Game Day Preview: Ole Miss

Saturday, October 24

Oxford, Miss.

6:00 PM

Texas A&M

Ole Miss

Oct 21, 2015 | Football

The Matchup:	(#15/16) Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1) at (#24/23) Ole Miss (5-2, 2-1)
Kickoff:	Saturday, Oct. 24 - 6 p.m.
Venue:	Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi (60,580)
Watch:	ESPN (Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe) \| WatchESPN
Listen:	Texas A&M Sports Network (Dave South, Dave Elmendorf, Will Johnson) \| 12thMan.com - TuneIn - Sirius 81/XM 81 (Ole Miss feed)
	Texas A&M Spanish Network (Pedro Vela, Noel Orellana) \| 12thMan.com
	Touchdown Radio (Taylor Zarzour, Gino Torretta)
Live Stats:	olemisssports.com
Game Notes:	T exas A&M \| Ole Miss \| SEC

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: #TAMUvsMISS

The matchup between the Aggies and Rebels will be the nation's lone AP Top 25 matchup this week.
Texas A&M will be making its first true road trip of the 2015 season. The Aggies have played away from Kyle Field twice this season -- both at neutral site venues in the state of Texas (NRG Stadium in Houston and AT&T Stadium in Arlington).
The Aggies' Oct. 24 contest vs. Ole Miss marks the latest road opener by the program in more than 85 years. The last time A&M had a later road start was 1928 when the Aggies traveled to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks on Oct. 27 (27-12 loss).
The Aggies will be seeking their 18th victory away from Kyle Field since joining the SEC in 2012, which was also Kevin Sumlin's first season in Aggieland. The Aggies are 17-4 in games away from Kyle Field in that time frame.
It will the third time in 2015 that Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe have described the action in games involving the Aggies. A&M is 2-0 in the previous games (ASU and ARK). Since 2012, Nessler and Rowe have called four A&M games -- all Aggie victories, including the 2013 TAMU-Ole Miss game (Kirk Herbstreit was the analyst in that game).
The Aggies are 4-0 in night games in 2015 and 19-4 overall under Sumlin.
The Aggies are 10-1 in night games away from Kyle Field (road and neutral) under Sumlin (lone loss at Missouri in 2013).
Sophomore QB Kyle Allen needs 141 passing yards to reach 3,000 in his 16th career game. He would become the 16th passer in A&M history to reach 3,000.
Senior PK Taylor Bertolet needs seven points to become the ninth kicker/16th player in school history to score 200 career points. He needs three FGs to become 10th player with 30 for his career.
WR Christian Kirk needs 62 receiving yards to break Uzoma Nwachukwu's true freshman receiving yards record (670 in 2009).
Sophomore DE Myles Garrett needs 1.5 QB sacks (has 20 in 18 games) to move into A&M's career top 10.
Senior P Drew Kaser need three "coffin corner" boots to reach 50 for his career.

DIPLOMA CHASERS

By the end of the 2015 season, there will likely be more than a dozen graduates on the Texas A&M football roster.

Five Aggies enter the fall semester with their degrees already in hand: TE Brandon Alexander, PK Taylor Bertolet, OG Joseph Cheek, P Drew Kaser and TE Caden Smith.
Expected to receive their diplomas at Texas A&M's fall commencement include: DB Devonta Burns, RB Tra Carson, DL Isaac Flores, OL Ryan Lindblade, C Mike Matthews, 12th Man Sam Moeller, OL Jeremiah Stuckey, RB Blaine Townsend, QB Jordan Traylor and RB/CB Brandon Williams.

ROAD WARRIORS

Texas A&M has compiled a 17-4 record in games away from Kyle Field during the Kevin Sumlin era.
The Aggies are 11-4 under Sumlin in true road games.
The Aggies are 5-4 against AP Top 25 team in true road games under Sumlin.
In the previous five seasons before Sumlin's arrival, the Aggies were 10-19 away from Kyle Field.

TOP 10 ROAD WINS

Head coach Kevin Sumlin's arrival in 2012 has coincided with the Aggies' recent trend of road wins over top 10 teams.

Sumlin has posted three road victories over top 10-ranked teams -- 29-24 over No. 1 Alabama in 2012, 52-28 over No. 9 South Carolina in 2014 and 41-38 over No. 3 Auburn in 2014.
Sumlin is the only Aggie head coach in school history with more than two top 10 road victories (Paul "Bear" Bryant and Emory Bellard both had two).

HIGH OCTANE AGGIES

One of the opening periods of head coach Kevin Sumlin's practices is called "fast start." Occurring just after warmups, "fast start" features several live-action 11-on-11 series just like a game situation. He started implementing the period when his teams at the University of Houston were getting off to slow starts.

The Aggies have scored 14 or more first quarter points in three games in 2015, including 28 vs. Ball State. In 45 games under Sumlin, A&M has scored at least 14 first-quarter points 21 times.
Texas A&M has scored first in four of six games in 2015. Under Sumlin, the Aggies have scored first in 37-of-45 games.
On its initial offensive possessions in 2015, the Aggies have scored three times (all touchdowns) in six games. Under Sumlin, the Aggies have scored 27-of-45 times on their first drive, with an impressive 26 touchdowns.
The Aggies own a 66-34 scoring advantage in the first quarter in 2015. In first quarters under Sumlin (45 games), the Aggies have outscored their opponents 483-153.
A&M has been outscored in the first quarter in just 12 games under Sumlin (twice in 2015).

4TH QUARTERS VS. POWER 5 OPPONENTS

The Texas A&M defense has rose to the occasion in fourth quarters against Power 5 opponents in 2015. The Aggies, under the direction of defensive coordinator John Chavis, have allowed just 20 points in fourth quarters against ASU, ARK, MSU and ALA.

Power 5 opponents have averaged 3.1 yards per rush (46 carries/141 yards) and 4.1 yards per offensive play (75 plays/311 yards) in the fourth quarter vs. the Aggies.

vs. No. 15 Arizona State (Pac 12)

Points allowed: 3
Rushing Yards: 6 yards / 12 carries
Passing Yards: 102 yards / 9-of-16 attempts
Total Yards: 108 yards / 28 plays

vs. Arkansas (SEC)

Points allowed: 7
Rushing Yards: 68 yards / 17 carries
Passing Yards: 0 yards / 0-0 attempts
Total Yards: 68 yards / 17 plays

vs. Mississippi State (SEC)

Points allowed: 7
Rushing Yards: 24 yards / 6 carries
Passing Yards: 58 yards / 6-10 attempts
Total Yards: 82 yards / 16 plays

vs. Alabama (SEC)

Points allowed by defense: 3
Rushing Yards: 43 yards / 11 carries
Passing Yards: 10 yards / 3-3 attempts
Total Yards: 53 yards / 14 plays

SEC Winning since 2012
Overall by winning percentage

School                                    Record                  Pct.       Bowls
Alabama                                     42-6                .875             1-2
Georgia                                    35-12                .745             2-1
LSU                                             34-11                .756             1-2
Texas A&M                             33-12                .733             3-0
South Carolina                       32-14                .696             3-0
Missouri                                   32-15                .681             2-0
Mississippi State                   30-16                .652             1-2
Florida                                      28-16                .636             1-1
Ole Miss                                   29-17                .630             2-1
Auburn                                     27-18                .600             0-2
Vanderbilt                               23-21                .523             2-0
Tennessee                               20-23                .465             1-0
Arkansas                                 16-27                .372             1-0
Kentucky                                  13-29                .310                --

SEC by winning percentage

School                                    Record                  Pct.
Alabama                                     24-4                .857
Georgia                                       21-8                .724
LSU                                               19-9                .679
Florida                                      18-11                .621
Missouri                                   17-11                .607
Texas A&M                             15-12                .555
South Carolina                       16-13                .551
Mississippi State                   14-13                .519
Ole Miss                                   13-14                .481
Auburn                                     12-15                .444
Vanderbilt                                  9-18                .333
Tennessee                                 5-20                .200
Arkansas                                    5-22                .185
Kentucky                                    4-24                .143

Chavis Effect:
Defense: 2014 to 2015 Comparison

Stat Category                     2014          2015              +/-
Total Defense/G                450.8      378.3       -72.5
Rush Defense/G               216.0      195.2       -20.8
Pass Defense/G                234.8      183.2       -51.6
Score Defense/G                 28.1        24.3         -3.8
3rd Down Defense %          40.0%      29.0%     -11.0%
TD Red Zone Defense %      53.5%      41.7%     -11.8%
Red Zone Defense %          86.0%      79.2%       -6.8%
Pass Eff. Defense              127.8      116.8       -11.0
QB Sacks/G                        2.8          3.3        +0.5
TFL/G                               5.8          9.5        +3.7
TOs Gained/G                     1.0          1.5        +0.5
Forced Fumbles/G                0.5          1.5        +1.0

Team breakdown…
Team:

While the Aggies have played two games away from Kyle Field, Saturday's matchup with Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., will be the Aggies' first true road game of 2015. It is the latest road opener for the Aggies since 1928 when A&M played its first road game against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville on Oct. 27.
Saturday's matchup marks the third time in the Aggies' four seasons in the SEC that they have faced Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. (2012, 2013, 2015). A&M is 2-0 in its previous trips to Oxford.
Texas A&M has compiled a 17-4 record in games away from Kyle Field (road and neutral sites) during the Kevin Sumlin era (since 2012).
The Aggies are 11-4 under Sumlin in true road games.
The Aggies are 5-4 against AP Top 25 team in true road games under Sumlin.

Offense:

True freshman WR/RS Christian Kirk leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (6.0 points/G), touchdowns (6), receptions (6.5/G), receiving yards (101.5/G), punt return average (25.1), all-purpose yards (195.0/G).
Kirk is the overall SEC leader in receiving yards per game and punt return average.
Sophomore QB Kyle Allen became the ninth Aggie with 30 career passing touchdowns. He did it in his 15th career game (11 starts), which matched the fastest to 30 passing TDs pace set by Johnny Manziel (15 games/14th start). In fact, Allen and Manziel are the only QBs in school history to reach 30 in fewer than 20 games.
Wide receivers Josh Reynolds and Christian Kirk are both averaging over 90 receiving yards per game in contests vs. AP Top 25 teams (No. 15 Arizona State, No. 21 Mississippi State and No. 10 Alabama). Reynolds averages 91.7 (14-275), while Kirk averages 91.0 (21-273).

Defense:

Texas A&M has been stingy on defense in the fourth quarter against Power 5 teams. In four fourth quarters vs. Power 5s (vs. Arizona State, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Alabama), the Aggie defense has allowed a total of 20 points and 311 total yards on 75 plays (4.1 per play). A&M has allowed a total of 141 rushing yards (3.1 yards per carry) and 170 passing yards (5.9 yards per pass attempt).
The Aggies' defensive front has claimed SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors three times in six games (two by Myles Garrett, one by Daeshon Hall).
The Aggies reached double-digits in tackles for losses for the third time this season with 15 against the Crimson Tide. Prior to 2015, the TFL game-high in the Sumlin era was 12 vs. Vanderbilt in 2013. A&M opened the year with 14 vs. Arizona State and then had a Sumlin-era high 16 vs. Nevada. It was the most TFLs given up by Alabama in 2015 (previous high was nine vs. Wisconsin).
The A&M defense has forced a turnover in 10 straight games dating back to 2014, and have nine takeaway in six games in 2015. Last season the Aggies mustered just 10 takeaways in 13 games.
True freshman DT Daylon Mack is the No. 2 freshman producer of tackles for loss in the SEC (6.0).
Sophomore DE Myles Garrett leads the SEC with 8.5 QB sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, and he is tied with teammate Donovan Wilson for the SEC lead with three forced fumbles.
Sophomore FS Armani Watts is tied for ninth in the SEC with 8.2 tackles/game, and he has three double-digit tackle games in 2015, including a career-best 14 vs. Arkansas.
Junior SS Justin Evans, who transferred to A&M in 2015 from Gulf Coast CC in Mississippi, is the SEC's No. 2 tackler among newcomers with 37 tackles behind only Jake Ganus of Georgia, who transferred from UAB.

Special Teams:

Senior PK Taylor Bertolet has been a long-range scoring threat for the Aggies with three 50-yard plus field goals in 2015. Bertolet has connected from distances of 55 vs. Mississippi State (career long) and 54 and 52 vs. Alabama. For his career, Bertolet has six career boots of 50-yards or more.
Bertolet's three 50-yard FGs match Auburn's Daniel Carlson for the FBS lead, and his 55-yarder is second-longest this year only to Carlson's 56-yarder.
True freshman RS Christian Kirk has been a game-breaker for the Aggies as a punt returner. Kirk leads the nation with a 25.1 average (on 11 returns) and is tied for the FBS lead with two touchdowns.
Kirk has matched the season school record for PR TDs originally set by Carl Roaches in 1972 and matched by Rod Harris (De'Vante Harris' father) in 1987, Kevin Smith in 1991 and Aaron Glenn in 1993. He is one shy of the career school record of three by Roaches (1972-74) and Dustin Harris (2009-12)
Senior P Drew Kaser leads the SEC and ranks No. 2 nationally with a 49.5 punt average. He is on pace to break his own school record of 47.4 by over two yards. Texas A&M ranks No. 21 nationally with a 40.2 net punt average.
With an overall career punt average of 46.2 and a SEC-only career punt average of 46.2 (he had two punts in 2011), Kaser is on pace to break the Texas A&M record (44.7 by Shane Lechler, 1996-99) and the SEC record (45.6 by Rickey Anderson of Vanderbilt, 1983-84).
Sophomore DE Myles Garrett blocked a punt attempt last week vs. Alabama and now has punt and field goal block in his first 18 career games, in addition to 20.0 QB sacks.
True freshman LB Riley Garner, a product of A&M Consolidated HS in College Station, leads the team with seven special teams tackles. He is closely followed by 12th Man Sam Moeller with six.

NIGHTMARE FOR QBs, OCs

Sophomore DE Myles Garrett is, arguably, the nation's most feared pass rusher.

Garrett has been named the SEC DL of the Week after the Aggies' past two games (MSU and ALA).
Garrett's sack and strip of ARK QB Brandon Allen forced overtime in the Aggies' 28-21 win over the Razorbacks.
Garrett tied a career-high with 3.5 sacks vs. NEV despite having his wisdom teeth removed less than a week previously.
Nevada schemed for the challenge of facing Garrett by having its scout team defensive ends line up offsides in practice to simulate Garrett's quickness, according to the SEC Network TV crew.
His older sister, Brea Garrett, was a NCAA Champion thrower for the Texas A&M track and field team. His older brother, Sean Williams, has played for several NBA teams and currently plays basketball overseas.
Among his measurables are 4.46 in the 40, 10' 9.5" in the broad jump and 38.5" in the vertical jump.
Described as a "dino-geek," Garrett says of his post-football life: "I want to be a paleontologist, whether it's amateur or professional." (Sports Illustrated, July 27, 2015)

NCAA QB Sacks Leaders

Player, School                           QBS      QBS/G
Carl Nassib, Penn St.                 11.5         1.64
Joe Schobert, Wisconsin              9.5         1.36
Myles Garrett, Texas A&M         8.5         1.42
Steven Taylor, Houston               8.0         1.33
Three players tied at 1.07 QBS/G

NEW BLITZ BROTHERS?

Texas A&M is one of only four FBS schools with two players ranked in the top 25 in QB sacks -- defensive ends Myles Garrett (8.5) and Daeshon Hall (5.0).

The most prolific pass-rushing pair in Wrecking Crew history was the "Blitz Brothers" tandem of John Roper and Aaron Wallace. They combined for 29.5 sacks in 1988 (2.46 QBS/G). Garrett and Hall are just behind Roper and Wallace's pace with an average of 2.25 sacks per game.
Garrett said of the pair's friendly competition to get to the quarterback, "It's a race to get to the quarterback every time."
Hall came to Texas A&M on his recruiting visit in 2013 as a 208-pound "basketball player," according to head coach Kevin Sumlin. He has bulked up to 260 pounds as a junior.
Hall's nickname is "Dae Dae."
Hall moved from Seattle, Wash., to Lancaster, Texas in high school. His high school coach Chris Gilbert got his first glimpse of Hall playing basketball. "He was just like hammering dunks," Gilbert said. "He was a little thin, but I could tell he was strong. He said, 'Coach, I love basketball but everybody tells me they think I can play on Sundays, and I think I can.' '' (Dallas Morning News, Sept. 12, 2014)
Hall's four-sack effort vs. ASU tied for second-most in a single game in school history, trailing only the five-sack performance by Alex Morris vs. Houston in 1987. Hall matched the sack total of three first-team All-Americans: Jacob Green, Ray Childress and John Roper.

RECORD-SETTING REYNOLDS

Preseason All-SEC WR Josh Reynolds keeps finding his way to the endzone. A&M's season receiving TDs record-holder, Reynolds has three in 2015 and will enter the career top five with his next receiving TD.

Reynolds had 100-yard receiving games vs. ARK and MSU, including a career-best 141 on seven catches vs. the Bulldogs. It is the first time that Reynolds has reached 100 in consecutive games.
Reynolds' 13 receiving TDs last season broke the school record of 12 originally set by Jeff Fuller in 2010 and matched by 2014 NFL first-round pick Mike Evans in 2013.
Prior to the season, head coach Kevin Sumlin revealed that Reynolds set the record while playing through a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. "Maybe we can get 26 touchdowns out of him this year," Sumlin said, smiling. "We're excited about him now that he's 100 percent and ready to go and not a one-armed guy out there." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Aug. 28, 2015)
Overlooked by FBS programs out of HS, Reynolds went to Tyler Junior College as a full qualifier and then transferred to A&M with three years of eligibility in 2014.
Coaching staff was tipped off to Reynolds by A&M T&F coach Pat Henry, who had recruited Reynolds as a high jumper.

TAMU Career Receiving TDs

Player, Years                                  TDs
Jeff Fuller, 2008-11                          34
Ryan Swope, 2009-12                     24
Uzoma Nwachukwu, 2009-12         19
Bob Long, 1966-68                          19
Mike Evans, 2012-13                       17
Josh Reynolds, 2014-                        16

KASER REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK

Senior preseason All-SEC punter Drew Kaser continues his assault on the Aggies' punting record book. He is on pace to erase the school and SEC career punt average records.

Kaser leads the SEC and ranks No. 2 nationally with a 49.5 punt average. He is on pace to break his own school record of 47.4 by over two yards. Texas A&M ranks No. 21 nationally with a 40.2 net punt average.
With an overall career punt average of 46.2 and a SEC-only career punt average of 46.2 (he had two punts in 2011), Kaser is on pace to break the Texas A&M record (44.7 by Shane Lechler, 1996-99) and the SEC record (45.6 by Rickey Anderson of Vanderbilt, 1983-84).
Eight of Kaser's 24 punts have been downed inside the opp 20, and 12 have been 50-yard+ bombs.
As a junior, Kaser deposited 22 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line, which broke the old school record of 21 set by Lechler in 1998.
As a sophomore in 2013, Kaser earned All-America honors and was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award after leading the SEC and breaking Lechler's season school record with a 47.4 average.

NCAA Punt Average

Player, School                                Avg.
Michael Carrizosa, San Jose St.        50.2
Drew Kaser, Texas A&M               49.5
Tom Hackett, Utah                         48.0
Trevor Daniel, Tennessee                47.6
Nick O'Toole, WVU                        46.8

Allen reaches 30 pass TDs

Sophomore QB Kyle Allen has started at QB in the Aggies' last 11 games (8-3 record in those starts).

Sophomore QB Kyle Allen became the ninth Aggie with 30 career passing touchdowns. He did it in his 15th career game (11 starts), which matched the fastest to 30 passing TDs pace set by Johnny Manziel (15 games/14th start). In fact, Allen and Manziel are the only QBs in school history to reach 30 in fewer than 20 games.
Allen had a career-high 387 total yards against MSU with 322 passing yards and a career-high 65 yards on the ground.
Allen arguably had the most complete game of his career against Arkansas, establishing career highs in total offense (363 yards) and passing yards (358).
Allen was the No. 1 rated pocket passer QB out of high school by ESPN. He was an early enrolle at Texas A&M in 2014.

SEC Pass efficiency leaders

Player, School                            Pass Eff.
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss                     161.89
Kyle Allen, Texas A&M               153.24
Brandon Allen, Arkansas              151.46
Greyson Lambert, Georgia            149.28
Will Grier, Florida                        145.43

SPEEDY IMPACT

Preseason All-SEC WR Speedy Noil's impact on the Aggies' receiving corps and return units were impressive in his first season with the Aggies in 2014.

After missing the ARK and MSU games, Noil saw action against Alabama and had one catch for 15 yards and a kickoff return for 19 yards.
Last year, Noil was the Aggies' leader in all-purpose yardage and punt and kickoff return yardage, and he ranked third on the team in receiving yardage. Noil's 1,418 all-purpose yards ranked No. 4 by a freshman in school history. He was the fifth freshman (second true freshman) to reach the 40-catch plateau (46) and his 583 receiving yards ranked No. 5 in the freshman record book.

Freshman All-Purpose Yards

Player                         AP-YDs       Year
Cyrus Gray                   1,592         2008
Dante Hall                   1,551         1996
Leeland McElroy          1,427         1993
Speedy Noil                1,418         2014
Johnny Manziel            1,410         2012

ABOUT THOSE WRs

Texas A&M is the only school in the SEC with three returning receivers that had 40-or-more catches last season. Ole Miss is the only other school with more than one 40-catch plus receiver returning.
Texas A&M is the only school in the SEC with four returning WRs that had more than 400 receiving yards in 2014.
Texas A&M is the only school in the SEC with four returning WRs that had four-or-more receiving TDs in 2014.

RARE FRESHMAN

True freshman WR Christian Kirk has been a huge boost to an already-solid wide receiver unit that featured three returnees with 40 or more catches in 2014.

After just five career games, Kirk has already earned SEC weekly honors twice -- Freshman POW honors after the ASU win and Special Teams POW after ARK.
Kirk leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (6.0 points/G), touchdowns (6), receptions (6.5/G), receiving yards (101.5/G), punt return average (25.1), all-purpose yards (195.0/G).
Kirk is the overall SEC leader in receiving yards per game and punt return average.
Kirk has been a game-breaker for the Aggies as a punt returner. Kirk leads the nation with a 25.1 average (on 11 returns) and is tied for the FBS lead with two TDs.
Against ASU, Kirk became the first Aggie freshman in program history to hit the 100-yard plateau in receiving yards in his playing debut with 106 yards (6 catches).

SEC ALL-PURPOSE YARDS LEADERS

Player, School                                      A-P Yds.        Avg./P
Leonard Fournette, LSU              1,258          8.1
Christian Kirk, TAMU                  1,170        17.2
Derrick Henry, Alabama                 970          6.1
Nick Chubb, Georgia                      779          8.1
Two players tied at 729 yards

SEC Receiving yards LEADERS

Player, School                                          Rec./G        Yds./G
Christian Kirk, TAMU                      6.5      101.5
Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss             7.0        93.4
Pharoh Cooper, S. Carolina               5.7        83.9
Trent Sheffield, Vandy                     6.0        80.5
Josh Reynolds, TAMU                     3.5        73.2

TWO-WAY SLIM

Senior Brandon Williams is Texas A&M's first two-way player since the late 1960s. Williams starts for the Aggies at cornerback and also sees action at running back.

Williams is the first two-way player at Texas A&M since future All-America and NFL All-Pro defensive back Dave Elmendorf and Ross Brupbacher saw action on both offense and defense for the 1968 Aggies. Elmendorf currently serves as A&M's color analyst on its radio network.
Williams, who was strictly a RB his first two seasons at Texas A&M, made the position change to cornerback after spring drills. Williams started six games at RB and gained 388 yards on 87 carries in 2014.
"I'm a football player," Williams said. "I'm not a running back. I'm not a cornerback. I'm not a D-end. I'm a football player. I love to play football, so whatever I need to do to help the team win and play football, I'll do." (Bryan-College Station Eagle, Sept. 16, 2015)
A five-star RB recruit out of Brookshire-Royal HS, Williams said he hadn't played defense since pee-wee football "and even then it was at safety."
Nickname is "Slim."
"At 6-foot, 205, he's an average-to-slight build running back in the NFL. At 6-foot, 205, he's a big cornerback and a NFL prospect," Sumlin said. "He's physical, one of the fastest guys on the team, has long arms and he's strong. The sky is the limit for him. He helps our football team at cornerback, but he's also helping himself by showcasing where he can play at the next level. If he can improve his technique, he's gone from a free agent/late round to a draft pick. (The position change) helps him and it helps us."

WORKHORSE CARSON

The Aggies are 6-1 since senior RB Tra Carson emerged as the Aggies' workhorse running back in last year's bowl game.

Carson has rushed for 476 yards and four TDs on 108 carries in 2015, which is more than 4x the carries of the next most active running back rusher (Brice Dolezal with 20 carries. QB Kyle Allen is the Aggies' second-leader rusher with 48 totes).
Including last year's bowl effort (25-133), Carson is averaging 19.0 carries / 82.0 rushing yards in his last seven outings.
Carson had a career-high 29 carries (96 yards) and was on the field for a whopping 80 plays in the Aggies' season-opening win over then-No. 15 Arizona State.
"He's a workhorse," Sumlin says. "He's 230 to 235 pounds, a big back, great blocker, trustworthy. He can do everything for us and he's a leader."
The Aggies' 2014 RB-by-committee was pared down in the offseason when Trey Williams opted to enter the NFL early and six-game starter Brandon Williams shifted to defense.
Prior to Carson's recent run, his career high for carries and yards came in his first game in the maroon and white (14 carries for 76 yards vs. Rice on Aug. 31, 2013). In fact, prior to last year's bowl game, Carson had just five double-digit carry games and no 100-yard rushing games.
Carson transferred to Texas A&M in 2012 after playing his freshman season at Oregon in 2011. Carson rushed for 254 yards in 10 games of action for the Ducks.
A three-star RB, Carson broke LaMichael James' school rushing record at Liberty-Eylau HS in Texarkana, Texas with 2,202 yards as a senior.
Tra is short for Latravion.

The 12th Man

Senior Sam Moeller (San Antonio, Texas) owns the school record for 12th Man starts with 32. The previous record-holder, Nick Lamantia, had 30 starts from 2006-08.

A special teams ace in general, Moeller is on virtually every coverage unit and is a valuable DB reserve. He is the only 12th Man in school history to block a punt (vs. MSU, 2013).
Texas A&M's famous 12th Man tradition dates back to 1922 when student E. King Gill came out of the stands in the Dixie Classic in Dallas at the request of legendary head coach Dana X. Bible because of injuries to his football team. Gill never entered the game but "stood ready" in the Aggies' 22-14 win over the powerhouse Centre College Praying Colonels.
In honor of the tradition, the Texas A&M student body "stands ready" to show their support of their team on the field.
The 12th Man Kickoff Team tradition was started in 1982 by then-head coach Jackie Sherrill after being inspired by watching students build the famous Aggie Bonfire. "I knew that I could find, out of 40-some-odd thousand students, 11 guys that would cover kickoffs, but have no regard for their body and be tough as nails," Sherrill said. (Source: MyAggieNation.com) Beginning in 1991, a single 12th Man was chosen to represent the study body on the kickoff unit.

12th Man Starts

Player                       starts      years
Sam Moeller                32              2012-
Nick Lamantia             30              2006-08
John Ray                      23              2004-05
C.J. Jones                      21              2010-12
Eric Stanford               17              1999-01

NO OPPONENTS FROM STATE OF TEXAS ON 2015 SCHEDULE

Although the Aggies play nine games within the boundaries of the state of Texas, Texas A&M will not face a single opponent from the Lone Star State for the first time in program history in 2015.

The 2015 home schedule features seven home games at the redeveloped Kyle Field, including SEC contests vs. Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina and Auburn.
The Aggies will face just three true road contests in 2015 -- vs. Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and LSU.

SUMLIN VS. TOP 25

In his eighth season as a head coach, fourth-year Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin has a career record of 12-11 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 (9-10 at A&M).

Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at TAMU)

Opponent, Year AP rank Result

Florida, 2012                                    No. 24              L, 20-17
vs. Louisiana Tech, 2012              No. 22            W, 59-57
LSU, 2012                                          No. 6                 L, 24-19
at Mississippi State, 2012            No. 17            W, 38-13
at Alabama, 2012                           No. 1               W, 29-24
vs. *Oklahoma, 2013                      No. 11            W, 41-13

Alabama, 2013                                  No. 1                 L, 49-42
Auburn, 2013                                     No. 24              L, 45-41
at LSU, 2013                                       No. 18              L, 34-10
at Missouri, 2013                              No. 5                 L, 28-21

vs. Duke, 2013 No. 22 W, 52-48

at South Carolina, 2014                No. 9               W, 52-28
at Mississippi State, 2014            No. 12              L, 31-48
Ole Miss, 2014                                 No. 3 (tie)        L, 20-35
at Alabama, 2014                           No. 7                    L, 0-59
at Auburn, 2014                              No. 3               W, 41-38

vs. Arizona State, 2015                  No. 15            W, 38-17
Mississippi State, 2015                   No. 21            W, 30-17
Alabama, 2015                                  No. 10              L, 23-41

Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at UH)

at East Carolina, 2008 No. 23 W, 41-24
Tulsa, 2008 No. 25 W, 70-30

at Oklahoma State, 2009 No. 5 W, 45-35

Southern Miss, 2011 No. 24 L, 49-28

MAROON GOONS...

Calling themselves the Maroon Goons since 2012, the projected starting lineup of tackles Germain Ifedi and Avery Gennesey, guards Joe Cheek and Jeremiah Stuckey and center Mike Matthews weigh in at 1,540 pounds, or 308.0 pounds per goon. Collectively, they are one of the top five heaviest starting groups in school history.

Here's the Beef
(Starters/Possible Starters by career starts)

Goon                             HT     WT      Starts    2015
Germain Ifedi, RT          6-6    335     30        6
Mike Matthews, C        6-2    290     29        6
Joseph Cheek, RG          6-7    305     16        6
Avery Gennesy, LT       6-5    305      6         6
Jeremiah Stuckey, LG    6-4    305      5         5

MAROON DEBUTS

Several members of the 2015 signing class are already making their impact felt at the collegiate level:

DB Deshawn Capers-Smith
TE Jordan Davis
DB Justin Dunning
LB Landis Durham
SS Justin Evans
LB Riley Garner
LB Claude George
QB Jake Hubenak
DT Kingsley Keke
WR Christian Kirk
PK Daniel LaCamera
OL Connor Lanfear
DE James Lockhart
DT Daylon Mack
QB Kyler Murray
WR Damion Ratley
OG Keaton Sutherland
LB Dwaine Thomas

EXPERIENCED AGGIES

With 16 returning starters, the 2015 Aggies have the most returning starters of the Kevin Sumlin era at Texas A&M.

The Aggies return eight starters on both offense and defense.
Texas A&M has 44 lettermen returning from the 2014 team that posted an 8-5 record, beat two top 10 teams on the road and defeated West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl. The 44 returning lettermen is typical of the Aggies during the Sumlin era, which has also had 47 returning letterwinners in 2012, 46 in 2013 and 51 in 2014.
The Aggies' 2015 roster boasts 18 seniors, which is the most since Sumlin's first Texas A&M squad in 2012. Half of those seniors have started at least five games during their Texas A&M careers, including four that have started 20 games or more (DL Julien Obioha, CB De'Vante Harris, OC Mike Matthews and DT Alonzo Williams).

AGGIES ON NFL OPENING DAY ROSTERS

A total of 28 Aggie football players were NFL rosters on the opening day of the 2015 season.

The longest tenured NFL Aggie is All-Pro punter Shane Lechler with the Houston Texans, who is in his 16th season.
Former A&M walkon Don Muhlbach, is in his 12th season snapping in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.
QB Jameill Showers, now with the Dallas Cowboys, earned his degree at Texas A&M before finishing out his college eligibility at UTEP.
For the fifth straight year, the Aggies had a first-round NFL draft pick (Cedric Ogbuehi, No. 21, Cincinnati Bengals).

AGGIES ON NFL ROSTERS

Martellus Bennett, TE, Chicago Bears
Michael Bennett, DL, Seattle Seahawks
Randy Bullock, PK, Houston Texans
Cameron Clear, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers—reserved/injured
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Deshazor Everett, DB, Washington Redskins—practice squad
Jarvis Harrison, OL, New York Jets
Tramain Jacobs, DB, New York Giants—practice squad
Tony Jerod-Eddie, DL, San Francisco 49ers
Luke Joeckel, OL, Jacksonville Jaguars
Josh Lambo, PK, San Diego Chargers
Jorvorskie Lane, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Shane Lechler, P, Houston Texans—16th Season
Patrick Lewis, OL, Seattle Seahawks
Johnny Manziel, QB, Cleveland Browns
Jake Matthews, OL, Atlanta Falcons
Christine Michael, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Von Miller, LB, Denver Broncos
Damontre Moore, DL, New York Giants
Don Muhlbach, DS, Detroit Lions—12th Season
Uzoma Nwachukwu, WR, Miami Dolphins—practice squad
Cedric Ogbuehi, OL, Cincinnati Bengals—reserved/non-football injury
Sean Porter, LB, Cincinnati Bengals—physically unable to perform
Jameill Showers, QB, Dallas Cowboys—practice squad (graduated from Texas A&M)
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins
Steven Terrell, DB, Seattle Seahawks
Cody Wallace, OL, Pittsburgh Steelers
Trey Williams, RB, Washington Redskins—practice squad