Aggies Set for Orange Bowl Clash With North Carolina

Saturday, January 2

Miami Gardens, Fla.

7:00 PM

Texas A&M

North Carolina

Tickets

Dec 30, 2020 | Football

By: Texas A&M Athletics Communications

GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCHUP

(#5) Texas A&M vs (#13) North Carolina
87th Capital One Orange Bowl
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 2 / 7 p.m. (CT)
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Live Stats: Click Here

TV INFO

ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Katie George)
Live Stream: Click Here

RADIO

Texas A&M Sports Network (Andrew Monaco, Dave Elmendorf, Will Johnson)
Local: WTAW-AM 1620/94.5 FM, The Zone 1150 AM/93.7 FM
Satellite: Sirius 134/XM 190
Texas A&M Spanish Network (Michel Gonzalez, Pedro Luna, Alejandra Dorbecker)
Local: 102.7 FM La Jefa
ESPN Radio (Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones)

What to watch for #UNCvsTAMU:

The Aggies and Tar Heels meet for the first time as A&M heads to the Orange Bowl for the second time in program history.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher is 2-0 in Orange Bowl appearances and 6-0 for his career at Hard Rock Stadium.
On the hunt for yet another school record, senior QB Kellen Mond is currently two touchdowns away from being responsible for the most TDs in school history ... He enters the week with 92 touchdowns (71 pass, 21 rush) and aims to dethrone Johnny Manziel’s mark of 93 (63 pass, 30 rush).
Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller, who ranks third in the SEC in yards per game (109.53) and total yards (986), is 68 rushing yards away from 2,000 for his career.
Spiller, along with classmates RB Ainias Smith and TE Jalen Wydermyer, have combined to tally seven 100-yard games and eight multi-touchdown games this year.
Wydermyer has scored at least two touchdowns in three of the last five games and currently leads all SEC tight ends with 45 catches on the season.
The Aggie offensive line is the first to lead the SEC in sacks allowed (0.44), tackles for loss allowed (3.78) and yards per carry (5.38) in the last 10 years ... A&M’s sacks and TFL allowed averages also rank in the top five nationally.
Senior LB Buddy Johnson leads the high-powered A&M defense, pacing the team in tackles in six of the team’s nine games this season and reaching double figures in the category on five occasions.

Quick Hits

This season, senior QB Kellen Mond has become A&M’s all-time leader in career passing yards (9,429), passing touchdowns (71), completions (785), attempts (1,332) and total offense (11,001), while currently sitting in second on the career TD’s responsible for (92) and QB victories (30-13) lists.
A&M closed out the regular season on a seven-game win streak against all SEC opponents, stringing together the most consecutive victories since the 1998 season.
To date, 86-percent of the Aggies’ rushing yards and 92-percent of their receiving yards have come from freshmen and sophomores ... Thirty of their 36 touchdowns have been scored by freshmen and sophomores.
A&M has scored 29 times on its last 34 trips into the red zone (last seven games), with 23 of those scores being touchdowns.
Texas A&M averages nearly a 10:00 advantage in time of possession per game and has held the TOP advantage in each of the last seven games ... The Aggies lead the SEC in TOP and rank No. 3 nationally.
At Tennessee, A&M dominated time of possession as it controlled the game for 44:09 ... This was the Aggies’ highest mark in the category dating back to the 1988 season.
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).

Bowl Notables

Texas A&M’s invitation to the Orange Bowl marks the 42nd bowl game in program history.
The Aggies’ 42 bowl game appearances are tied for 18th-most among college football programs.
Texas A&M’s 19 bowl victories are also tied for 18th-most among FBS programs.
It is the 12th straight season with a bowl game appearance for the Aggies, which is a school record (Next longest streak is five seasons – 1989-93 and 1997-2001).
The Aggies’ 12-year streak of bowl appearances is the eighth-longest among FBS programs.
The 12-year streak triples the bowl appearances streak of any FBS school in the state of Texas. The next longest is Texas with a four-year streak of bowl games.
The 2021 Orange Bowl will mark Texas A&M’s first appearance in the CFP-era New Year’s Six bowl games (2014-present).
Jimbo Fisher’s postseason record as a head coach is 7-2, including a 2-0 mark in the Orange Bowl (def. #16 Northern Illinois 30-10 in 2012, #6 Michigan 33-32 in 2016).

Milestones to Watch For

Senior QB Kellen Mond is two touchdowns away from being responsible for the most touchdowns in program history ... He enters the Orange Bowl game with 92 passing and rushing scores, and aim’s to top Johnny Manziel’s mark of 93.
Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller needs 68 rushing yards to reach 2,000 for his career as he enters the week with 1,932 career yards on the ground ... He needs 200 yards to crack the top 20 on A&M’s all-time career rushing yards list.
Senior DB Myles Jones is climbing A&M’s career pass breakups list with 28 to date, and needs just one PBU to move into a tie for seventh all-time with Dustin Harris (09-12) and Sammy Davis (99-02).
Senior OL Carson Green is slated to make his 39th consecutive start, which is the longest streak on the team.

Mond Making History

Senior QB Kellen Mond has claimed five A&M career passing records this season, as he also climbs the all-time SEC career charts.
Against Alabama, Mond claimed the top spot in career completions and attempts, and later set the career passing yards record in the win over No. 4 Florida ... He became A&M’s career leader in total offense in the win over Arkansas and moved into the top spot on the career passing TDs list with a career regulation-best four passes to the end zone at South Carolina.
One of the winningest QBs in program history, Mond boasts a 30-13 record, which puts him in second on A&M’s all-time list.
In the win at Auburn, Mond became the third quarterback in SEC history to throw for 9,000 yards and rush for 1,500 more in their career, as he joined Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott and Florida’s Tim Tebow ... Mond also passed and rushed for a TD in the same game for an SEC-best 17th time in his career, allowing him to again join Prescott and Tebow, along with fellow Aggie Johnny Manziel, as the only SEC QBs to tally 60 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns in their careers.
Mond is the only player in program history, and became the 12th in SEC history, to tally over 10,000 yards of total offense in his career, while he and Manziel are the only two Aggie signal callers to throw for over 7,000 yards and rush for 1,000-plus yards.
Mond has surpassed the 300-passing yards mark seven times in his career, most recently with 338 yards against Florida this season ... Only Jerrod Johnson (12) and Johnny Manziel (10) have tallied more 300-yard games.
Mond is also climbing the SEC career passing, total offense and TDs responsible for charts ... He is currently 12th on the league’s all-time career passing yards list (9,429), ninth on the total offense list (11,001) and the 92 TDs he’s responsible for puts him in 11th.

Spiller, Running Game Shine

Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller has established himself as a top running back in the SEC, as he is third in the league averaging 109.56 rushing yards per game and 986 total yards on the ground this year.
Spiller is on the verge of becoming the 18th Aggie to record a 1,000-yard season as he is in need of just 14 rushing yards to surpass the century mark.
Spiller is averaging 3.39 yards per carry after contact on the year and has tallied over 100 yards after contact in a game twice this season.
Spiller has recorded six 100-yard rushing games against SEC opponents through nine outings this year ... As a freshman he eclipsed the century mark just once in league play.
At Auburn, Spiller rushed for 120 yards, marking the 10th 100-yard game of his career ... At Mississippi State, Spiller recorded the fourth multi-touchdown game of his young career with a pair of trips to the end zone.
As a team, the Aggies lead the SEC and are 13th in the FBS among teams that have played more than five games with a 5.35 yards per carry average.

SEC Rushing Leaders (min. 500 yards)

Rk Player, School Att.-Yds Avg.
1 Najee Harris, Alabama 214-1,262 114.73
2 Kevin Harris, S. Carolina 185-1,138 113.80
3 Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M 177-986 109.56
4 Larry Roundtree III, Missouri 209-972 97.20
5 Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky 102-701 87.63

SEC Rushing Leaders

Rk School Att.-Yds Avg.
1 Texas A&M 341-1,826 5.35
2 Alabama 414-2,088 5.04
3 Kentucky 389-1,874 4.28
4 Georgia 353-1,697 4.81
5 Auburn 366-1,727 4.72

COLLEGE STATION, TX - OCTOBER 31, 2020 - Running back Ainias Smith #0 of the Texas A&M Aggies during the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field in College Station, TX. Photo By Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics/Texas A&M Athletics

Dynamic Backfield

Sophomore RBs Ainias Smith and Isaiah Spiller, along with freshman RB Devon Achane have become a reliable and unstoppable force for the Aggies ... The trio has combined to score 20 of A&M’s 36 total touchdowns on the year.
Spiller has been A&M’s most consistent performer in the backfield and is currently third in the SEC in rushing ... He is averaging 109.56 yards per game on the ground and has scored at least one touchdown in five of A&M’s seven straight victories.
Smith leads the Aggies with 10 total touchdowns, six through the air and four on the ground.
Smith is already the only player in school history with 200+ career yards in rushing (277), receiving (658), punt return (260) and kick return (257) ... The rarity has only been achieved by 14 SEC players, including notables like Carnell “Cadillac” Williams of Auburn, Randall Cobb of Kentucky and Chris Rainey of Florida.
Achane is second on the team and second among SEC freshman RBs with 230 rushing yards on the season, scoring twice on the ground and once through the air.
Smith and Achane are the only players on the roster to have scored a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game in their career ... Smith has done so against Arkansas and at Tennessee this season, while Achane hauled in a 52-yard bomb and used a 3-yard run to return to the end zone on the very next drive at South Carolina.

Stopping the Run

Texas A&M allows just 92.22 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 3 in the FBS and No. 2 in the SEC.
The Aggies’ most dominant rush defense outing came against Mississippi State, which was limited to minus-2 yards on 20 carries ... It was the fewest rushing yards allowed since Wyoming was held to minus-3 yards in 2004.
A&M made it back-to-back games of holding its opponent to 50-or-fewer rushing yards for the first time since the 1999 season, limiting South Carolina to 50 yards on the ground and LSU to 36 yards.
In the regular season finale at Tennessee, the Aggies allowed just 24 rushing yard on 17 carries, marking the fourth time on the season A&M has limited its opponent to 50-or-fewer yards on the ground.
Texas A&M has allowed just 50 first downs via the rush, which leads the SEC and ranks eighth nationally among teams that have played more than five games ... The Aggies have only allowed their opponent a 20-yard rushing play eight times this season.
The defense has allowed just 25 rushes of 10+ yards, which ranks No. 2 in the SEC behind Georgia ... Only Texas A&M and Georgia have given up 25-or-fewer 10-yard runs in 2020.

SEC Team Leaders - Rushing Defense

Rk School Att.-Yds. Avg. TD Avg.
1 Georgia 275-624 2.27 7 69.33
2 Texas A&M 249-830 3.33 6 92.22
3 Alabama 374-1,184 3.25 8 113.00
4 Miss. St. 351-1,253 3.57 9 125.30
5 Tennessee 385-1,416 3.68 15 141.60

Wydermyer Surges in Second Season

Sophomore TE Jalen Wydermyer is atop the SEC among tight ends with 45 catches and has scored at least two touchdowns in three of A&M’s final five games of the regular season.
On the year, Wydermyer is the Aggies’ leader with 29 catches for first downs, and he also leads the team with 14 catches for first downs on third-down plays.
The Mackey Award finalist has done his most damage in the Aggies’ two games vs. top-five opponents, tallying 13 receptions for 135 yards against No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Florida.
Wydermyer’s 13 catches this season vs. AP Top 25 teams ranks seventh nationally among tight ends.

Goons Protecting QB1

Texas A&M’s offensive front, long known as the Maroon Goons, has emerged as one of the best at limiting pressure on the quarterback.
The Aggies have given up just 4.0 total sacks on the year and are allowing 0.44 sacks per game, as both numbers put them in a tie for fourth nationally and lead the way among SEC schools.
Through nine games against only SEC opponents this season, A&M has become the first school in the last 10 years to lead the league in sacks allowed (0.44), tackles for loss allowed (3.78) and yards per carry (5.35) in the same season.
A&M’s sacks allowed per game average is the lowest season average among Power 5 schools since Tennessee allowed 0.29 per game in 2007 ... The Aggies’ 4.0 total sacks on the year marks the first time an SEC program has allowed fewer than 5.0 sacks in a season in the last 10 years.
The Goons’ 3.78 TFL allowed per game average is also good for fifth nationally this season.
The Maroon Goons went 24 quarters and 201 pass attempts without letting its opponent get to the quarterback ... The streak spanned from the second quarter of the season opener against Vanderbilt until the third quarter of the LSU game.
At Auburn, the offensive line cleared the way for the Aggies to tally 313 yards on the ground, their highest single-game total of the season, as sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller recorded the 10th 100-yard game of his career and senior QB Kellen Mond became the second Aggie and fourth SEC QB to pass for 60 TDs and rush for 20 more in their careers.
The O-line allowed just 1.0 tackle for loss at Mississippi State, the program’s fewest since not allowing a TFL in the 16-10 road win over Colorado midway through the 1997 season.
The Aggies are averaging a robust 437.2 total yards/game and 6.4 yards/play.

FBS Leaders - QBS Allowed

Rk School Gm. QBS-Yds. Avg.
1 Buffalo 7 1.0-9 0.14
2 Washington 4 1.0-2 0.25
3 Air Force 6 2.0-19 0.33
4 UAB 9 4.0-24 0.44
Texas A&M 9 4.0-26 0.44

FBS Leaders - TFL Allowed

Rk School Gm. TFL-Yds. Avg.
1 Buffalo 7 17.0-43 2.43
2 Washington 4 10.0-32 2.50
3 Air Force 6 16.0-56 2.67
4 Marshall 10 35.0-134 3.50
5 Texas A&M 9 34.0-91 3.78

The Elko Effect

After not finishing in the top 50 nationally in total defense for more than a decade, Mike Elko’s arrival in Aggieland as defensive coordinator in 2018 has coincided with consecutive top-35 finishes and a No. 12 spot in the current FBS total defense rankings.
Elko has produced top-50 defenses in each of the last eight years with multiple programs (Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Bowling Green).
The Aggies lead the SEC in total defense at 316.6 yards/game ... They are second in the SEC in rushing defense (92.22) and pass defense (224.3) and third in scoring defense (21.1).
Since joining the SEC in 2012, Texas A&M has never finished better than No. 9 in all four defensive categories (total, rush, pass, score).
Another way the Aggies have improved under Elko and with the style of play by head coach Jimbo Fisher is the dramatic drop in number of snaps faced per game by the defense ... Texas A&M’s defense is facing just 58.7 snaps/game in 2020, which is similar to the numbers from 2018 (60.4) and 2019 (64.8) ... Prior to Elko’s arrival in 2018, the Aggies faced 72.5 snaps in 2017 and a whopping 79.6 in 2016.

Five-Year Aggie Defense Snapshot
Elko Era (2018-present)

Category 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total Defense 441.8 408.5 348.4 340.2 316.6
National Rank No. 90 No. 78 No. 32 No. 29 No. 13

Rushing Defense 191.8 170.9 95.2 130.7 92.22
National Rank No. 80 No. 71 No. 3 No. 30 No. 4

Yards per Rush 4.4 4.2 3.2 4.1 3.3
National Rank No. 63 No. 55 No. 8 No. 57 No. 15

Scoring Defense 24.5 30.7 25.3 22.5 21.1
National Rank No. 39 No. 87 No. 47 No. 36 No. 26

1st Downs Allowed 23.5 19.7 17.0 19.2 17.4
National Rank No. 107 No. 56 No. 16 No. 40 No. 14

Aggie Grads

Twenty-one Aggies on the 2020 roster have already earned their degree.
At the recent December graduation ceremonies Connor Blumrick, Camron Buckley, Carson Green, Aaron Hansford, Jared Hocker, Buddy Johnson, Kellen Mond, Dan Moore Jr., Thomas Spann and Dylan Taylor all earned their A&M degrees.
Graduate student Braden White walked across the graduation stage in August of 2019 after completing his undergraduate degree and earned his Masters degree in marketing in December 2020.
Micheal Clemons earned his degree in August of 2019 and Ryan McCollum and Ryan Renick walked across the stage in December of 2019.
Although graduation looked much different in May of 2020, Cagan Baldree, Keldrick Carper, Travon Fuller, Drew Riethman, McCrae Rutledge and Colton Taylor earned their degrees, while Ikenna Okeke became an A&M grad this past August.