Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
What to Watch For: Mississippi State
Oct 23, 2019 | Football
Here's what to watch for as Texas A&M gears up to battle Mississippi State this Saturday at Kyle Field:
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: TEXAS A&M
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: MISSISSIPPI STATE
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: TEXAS A&M
- Eleven of the Aggies' 26 touchdowns have been scored by true freshmen: TE Jalen Wydermyer (4), RB Isaiah Spiller (4) and WR Ainias Smith (3).
- Wydermyer and Smith are the highest scoring freshman receiving duo in the nation with seven touchdowns between them.
- Juniors Dan Moore Jr. and Kellen Mond will be making their 21st consecutive starts on Saturday vs. Mississippi State.
- Junior QB Kellen Mond is climbing the all-time winningest QB list at A&M and is currently tied with Stephen McGee for eighth with an 18-9 record.
- Mond needs two passing TDs to be tied for fourth on A&M's career list with Corey Pullig (92-95) ... He enters the Mississippi State game with 45 passing TDs.
- Mond needs seven pass attempts to reach 900 career pass attempts ... He would be the fourth player in school history to reach the milestone.
- Junior WR Quartney Davis needs 31 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career ... He needs two receiving TDs to crack A&M's alltime top 10.
- Sophomore PK Seth Small needs one field goal to enter the top 10 all-time at A&M ... He enters the Mississippi State game in 11th with 31 career makes and has sent a FG through the uprights in 13 straight games.
- Texas A&M has scored double-digit points in 47 straight games.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: MISSISSIPPI STATE
- Mississippi State leads the SEC and is tied for seventh in the FBS in runs plays of 10+ yards (54). QB Garrett Shrader and RB Kylin Hill are responsible for 22 of those rushes apiece. The duo is tied for second in the SEC and 10th in the FBS. Among quarterbacks, only Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts (29) and Navy's Malcolm Perry (28) have more rushes of 10+ yards than Shrader.
- C Darryl Williams is a team captain, preseason All-American and candidate for the Senior CLASS Award and Rimington and Outland Trophies. He has started 32 (total career starts with seven at center) of the Bulldogs' last 33 games and allowed just one sack since the start of the 2017 season (at Kentucky in 2018). He is one of six SEC centers who hasn't allowed a sack this season (minimum 175 pass blocking snaps).
- The Bulldogs have relied heavily on its freshmen this season. Eighteen such players (9 true, 9 redshirt) have played multiple games through the first seven contests, while 15 sophomores and seven transfers (4 JUCO) have played at least one game. In addition, sixteen different Bulldogs have seen game action for the first time, while 14 have earned starts for the first time. True freshman CB Martin Emerson earned his first career start last week vs. No. 2 LSU.
- QB Garrett Shrader made his second career start last week against No. 2 LSU. He finished the game 17-of-28 passing for 238 yards and one TD to go along with 66 rushing yards and one TD on 19 carries. He had a career-high 304 yards of total offense and averaged 6.5 yards per play. He is the only SEC QB and among seven in the FBS (only true freshman) with 800+ passing yards and 400+ rushing yards this season. Shrader averages 211.3 yards of total offense per game (6th in SEC) and has found the end zone seven times (4 pass, 3 rush). He has thrown a TD in three straight games (2 at Auburn, 1 at Tennessee, 1 vs. LSU).
- Behind four 100-yard rushing performances, RB Kylin Hill enters Saturday's game with 643 rushing yards (4th in SEC) and five rushing touchdowns (T-6th in SEC). He is averaging the most carries per game in the SEC (19.1) and 102.6 total yards from scrimmage per game. Of his 134 attempts this season, 33 have resulted in a first down (2nd in SEC).
- Defensively, S Brian Cole has a team-best 7.0 tackles for loss (T-8th in SEC), DE Chauncey Rivers leads the Bulldogs with 2.0 sacks and 13 total pressures, LB Erroll Thompson has logged a team-best 51 tackles (T-9th in SEC), and CB Cameron Dantzler has a pair of interceptions (T-6th in SEC).
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