Football Game Notes: at Texas

Friday, November 28

Austin, Texas

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

Texas

Nov 25, 2025 | Football

Game Notes vs. Texas

By: Brad Marquardt, Assistant AD/Athletics Communications

AUSTIN – No. 3 Texas A&M seeks to lock up its spot in the SEC Championship Game with a victory over the No. 16 Texas Longhorns at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on Friday.

SETTING THE SCENE:
Texas A&M at Texas
6:30 p.m. CT | Friday, Nov. 28, 2025
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

Rankings
Texas (8-3 Overall, 5-2 SEC)
TBD (CFP) | No. 16 (AP) | No. 16 (Coaches)

Texas A&M (11-0 Overall, 7-0 SEC)
TBD (CFP) | No. 3 (AP) | No. 3 (Coaches)

Television
ABC (National)
Sean McDonough, Play-by-Play
Greg McElroy, Analyst
Molly McGrath, Sideline

Radio
SiriusXM:
Channel 81 (Texas A&M Network call)

Texas A&M Radio Network (Regional)
The Texas A&M Radio Network provides coverage via nearly 60 stations across the state of Texas. For a complete list of affiliates, please go to 12thMan.com.
Andrew Monaco, play-by-play
Dave Elmendorf, analyst
Will Johnson, sideline

Texas A&M Spanish Broadcast (Regional)
Texas A&M's Spanish broadcast is streamed on RadioAggieland.com and airs in the Bryan-College Station area on La Jefa 102.7 FM, as well as in Monterrey, Mexico on Radio Nuevo Leon.
Pedro Luna, play-by-play
Michael Gonzalez, analyst

NCAA STATISTICAL COMPARISON

Statistic	Rank	Texas A&M	Rank	Texas
Total Offense	15	465.1	72	381.5
Rushing Offense	25	195.9	110	121.6
Passing Offense	28	269.2	33	259.9
Passing Efficiency	25	154.03	33	149.34
Scoring Offense	10	38.1	50	29.8
Total Defense	16	301.9	39	335.5
Rushing Defense	27	118.8	8	92.7
Passing Defense	23	183.1	105	242.8
Passing Eff. Defense	40	121.18	55	129.02
Scoring Defense	T-38	21.5	T-24	20.0
Turnover Margin	108	-0.45	T-10	0.91
3rd Down %	49	.418	62	.408
4th Down %	T-6	.733	T-97	.467
3rd Down Defense%	1	.220	37	.350
4th Down Defense %	18	.412	6	.333
Red Zone Offense	59	.860	T-75	.837
Red Zone Defense	T-128	.933	T-79	.852
Net Punting	77	39.10	84	38.61
Punt Returns	8	16.10	2	23.78
Kickoff Returns	27	23.47	124	15.31
First Downs	T-24	253	98	204
First Downs Allowed	13	174	T-60	211
Penalties/Game	119	7.45	132	8.09
Penalty Yards/Game	114	64.73	119	65.91
Time of Possession	17	32:25	102	28:43

NEED-TO-KNOWS

ABOUT THE START: Texas A&M is 11-0 for the first time since 1992 when NFF Hall of Famer R.C. Slocum's Aggies posted a perfect 12-0 regular season. It is the third time in program history that the Aggies have reached 11-0 and the second time the Maroon & White has won 11 games in the regular season.

It marks the first 10-win season since 2012 and the 13th in school history.
Aggie head coaches that have started a season 11-0 are Mike Elko, Slocum and Homer Norton.
Texas A&M's 11-game win streak is tied as the sixth-longest in school history. It's the longest in-season win streak since Slocum's Aggies won the first 12 games of the 1992 season.
Texas A&M is 7-0 in SEC play for the first time and have won seven-plus league games for the second time. Only the 2020 team has won more league games with an 8-1 worksheet in the SEC-only pandemic season.
It's the first time the Aggies have reached 7-0 in conference play in any league since Slocum's teams were undefeated in Southwest Conference play from 1991-93.

HISTORIC RIVALRY: The Texas A&M-Texas series represents both teams' most-played opponent with 119 previous matchups. It's the 16th-most played series in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The Longhorns hold a 77-37-5 advantage in the overall series, dating back to the first meeting in 1894. Over the past 50 years, however, the two teams have split the matchups, 19-19.
Texas has won the past two matchups (both in College Station), while Texas A&M has won two of the last three in Austin.

RANKED-ROAD WINS: Texas A&M leads the nation with a program-record three road wins over Associated Press top 25 opponents. The Aggies have logged road wins over No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 20 LSU and No. 19 Missouri.

MARQUEE VICTORIES: Via Jeff Sagarin's CFB Ratings, the Aggies have recorded a 5-0 record against top 30 opponents while playing the nation's 19th-toughest schedule. The five victories are third among FBS teams behind Alabama and Oklahoma with six.

Texas A&M's strength of schedule is the ninth-toughest among Sagarin's top 30 teams.
According to ESPN's CFB Power Index, Texas A&M has the nation's top strength of record (SOR) and ranks ninth in its football power index (FPI). The Aggies' strength of schedule (SOS) for games already played is No. 23 and their remaining SOS ranks ninth.

COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL: Texas A&M is one of four teams ranking in the top 20 nationally in total offense and total defense - the others are Indiana, Oregon and Texas Tech.

QB1 REED LEADS THE OFFENSE

Redshirt sophomore QB Marcel Reed has been a driving force behind a strong and balanced Aggie offense that ranks No. 16 in total offense (464.1) and is only offense ranking in the top 30 nationally in total offense, passing yards, passing efficiency, scoring, rushing and time of possession.
Reed is a semifinalist for three national awards (see above) and has been the national offensive or quarterback of the week three times. He was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing and passing for two touchdowns in the Aggies' first win in Baton Rouge in more than 30 years.

Marcel Reed Statistical Snapshot

PASSING: 189-306 (.618), 2,752 yards, 25 TDs, 8 INTs
RUSHING: 77 attempts, 395 yards (5.13), 6 TDs
TOTAL OFFENSE: 383 plays, 3,147 yards, 31 TDs, 286.1
Reed is one of two players in the SEC with 25+ passing TDs and 5+ rushing TDs
Has posted five games with 3+ passing TDs this season
15-4 record as Texas A&M's starting QB (two-year span)

In the SEC Rankings:

1st in passing yards per completion (14.6)
2nd in offensive TDs (31) and passing TDs (25)
3rd in pass efficiency (159.0)
4th in total offense (286.1)
5th in passing yards (2,752) and passing yards per game (250.18)

HOW IT STARTED VS. HOW IT'S GOING
Marcel Reed's Statistics

Statistic	2024	2025
Total Offense	219.2	286.1
Touchdowns Responsible For	22	31
Yards per Play	6.8	8.2
20-Plus Yard Plays	27	48
Passing	169.5	250.2
Pass Efficiency	142.1	159.0
Passing Touchdowns	15	25
Yards per Completion	12.7	14.6
Yards per Attempt	7.8	9.0
Yards per Rush	4.7	5.1

MARCEL MODE: By The Numbers
3 - Marcel Reed has led the Aggies to a FBS-best three road victories over teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 in 2025.

31 - Reed has accounted for 31 touchdowns (6 rushing + 25 passing), which is tied for seventh nationally (second in the SEC)

25 - Reed has passed for 25 touchdowns, which is tied for eighth nationally (second in the SEC).

14.6 - Reed leads the SEC with an average of 14.6 yards per completion, which ranks fourth nationally.

16.0 - Reed averages 16.0 yards per completion against AP Top 25 opponents, which leads the nation by nearly a full yard.

7.0 - His 7.0 yards per rush against AP Top 25 opponents ranks first nationally among quarterbacks with a minimum of three games.

9.0 - The Aggies' signal-caller is one of two quarterbacks in the country averaging 9.0-plus yards per pass attempt against AP Top 25 foes. He also averages 9.0 yards per attempt for the season, which ranks third in the SEC and No. 13 nationally.

8.2 - Reed averages 8.2 yards per offensive play, which ranks eighth nationally.

8.6 - He has averaged 8.6 yards per offensive play in four games away from Kyle Field, which ranks second nationally in road or neutral site contests.

319.0 - Reed is one of five quarterbacks nationally averaging 300-plus total yards against AP Top 25 opponents.

55 - Reed is the sixth player in school history to reach the 55 touchdown responsible for plateau and he reached the milestone in just his 25th career game. Only Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel reached 55 faster (17 games).

439 - Reed's career-best passing game of 439 yards vs. South Carolina (11/15) was the first 400-yard effort by an Aggie since 2018 and the 15th in school history.

10 - With Reed directing the offense, the Aggies have gained 400-plus total yards in 10-straight games, which is the longest streak of 400-plus outings in a season since Manziel directed the Maroon & White offense to 400-plus yards in the final 12 games of his Heisman-winning season in 2012.

25 - In just 25 career games, Reed is within reach of becoming the fifth quarterback in school history to reach the 5,000- and 1,000-yard plateaus in passing and rushing, respectively. Reed enters the Texas game with 4,990 passing and 987 rushing yards. Texas A&M's 5,000/1,000 QBs are Reggie McNeal (2002-05), Stephen McGee (2005-08), Manziel (2012-13) and Kellen Mond (2017-20).

CA$H MONEY

Redshirt senior DE Cashius Howell ranks second nationally and leads the SEC with 11.5 sacks (1.05 per game). Additionally, he ranks 19th nationally with 13.0 tackles for loss (1.18 per game).
Howell's 11.5 QB takedowns are the most in a season by an Aggie since current NFL sack record-setter Myles Garrett had 11.5 in 2014.
Howell is a semifinalist for multiple national awards after entering 2025 with a second-team All-SEC selection by Athlon as his most notable preseason honor.
According to Pro Football Focus, the disruptive Howell has pressured the opposing QB 38 times in 2025.
The game-changer has logged two-plus QB pressures in 9-of-11 games, including a season-high eight at Arkansas, according to PFF.
Against South Carolina (11/15), Howell batted down a career-high three Gamecock passes, which matched his own school record for pass breakups by a defensive lineman that he shares with Alonzo Williams. Howell also swatted three opponent aerials against Mississippi State in 2024.
Howell was chosen to Midseason All-America teams by the Associated Press, Athlon, The Athletic, CBS Sports and The Sporting News.

FBS Sack Leaders

Rk	Player, School	Sacks	Sacks/G
1	David Bailey, Texas Tech	12.5	1.14
2	Cashius Howell, Texas A&M	11.5	1.05
	John Henry Daley, Utah	11.5	1.05
4	Nadame Tucker, Western Mich.	11.0	1.00
	Nathan Voorhis, Ball State	11.0	1.00

SEC Sack Leaders

Rk	Player, School	Sacks	Sacks/G
1	Cashius Howell, Texas A&M	11.5	1.05
2	Colin Simmons, Texas	10.0	0.91
3	Damon Wilson II, Missouri	8.0	0.73
	Quincy Rhodes, Jr., Arkansas	8.0	0.73
5	Xavier Atkins, Auburn	7.5	0.68

TEAM TRENDS

Texas A&M has rushed for 180-plus yards in seven of its last eight games, marred only by a 64-yard effort while rallying from a 27-point deficit vs. South Carolina (11/15).
The Aggies have generated 21-plus first downs in five-straight games and in 9-of-11 contests this season. The low of 17 came in the season-opener against UTSA.
Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 110-39 (+71) in the third quarter and has opened the second half with a touchdown in each of its last five games.
The offense has gained over 400 total yards in its last 10 games, which is the longest streak of 400-plus outputs since 2012.
Texas A&M ranks second in the nation with 39.0 sacks and had its streak of nine-straight games with 2.0-plus sacks snapped with just 1.0 last week vs. FCS Samford.
The defense has posted 6.0-plus tackles for loss in every game, including matching its season high with 11.0 tackles for loss last week vs. Samford. It was the Aggies' third game with double-digit TFLs. The Aggies received 0.5-plus TFLs from 10 different players vs. the Bulldogs.
Texas A&M has allowed just 5.0 sacks in its last seven games and leads the SEC in fewest sacks allowed (No. 11 nationally) at 1.0 per game. Aggie quarterbacks have been sacked just 11 times while attempting over 30 passes per game.
Texas A&M leads the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed at 2.9 per game and have allowed 2.0 or less seven times.
The Aggies have won the time of possession battle in eight-straight games after opponents had the TOP advantage in two of the season's first three games.
The defense held its opponent without a third-conversion for the second time this season after Samford went 0-of-14 on third-down tries.
The Aggies are 11-of-15 (.733) on fourth-down conversions this season, including 8-of-9 over the past five games.
Since Mike Elko announced the fictitious "Coaches Cabo Fund" after piling up 13 penalties for 119 yards vs. Auburn (9/27), the Aggies have remained in single digits in penalties in the last seven games and averaged 6.3 per outing.

PLAYERS TRENDS

QB1 Marcel Reed has thrown for two-plus touchdowns in five-straight outings and has at least two passing scores in 9-of-11 games.
Reed is averaging a 167.6 passer rating for the last five games (159.0 for full season).
Junior WR KC Concepcion has had at least three catches in every game and scored a touchdown in four of his last five outings. Concepcion has had at least one reception of 15-yards plus in every game.
Junior S Dalton Brooks, who rushed for 2,500-plus yards at Class 2A Shiner High School, has put his running skills on display past three games with a 48-yard scamper on a fake punt and 26-yard fumble return vs. Missouri and a 39-yard interception return vs. South Carolina.
Brooks is the only player in the FBS with a 20-plus yard rush, fumble return and interception return on his resume this season.
Texas A&M's receivers average 14.6 yards per catch, which leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally. Led by WR Ashton Bethel-Roman's 24.6 yards per catch, the Aggies have 11 players averaging 10.0-plus yards per reception.
Bethel-Roman has averaged 27.4 yards on 13 catches over the last five games while scoring five touchdowns. He has at least one 20-plus yard reception in every game during that stretch. In the first six games of 2025, ABR had five catches for 86 yards and no TDs.
Redshirt sophomore RB Rueben Owens II did not play last week against Samford, but had rushed for 436 yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries (5.4 per carry) in the previous six contests, including a pair of 100-yard games.

SCORING IN THE SEC

Texas A&M ranks second in scoring offense (34.9) and third in scoring defense (21.4) in SEC play. The Aggies and Georgia are the only SEC schools ranked in the top five in both categories.
In league play, the Aggies are tied for second with 17 rushing touchdowns and are tied for fifth with 13 passing scores. Texas A&M is one of four SEC schools (others are Georgia, Vanderbilt and Tennessee) with 13-plus rushing and passing TDs.

SEC Team Scoring Leaders (SEC games)

Rk	School	Total	Avg.
1	Tennessee	250	35.7
2	Texas A&M	244	34.9
3	Georgia	263	32.9
4	Ole Miss	228	32.6
5	Arkansas	226	32.3

SEC Team Scoring Defense Leaders (SEC games)

Rk	School	Total	Avg.
1	Alabama	133	19.0
2	Oklahoma	135	19.3
3	Texas A&M	150	21.4
4	Georgia	175	21.9
5	Vanderbilt	160	22.9

WINNING ON THIRD DOWN

Texas A&M leads the nation in third-down conversion defense, allowing opponents to convert just 22.0% of the time. In league play, the Aggies are even stingier, holding opponents to just a 20.5% success rate.
Four of the Aggies' seven SEC opponents faced double-digit yards-to-gain on third downs in 2025, and the average yards-to-gain was 10.0. Opponents average just 26.3 yards per drive against the Aggies in league play.

Third-Down Yards-to-Gain in SEC Play

Opponent	Yards-to-Gain Avg.	Third Downs
Auburn	10.7	0-13 (.000)
Mississippi State	11.4	1-10 (.100)
Florida	9.5	1-10 (.100)
at Arkansas	10.1	4-10 (.400)
at LSU	10.2	2-13 (.154)
at Missouri	8.2	5-13 (.384)
South Carolina	8.7	4-15 (.267)

CAPABLE OF COMEBACKS

The 27-point comeback against South Carolina (11/15) was the largest in school history, breaking the old record of 21 points in the Aggies' 52-48 win over Duke in 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Texas A&M also rallied from a 10-point deficit at Notre Dame (24-14, 9:43, 2Q) and a four-point halftime shortfall at LSU (18-14).
The Aggies have had unanswered scoring streaks of 21-plus points four times in SEC play: 35 at LSU, 28 vs. Mississippi State and South Carolina, and 21 at Missouri. Additionally, the Aggies used a 20-3 run over the final three quarters against Florida to secure the win.

MAROON GOONS PAVING THE WAY

Texas A&M's success on offense starts with the strong play of its offensive front, also known as the "Maroon Goons." The Aggies' offensive line was recently named semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top offensive line.
Texas A&M has the nation's only offense that ranks in the top 30 in total yards, passing yards, passing efficiency, rushing, scoring and time of possession.
According to Pro Football Focus, Texas A&M's starting five offensive linemen of LT Trey Zuhn III, LG Chase Bisontis, C Mark Nabou Jr., RG Ar'maj Reed-Adams and RT Dametrious Crownover have allowed just two sacks and four QB hits while all logging more than 290 snaps.
The five starters average 33.4 career starts, led by 48-game starter Zuhn III.
Also via PFF, Texas A&M's offensive line has a 91.4 pass block efficiency rating, which ranks 13th among Power 4 conference teams.
The Aggies' offensive line unit was one of the most experienced in the nation with 161 career starts entering 2025, which ranked fifth-most among FBS schools.
The 2025 starting unit ranks as one of the heaviest in school history, weighing in at 1,617 pounds, or 323.4 per goon.

FBS: Fewest Tackles for Loss Allowed/Game

Rk	School	TFL-Yards	Avg.
1	Texas A&M	32.0-121	2.91
2	Navy	30.0-96	3.00
3	Cincinnati	35.0-78	3.18
4	Ohio State	36.0-87	3.27
	Miami (FL)	36.0-108	3.27

WALKING TALL

Graduate student LT Trey Zuhn III stands out among the Maroon Goons as he surpassed the 3,000-snap plateau for his five-year career earlier this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Zuhn III has played 3,144 offensive snaps for the Aggies.
With a team-high 48 career starts, the two-time team captain has committed just nine penalties in his career since seeing his first action in 2021.
In 339 pass block snaps in 2025, Zuhn III has allowed just a single sack and four QB hurries while earning a 96.7 pass blocking grade, which leads FBS offensive linemen, according to PFF.

Pro Football Focus Pass Blocking Grades

Rk	Player, School	Pass Snaps	Pass Blocking Grade
1	Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M	339	96.7
2	Carter Smith, Indiana	355	93.9
3	Beau Stephens, Iowa	260	93.2
4	Febechi Nwaiwu, Oklahoma	411	92.3
5	Sheridan Wilson, Texas Tech	409	91.4

IMPROVED NUMBERS
Texas A&M's offense has made significant strides in the national statistical rankings from 2024 to 2025.

In the NCAA Statistics: Comparing Year 1 to Year 2

Statistic	2024	2025	Difference
4th Down Conversion %	106	6	100
Passing Offense	87	28	59
Sacks Allowed	55	11	44
Scoring Offense	50	10	40
Team Passing Efficiency	65	25	40
Passing Yards Per Completion	40	6	34
Total Offense	49	15	34
First Down Offense	48	24	24
Tackles For Loss Allowed	12	1	11
Time Of Possession	28	17	11
Rushing Offense	26	25	1

PLAYING KEEP AWAY

Texas A&M has earned a time of possession advantage in each of the past eight games, after logging a possession deficit in two of the first three games of 2025.

Controlling Time of Possession

Opponent	TAMU / Opponent	Margin
Auburn	34:06 / 25:54	+8:12
Mississippi State	38:17 / 21:43	+16:34
Florida	33:42 / 26:18	+7:24
at Arkansas	33:48 / 26:12	+7:36
at LSU	30:12 / 29:48	+0:24
at Missouri	35:44 / 24:16	+11:28
South Carolina	30:16 / 29:44	+0:32