideline
Texas A&M Spanish Network (Regional) - Texas A&M's Spanish broadcast can be heard on radio stations in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, El Paso, Brownsville and McAllen, Texas. Locally, the TAMU Spanish Network can be heard on 1550 AM.
Pedro Vela Almaguer, play-by-play
Noel Orellana, analyst
SIRIUS XM: The Texas A&M Radio Network call of the game can be heard on SiriusXM at Sirius 94 / XM 192 / Internet 963.
MILESTONES TO WATCH:
- RB Trayveon Williams is currently tied for fifth in school history with 3,014 career rushing yards. Williams is 248 yards shy of Greg Hill (1991-93) for fourth all-time.
- Williams is on pace to rush for over 1,500 yards and would become just the second Aggie (Darren Lewis; 1988 & 1990) to do so.
- QB Kellen Mond is 137 yards shy of 4,000 career passing yards.
QUICK HITS:
- The Aggie defense is holding opposing offenses to 80.0 rushing yards per game, which is the best in the SEC and second in FBS behind Michigan State (76.5).
- Texas A&M's defense ranks first in the SEC and third in FBS in third-down conversions, holding opposing teams to just 29-of-113 (25.7%).
- Texas A&M has dominated possession throughout the season, averaging 36:21 per game. The tally ranks first in the SEC and second in FBS behind Army, who is averaging 39:35 per game.
- Texas A&M has recorded 263 first downs this season, the most in the SEC and fourth in FBS, and has allowed just 151 (15.1 per game) first downs defensively, which tied for first in the SEC and is tied for fourth among P5 schools.
- The Aggies are just one of seven schools nationally to rank in the top 30 in both total offense and total defense, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, North Texas, Notre Dame and Washington State.
LEADING THE PACK:
- The SEC's leading rusher with 1,159 yards, Trayveon Williams torched the Ole Miss defense last Saturday to the tune of 228 yards on a career-high 31 carries and is tied for second in the conference with 11 rushing touchdowns.
- In addition to rushing, Williams is one of the league's top receiving backs and is SEC leader in all-purpose yardage with 1,431 yards.
- With his 1,159 yards, Williams became the fifth Aggie to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark twice in his career. The tally ranks eighth on Texas A&M's single-season list.
- Williams' 228 yards against the Rebels was his fourth career 200-yard rushing game, tying him with Darren Lewis (1987-90) for the school record. He also joined Lewis as the only two Aggies to record two 200-yard rushing games in a season.
- Williams is the first Aggie since Tra Carson (2015) to rush for at least 100 yards in six games.
- The Houston native recorded his sixth 100-yard game of the season against Ole Miss and his 11th game with 100 yards or more in his career.
- Williams needs just 144 yards to break Bob Smith's school record for the most rushing yards by a junior with 1,302 set in 1950.
- At Auburn, Williams recorded his first receiving touchdown of his career and his second career game with at least three total touchdowns.
- Williams ran roughshod through an over-matched Northwestern State defense in the season-opener rushing for 240 yards with three touchdowns on 20 carries. The 240 rushing yards rank No. 2 in school history behind Bob Smith's 297 vs. SMU in 1950.
- The 240-yard outburst is the No. 8 single-game effort in FBS this season. Williams is the only FBS player with 200-yard rushing games in 2016, 2017 & 2018.
SEC
LIMITING OPPONENT CHANCES:
- Through 10 games, including four against current AP Top 25 teams, the Texas A&M defense has faced an average of just 55.0 plays per game, which is easily the lowest in the SEC.
- The Aggies have played 550 snaps on defense, 83 plays behind Alabama, who is second in the SEC with 633 defensive snaps.
- Among all P5 teams that have played 10 games, Texas A&M's 550 defensive snaps is lowest in the nation by 25 snaps (575 by Michigan).
- Additionally, Texas A&M has limited opponents to just a 25.7 percent success rate in third down situations (No. 1 in SEC/ No. 3 in FBS) and has allowed only 29 third-down conversions in 10 games (2.9 per game), which ranks No. 1 among P5 teams.
- Texas A&M is allowing just 14.9 first downs per game, which leads the SEC and is fourth nationally.
- The 55.0 plays faced per game in 2018 is an enormous turnaround from last season when the Aggies faced an average of 72.5 plays per contest.
- A 55.0 average for a 13-game season in 2018 would mean the Aggies would face 228 fewer plays than in 2017 (or the equivalent of nearly four 57-play games).
CONNECTIONS:
- UAB linebackers coach Brian Williams was on Jimbo Fisher's staff at Florida State from 2013-14 as a defensive analyst.
- Texas A&M wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig and UAB tight ends coach Casey Woods were on the same Auburn coaching staff from 2013-15.