Aggies Head to Alabama For First Road Contest of 2020

THE MATCHUP

• (#13) Texas A&M at (#2) Alabama
• Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 3 / 2:30 p.m. (CT)
• Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa
• Live Stats: Click Here

TV INFO

• CBS (Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jamie Erdahl)
• Live Stream: Click Here

RADIO

• Texas A&M Sports Network (Andrew Monaco, Dave Elmendorf, Will Johnson)
• Local: WTAW-AM 1620
• Satellite: Sirius 133/XM 192
• Live Stream: 12th Man Mobile
   
• Texas A&M Spanish Network (Michel Gonzalez, Pedro Luna, Alejandra Dorbecker)
• Local: 102.7 FM La Jefa

What to watch for #ALAvsTAMU:

• The Aggies are in search of their first win over Alabama since knocking off the then-No. 1 Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in 2012, A&M’s first year in the SEC ... Alabama leads the all-time series, 10-2. 
• Senior QB Kellen Mond already ranks in the top five all-time at A&M in nearly every career passing category and is poised to claim the top spots in completions, attempts, passing yards and passing TD’s in his final season.
• Mond needs 30 yards of offense to join Johnny Manziel as the only QB’s in A&M history to tally over 9,000 yards of total offense ... He is in search of the 24th victory of his career, which would tie him for fourth all-time at A&M. 
• Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller is joined in A&M’s offensive backfield this season by classmate Ainias Smith, who made the move from receiver to running back at the end of the 2019 season.
• Spiller was the only player in the SEC to rush for over 100 yards in the league’s opening weekend, tallying 117 against Vandy while Smith scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on a 25-yard run in the opener.
• The Aggies will have a veteran o-line at work this season as seniors Carson Green, Jared Hocker and Dan Moore Jr. did not miss a start last season and have each started 20+ games in their careers, while sophomore Kenyon Green started all 13 games in his debut season.
• Junior PK Seth Small needs one field goal to become the eighth Aggie to reach the 40-FG plateau.
• The Aggies’ 2019 statistical leader returns for rushing, passing, total offense, all-purpose, field goals, scoring, tackles, interceptions (tie), punt returns, kickoff returns and special teams tackles.

Quick Hits

• Head Coach Jimbo Fisher earned the 100th win of his career when the Aggies topped Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl last season.
• Quick starts have been a harbinger of Aggie victories in the Jimbo Fisher era. The Aggies are 14-4 when scoring first and a perfect 13-0 when leading after the first quarter. 
• Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller surpassed the 1,000 career rushing yards mark in just the 14th game of his career after tallying 117 yards on the ground against Vandy, the fifth 100-yard rushing game of his career.
• Senior QB Kellen Mond has passed and rushed for a touchdown in the same game 15 times in his career, more than any other SEC starting quarterback. 
• Mond made his 35th career start against Vanderbilt (23-12 record as a starter), which is the second-most by a QB in school history ... Corey Pullig (1992-95) is the school record holder with 40 career QB starts (33-6-1). 
• Under DC Mike Elko, the Aggies ranked in the top 35 in total defense in 2018 (No. 32)and 2019 (No. 29) FBS statistical rankings. Prior to Elko’s arrival, the Aggies hadn’t ranked in the top 50 nationally in more than a decade (since 2006). 
• Texas A&M was one of just 10 FBS schools to post a winning record in each season of the 2010’s and was the only school in the state of Texas to go to a Bowl game in every year of the decade for the first time in program history. 

Milestones to Watch For

• Senior QB Kellen Mond needs just 30 yards to join Johnny Manziel as the only Aggies to surpass the 9,000-yard plateau in total offense.  
• Mond needs two rushing TDs to join Johnny Manziel, Joel Hunt and Bucky Richardson as the only Aggie QBs with 20 career rushing scores. 
• Mond currently ranks No. 5 on the Aggies’ winningest QB list, one behind No. 4 Bucky Richardson (24-6-1 from 1987-88, 90-91).
• Senior OL Carson Green is slated to make his 31st consecutive start, which is the longest streak on the team.
• Senior S Keldrick Carper needs nine tackles to reach the century mark for his career. 
• Senior DB Myles Jones has 24 career pass breakups, which is three shy of breaking into the school’s top 10 list for PBUs. 

Dual Threat Mond

• Senior QB Kellen Mond is one of two Power 5 players with more than 7,000 career passing yards and 1,200 career rushing yards (all games at P5 school). Mond has passed for 7,568 and rushed for 1,403 in 38 career games at Texas A&M.
• Mond leads all SEC starting quarterbacks having passed and rushed for a touchdown in the same game 15 times in his career ... He was named MVP of the Texas Bowl after tallying 117 yards on the ground, including a  67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. 

*Power 5 7000 Pass / 1200 Rush QBs

• Sam Ehlinger, Texas 9,558 1,611
• Kellen Mond, Texas A&M 7,568 1,403
  *all seasons at Power 5 school

Texas A&M Rushing Yards by a QB

• Johnny Manziel (2012-13) 2,169
• Bucky Richardson (1987-91) 2,095 
• Reggie McNeal (2002-05) 1,889
• Stephen McGee (2005-08) 1,750
• Kellen Mond (2017-) 1,403

Spiller Joins 1,000-Yard Club

• Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller eclipsed the 1,000 career rushing yards mark in just his 14th game as an Aggie, becoming the 49th player in program history to reach the milestone. 
• Spiller’s eight carries for 117 yards on the ground against Vanderbilt put him over 1,000 for his career as he recorded the fifth 100-yard rushing game of his career and became the fourth Aggie all-time to rush for over 100 yards on less than 10 carries in a game.

Hansford Steps Up

• Senior LB Aaron Hansford made the second start of his career in the opener against Vanderbilt and helped lead the defense with 11 tackles. 
• Hansford played in 13 games as a junior, making his first start at then-No. 1 LSU ... He made some of his biggest plays against big opponents last season, recording his first career sack against No. 1 Alabama for a 10-yard loss and had another for an 8-yard loss at No. 4 Georgia. 
• Hansford was originally recruited to A&M as member of the receiving corps and made the transition to the defensive side of the ball as a junior after battling a pair of season-ending injuries in 2016 and 2018. 

Defense Makes the Difference in Opener

• Senior LBs Buddy Johnson, who led the Aggies in tackles last season, and Aaron Hansford led the defense with 11 takedowns apiece in the season-opening victory. 
• Making his presence felt against Vanderbilt was 5th-year senior DE Micheal Clemons, who was recruited out of junior college as the heir apparent to Myles Garrett but had contributed just 1.5 QB sacks in his previous two seasons. He matched that total in the 2020 season opener with 1.5 QBS, including a crucial sack on VU’s final drive.
• Clemons received the Lohman Inspiration Award at Texas A&M’s 2020 Building Champions Awards gala last spring for overcoming the loss of his father and helping his mother raise his brother. 
• The Aggies’ veteran group of safeties - senior Keldrick Carper, junior Leon O’Neal and sophomore Demani Richardson - had a big impact against VU, combining for 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, two pickoffs  and a broken up pass.
• Seeking to offset the loss of NFL third round pick Justin Madubuike, the Aggies’ interior defensive front was disruptive against the ‘Dores. Senior Jayden Peevy made five stops, including 1.5 TFLs, with a batted down pass, while junior Bobby Brown III contributed three stops and had a QB hurry ... True freshman McKinnley Jackson had two stops and a half-sack in his first game. 
• Sophomore DL DeMarvin Leal, who can play inside or outside, was disruptive as expected with seven tackles, including two for losses against VU.

Dynamic Backfield Duo

• Sophomore RBs Ainias Smith and Isaiah Spiller impressed in the season opener.
• Smith logged his first start at running back against Vanderbilt and scored his first rushing touchdown on a 25-yard run to the end zone ... Smith finished the game with 51 yards on 10 attempts. 
• Spiller went off for 117 yards on just eight carries in the win, the fifth time in his career he has surpassed the century mark ... He also reached a career milestone in the opener as he reached 1,000 career rushing yards in just his 14th collegiate game.

Texas A&M-Alabama Connections

• Legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant coached the Aggies from 1954-57 before a long tenure at Alabama ... Two of Bryant’s proteges served as head coach at Texas A&M: Gene Stallings (1965-71) and Jackie Sherrill (1982-88) ... Stallings played for Bryant at Texas A&M and served as an assistant coach at Alabama from 1958-64, later coaching the Tide from 1990-96 and leading them to the 1992 national title ... Sherrill played for Bryant at Alabama from 1963-65. 
• John David Crow was the single Heisman Trophy winner of Bryant’s career in 1957 at Texas A&M, and he was an assistant coach at Alabama from 1969-71. 
• Dennis Franchione served as head coach at both schools -- at Alabama from 2001-02 and Texas A&M from 2003-07.
• Tide special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks served in a similar capacity at Texas A&M from 2013-17. 
• Tide Director of Performance Nutrition Amy Bragg served the same capacity at A&M from 2005-10.