No. 6 Football Hosts Mississippi State in SEC Clash

Sep 29, 2025 | Football

By: Brad Marquardt, Athletics Communications

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – No. 6 Texas A&M hosts the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a SEC clash at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kyle Field.

OPERATION BLACKOUT
Texas A&M (4-0 overall, 1-0 SEC) will wear black jerseys against Mississippi State (4-1, 0-1), and fans are encouraged to join the atmosphere by wearing black as well. It's the second-straight season, and fourth time in program history, the Aggies have worn black jerseys.

Back in Black

2012	at Mississippi State	W, 38-13
2015	vs. South Carolina	W, 35-28
2021	at LSU	L, 19-7
2024	vs. LSU	W, 38-23
2025	vs. Mississippi State	6:30 p.m.

SETTING THE SCENE:
Mississippi State at Texas A&M
6:30 p.m. CT
Kyle Field (capacity: 102,733)
Bryan-College Station, Texas

Rankings
Mississippi State: RV (AP) | RV (Coaches)
Texas A&M: No. 6 (AP) | No. 5 (Coaches)

Television
SEC NETWORK (National)
Tom Hart, Play-by-Play
Jordan Rodgers, Analyst
Cole Cubelic Sideline

Radio
SiriusXM:
Channel 137 or 190 (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

NEED-TO-KNOWS
SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER: Texas A&M has bolted to a 4-0 start, marking the team's first 4-0 start since the Aggies began the 2016 campaign with six-straight wins.

A victory over Mississippi State would push the Aggies to 2-0 in league play for the third consecutive year and sixth time since joining the SEC in 2012. In the Maroon & White's first season under Mike Elko in 2024, the Aggies won their first five SEC contests.

MOVING ON UP: Texas A&M jumped to an Elko era-high No. 6 in this week's edition of the Associated Press Top 25. It's the highest ranking for the Aggies since checking in at No. 6 in the Sept. 6, 2022 poll. Texas A&M has been ranked in 18 of 23 possible AP polls under Elko.

HOME OF THE 12TH MAN: Texas A&M has drawn more than 100,000 fans to Kyle Field in all three of its 2025 home games and is one of six programs averaging over 100,000 fans per home game. Five of the top eight largest crowds at Kyle Field have come in the 10 home games of the Elko era.

TRAILING MANZIEL: QB1 Marcel Reed reached the 3,000 passing yards and 4,000 total offense plateaus in his 17th and 18th career games, respectively. He is the second-fastest Aggie to both milestones behind only 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, who reached both in just 11 career games.

EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE: Texas A&M ranks among the nation's best at generating 20-yard-plus rush or pass plays. Through four games, the Aggies have produced 28 gains of 20-plus yards (7.0 per game), which is well above their 2024 average of 3.9.

DEFENSE SHINES: Texas A&M produced one of most dominant defensive showings versus a league opponent since joining the SEC in 2012 last week against Auburn. The Aggies limited the Tigers to just 177 total yards and 3.1 yards per play, while posting five sacks and generating four QB hurries. For the first time in SEC play, the Aggies didn't allow a third-down conversion, pitching an 0-of-13 shutout on third-down tries. In the fourth quarter, the Aggie defense allowed just one total yard on 11 snaps.

BACK TO FORM: RB1 Le'Veon Moss produced a career-high 139 yards on 21 carries against Auburn as he logged his first 100-yard rushing effort since suffering a season-ending knee injury in early November last season. Moss showed explosiveness with five runs of 10-plus yards, including a season-long 38-yarder (second-longest of his career) to set up the Aggies' lone touchdown.

SACK ATTACK: Texas A&M's SEC-best pass rush is powered by a defense that boasts 10 players with at least 1.0 sack after four games. The Aggies rank No. 6 nationally and tops in the SEC with 3.5 sacks per contest. SEC sack leader Cashius Howell (1.0/game)and LB Daymion Sanford are the only Aggies with multiple QB takedowns.

TRENDS & NOTABLES

The defense has allowed just 2.56 yards per carry on 114 rushing attempts since allowing a 75-yard run on the first play of the second half of the season-opener against UTSA (8/30). Nearly 40% of the rushing yards allowed by the Aggies in 2025 came in the first 20 minutes and 13 seconds of the season (177 of 469 total rushing yards).
Texas A&M's receiving crew is averaging 15.3 yards per catch, which ranks No. 7 nationally (No. 2 in the SEC). Leading the way are the WR tandem of Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, who both average 17.0-plus yards per catch.
Texas A&M has been elite in the return game in 2025 and are one of only four FBS teams ranking in the top 20 in kick returns (No. 16/29.3 average) and punt returns (No. 12/19.0 average).
Texas A&M ranks in the top 10 nationally in tackles for loss and QB sacks, averaging 8.0 and 3.5 per game, respectively.
The Aggies have been red-hot in the red zone, with scores on all 12 of their trips inside the opponent 20 with 10 touchdowns (6 rush / 4 pass).
Wide receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion have combined for 44 catches through four games with 35 of the total receptions producing a "money play," which is defined as a rush or catch that results in a first down or touchdown. Concepcion leads the team with 18 money plays on 20 receptions.
RB Le'Veon Moss also churns out the money plays with 17 of his 54 rushes resulting in a first down or touchdown.
QB Marcel Reed averages 8.9 yards per pass attempt in 2025, which is just off the school record pace of 9.6 set by Johnny Manziel in 2013. He's averaging 9.6 yards per attempt over the last two games. His single game career high is 10.9 yards when he passed for 361 yards on 20-of-33 attempts vs. Oklahoma State in the 2023 Texas Bowl.

DYNAMIC RECEIVER TANDEM

Mario Craver and KC Concepcion combine to average an FBS best 204.3 receiving yards per game. The Aggies are the nation's only team with two players ranked in the top 25 in receiving yards per game.
Craver ranks No. 2 nationally with 119.3 receiving yards per outing, while Concepcion comes in at No. 25 with 85.0.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Craver leads FBS wide receivers with a 91.8 receiving grade, while Concepcion grades out at 81.0.

Tandem Receiving Yards Leaders: FBS

School - Player (Avg.) / Player (Avg.)	Combined
Texas A&M - M. Craver (119.3) / K. Concepcion (85.0)	204.3
Rutgers - I. Strong (103.3) / K. Duff (84.0)	187.3
USC - M. Lemon (117.8) / J. Lane (69.5)	187.3
Tennessee - C. Brazzell II (106.2) /M. Matthews (74.0)	180.2
Indiana - O. Cooper Jr. (86.4) / E. Sarratt (77.6)	164.0

BUSSEY BREAKOUT

Sophomore Terry Bussey has emerged as one of the nation's top return specialists, ranking No. 12 nationally and leading the SEC in combined kick returns yardage with 252 yards (204 on kickoffs and 48 on punt returns).
At tiny Timpson High School in east Texas, Bussey earned the Mr. Texas Football Award as a junior and was named the Class 2A Offensive Player of the year as a senior after leading the Bears to the state championship. For his career, Bussey rushed and passed for over 5,000 career yards and accounted for 169 touchdowns on offense, while recording 270 tackles and 24 interceptions on defense. Bussey converted to wide receiver at Texas A&M.

SEC Combined Kick Returns Leaders

Player, School	KOR	PR	Yds
Terry Bussey, Texas A&M	204	48	252
Ryan Niblett, Texas	90	131	221
Vicari Swain, South Carolina	0	206	206
Rayshawn Pleasant, Auburn	190	0	190
Vernell Brown III, Florida	44	128	172

MAKING HIS MARK

In his first season at Texas A&M, WR Mario Craver leads the Aggies with 24 catches for 477 yards and four touchdowns. His receiving yards rank No. 2 nationally while his receiving scores are tied for No. 15.
His 207 receiving yards and 86-yard TD catch at No. 8 Notre Dame are both FBS-bests against top 25 opponents.
He became the seventh Aggie with a 200-yard receiving game and was the first to do it away from Kyle Field.
He averages 19.9 yards per catch, which leads the nation among players with at least 20 receptions.
Craver opened his career at Texas A&M with three-straight 100-yard receiving games, becoming the first Aggie with three consecutive since Ryan Swope in 2012.

Receiving Yards/Game Leaders

Player, School	G	Rec./Yds.	Yards/G
Danny Scudero, SJSU	4	33-520	130.0
Mario Craver, Texas A&M	4	24-477	119.3
Makai Lemon, USC	5	35-589	117.8
Cade Harris, Air Force	4	16-439	109.8
Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee	5	31-531	106.2

Receiving Yards/Catch Leaders (Min. 20 catches)

Player, School	Rec./Yds.	Yards/C
Mario Craver, Texas A&M	24-477	19.9
Camden Brown, Ga. Southern	20-392	19.6
Cooper Barkate, Duke	21-409	19.5
Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Kansas	23-435	18.9
Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana	23-432	18.8

Single Game Receiving Yards: 2025 vs. Top 25 Opp.

Player, School	Yards	Opponent
Mario Craver, Texas A&M	207	at #8 Notre Dame
Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee	177	#5 Georgia
Josh Cameron, Baylor	151	at #17 SMU
Makai Lemon, USC	151	at #22 Illinois
Ashtyn Hawkins, Baylor	145	at #17 SMU

Long Receptions: 2025 vs. Top 25 Opp.

Player, School	Yards	Opponent
Mario Craver, Texas A&M	86td	at #8 Notre Dame
Omari Kelly, Michigan St.	75td	at #25 USC
Da'Shawn Martin, Kent St.	75td	at #7 Florida St.
J'Koby Williams, Texas Tech	73	at #16 Utah
Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee	72td	#5 Uga

Texas A&M 200-Yard Receivers (Game)

Player	Yards	Opponent (Year)
Mike Evans	287	Auburn (2013)
Mike Evans	279	Alabama (2013)
Ken "Dude" McLean	250	Texas (1965)
Jason Carter	219	Texas State (2005)
Ryan Tannehill	210	Kansas State (2008)
Albert Connell	208	Colorado (1996)
Mario Craver	207	at #8 Notre Dame (2025)
Ryan Swope	206	Baylor (2011)

QB1 LEADS OFFENSE

Redshirt sophomore QB Marcel Reed has been a driving force behind a strong Aggie offense that ranks in the top 25 in total offense (463.8 yards per game) and passing offense (294.3) and has scored 10 touchdowns in 12 trips to the opponents' red zone.
Reed's dual-threat ability has him ranked No. 15 nationally in total offense with 298.8 yards per game as he's passed for 1,195 yards and rushed for 119 more.
Reed's 269.0 passing yards per game rank No. 21 nationally, while his 14.7 yards per completion ranks ninth and his 8.9 yards per attempt rank No. 25.

SEC Passing Yards/Game Leaders

Player, School	G	Yards	Avg.
John Mateer, Oklahoma	4	1,215	303.8
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee	5	1,459	291.8
Ty Simpson, Alabama	4	1,138	284.5
Taylen Green, Arkansas	5	1,398	279.6
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M	4	1,076	269.0

SEC Passing Touchdowns Leaders

Player, School	G	TD
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee	5	13
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt	5	13
Taylen Green, Arkansas	5	12
Ty Simpson, Alabama	4	11
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M	4	9
Arch Manning, Texas	4	9
Beau Pribula, Missouri	5	9

MOSS IS MR. DEPENDABILITY

Senior RB Le'Veon Moss produced a career-high 139 yards on 21 carries against Auburn last week as he logged his first 100-yard rushing effort since suffering a season-ending knee injury in early November of last season.
Moss showed his explosiveness with five runs of 10-plus yards, including a season-long 38-yarder (second-longest of his career) to set up the Aggies' lone touchdown.
Moss ranks No. 8 in the SEC with 76.8 rushing yards per game and is tied for fifth with five rushing scores.
The powerful Moss has just eight carries for negative yardage among his 298 career carries. The hard-running Moss has lost just 17 rushing yards throughout his career.
Moss delivered a trio of rushing touchdowns against then No. 8 Notre Dame (all in the second quarter), which is tied for the FBS high by a player against an AP Top 25 foe in 2025.
For his career, the versatile Moss averages 5.6 yards per rush (298-1,670) and 10.0 yards per catch (23-231). He is one of just nine active FBS players with at least 250 career carries and 20 receptions to average 10.0 yards per catch and 5.0 yards per carry.

CAPTAIN YORK

Junior LB Taurean York may have had the most complete game of his career last week against Auburn as he made a team-high seven tackles, including six solo stops, with two tackles for loss, including his first sack of the season. Additionally, the Aggies' defensive team captain contributed a game-high three QB hurries and one pass breakup.
The Aggies' tackle leader with 24, York is in his third season as the starting middle linebacker and was selected as a team captain by his teammates for a second-straight year ahead of the 2025 season
York led the Aggies with 82 tackles last season and ranked seventh in the league among linebackers in tackles for loss. The 5-10, 227-pound linebacker was named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America First Team, as well as watch lists for the Butkus and Bednarik Awards.
York led the defense in tackles in seven games last season and notched double-digit tackles at Mississippi State (12), at Auburn (10) and against Texas (10). He led the Aggies with an 85.7 tackling grade according to PFF and missed just six tackles in nearly 700 defensive snaps in 2024 for an impressive 7.4 missed tackle rate.

GETTING TO THE QB

Texas A&M is one of four FBS schools with two defenders with at least 14 career quarterback sacks on their resumes.
Senior DE Cashius Howell has 19.5 sacks over his career at Texas A&M (8.0) and Bowling Green (11.5), while graduate DE Dayon Hayes has 15.0 after logging his first sack as an Aggie against Auburn. Hayes came to Aggieland with 14.0 career sacks after previous stops at Pittburgh (12.0) and Colorado (2.0).

FBS Schools with 14.0+ QBS Tandems

School	Players (QBS)
LSU	Harold Perkins Jr. (14.0) / Patrick Pyton (16.5)
Miami	Akheem Mesidor (25.5) / Mohamed Toure (14.5)
Rutgers	Bradley Weaver (17.0) / Eric O'Neill (14.4)
Texas A&M	Dayon Hayes (15.0) / Cashius Howell (19.5)

TRANSFER IMPACT

Head coach Mike Elko's ability to find talent in the transfer portal has been on display this season.
The 2025 crop of transfers already lead the team in several statistical categories, including scoring, receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, all-purpose yards and punt returns.
Last year, Elko inked seven transfers that started at least 10 games and the 2024 team leaders in sacks, tackles for loss, QB hurries, interceptions and breakups.
Additionally, nine transfers from the 2024 class remain on the roster and are playing key roles in 2025.

2025 Transfer Class

Transfer (Position)	Previous School
Nate Boerkircher (TE)	Nebraska
KC Concepcion (WR)	NC State
Mario Craver (WR)	Mississippi State
Dayon Hayes (DE)	Colorado
Julio Humphrey (CB)	Georgia
Sam M'Pemba (DE)	Georgia
Tyler Onyedim (DT)	Iowa State
Amari Niblack (TE)	Texas
Micah Riley (TE)	Auburn
T.J. Searcy (DE)	Florida
Jordan Shaw (CB)	Washington
Jonah Wilson (WR)	Houston
Jacob Zeno (QB)	UAB

Returnees from 2024 Transfer Class

Transfer (Position)	Previous School (2024 stats)
Koli Faaiu (C)	Utah (13 gms, 11 starts)
Cashius Howell (DE)	Bowling Green (4.0 QBS, 8.5 TFL)
Will Lee III (CB)	Kansas State (10 PBU, 2 INT)
Marcus Ratcliffe (S)	San Diego State (48 TT, 3 INT)
Ar'maj Reed-Adams (OL)	Kansas (12 gms, 12 starts)
Dezz Ricks (CB)	Alabama (20 TT, 2 PBU, 1 INT)
EJ Smith (RB)	Stanford (50-183 rush, 8-66 rec.)
Scooby Williams (LB)	Florida (43 tackles, 7.5 TFL)
Jared Zirkel (PK)	Georgia (64.1 KO avg., 44 TBs)

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 are one of just 24 teams passing for more than 290 yards while also rushing for 160-plus yards.
Collectively, the Aggies' offensive line unit is 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.

Breaking Down the Starting Five

Goon	Ht.	Wt.	Starts
Trey Zuhn III, LT	6-6	319	41
Chase Bisontis, LG	6-5	315	26
Mark Nabou Jr., C	6-3	322	18
Ar'maj Reed-Adams, RG	6-5	325	31
Dametrious Crownover, RT	6-7	318	19
AVERAGES	6-5.2	323.4	27.0

STABLE OF STALLIONS

Texas A&M is one of seven FBS teams with two running backs with over 1,500 career rushing yards. Entering the Mississippi State game, senior Le'Veon Moss has rushed for 1,670 yards and senior Amari Daniels has totalled 1,585 yards. The other teams with two 1,500-yard rushers are Indiana, Kansas, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech (note: does not include quarterbacks with 1,500-plus yards).
Adding in QB Marcel Reed, the Texas A&M rushing attack features four players with 500-plus career rushing yards: Moss, Daniels, Reed and redshirt sophomore Rueben Owens.
Texas A&M returns 87% of its run production from last season. Moss, a second-team All-SEC pick in 2024, combined for 1,426 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Moss ranked sixth in the SEC with 10 rushing touchdowns and eighth in the league rushing for 765 yards, despite an injury prematurely ended his season at nine games. Daniels was ninth in the SEC in rushing scores (8) and finished 18th in rushing yards (661) after appearing in each regular season game and making three starts.
Daniels came on strong at the end of the season filling in for the injured Moss averaging 5.3 yards per carry in the last five games of the regular season. During that span, he totaled 369 yards on 70 carries and three rushing touchdowns, including a pair of 50-plus yard scores against South Carolina and New Mexico State.
Owens is back in full swing as well after a fall camp injury sidelined him for the majority of last season. He earned 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team honors after leading the league's true freshmen in all-purpose yards (743), rushing yards (385) and kick return yards (249).

NCAA RANKINGS DEEP DIVE

After holding Auburn without a third-down conversion on 13 tries last Saturday, Texas A&M climbed to No. 10 in third-down conversion defense at 24.6%.
Texas A&M is one of just three schools with players ranked in the top 15 in punt and kickoff return average. KC Concepcion ranks No. 7 in punt returns at 20.3, while Terry Bussey's 29.1 kick return average ranks No. 13.
Concepcion's 80-yard punt return touchdown in the season-opener vs. UTSA has him ranked in a tie for third nationally in season punt return scores.
Bussey ranks No. 12 nationally (No. 1 in the SEC) with 252 combined kick return yards (204 KOR/48 PR).
Senior DE Cashius Howell ranks No. 7 (No. 1 in the SEC) in QB sacks (1.0 per game).
The Aggies' 41 points against No. 8 Notre Dame in South Bend ranks as the second highest point total against an AP Top 25 opponent in a road game in 2025, behind only Baylor's 48-point outburst against No. 17 SMU in Dallas.
Mario Craver's career yards per catch average of 20.6 ranks No. 3 among active FBS players with at least 40 catches.

IMPROVED PASS ATTACK

Texas A&M's passing attack has shown marked improvement in its second season under offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Collin Klein.
Compared to 2024 through four games, Texas A&M has the nation's seventh-most improved passing offense, averaging 132.3 more yards per game than last season. The Aggies rank No. 23 nationally with 294.3 yards per game.
It is the second-highest improvement in the SEC and fourth-best among power conferences and Notre Dame.

Most Improved Passing Offenses: FBS
(Compared to same point of 2024 season)

Team	'25 YPG	'24 YPG	Improvement
FAU	325.5	162.8	+162.7
Boston College	344.5	184.0	+160.5
New Mexico State	262.8	108.4	+154.4
Air Force	215.5	66.3	+149.2
Oklahoma	305.0	169.2	+135.8
Notre Dame	306.5	171.6	+134.9
Texas A&M	294.3	162.0	+132.3
Baylor	349.4	222.6	+126.8
UAB	320.0	204.8	+115.2
Purdue	279.5	172.3	+107.2

STOPPING THE RUN

The Aggies under Mike Elko have limited opponents to less than 4.0 yards per carry in 11 of 17 contests, including their most recent opponent, Auburn (2.2). Texas A&M is 10-1 under Elko when allowing less that 4.0 yards per carry.
Auburn's 52 rushing yards tied for the second-lowest output of the Elko era and marked the seventh time opponents were held to 100 or fewer rushing yards. The Tigers managed just one rushing yard (seven carries) in the first quarter and had minus-8 yards on five carries in the final stanza.

ROSTER CONNECTIONS

Sophomore WR/RS Terry Bussey's uncle, Domingo Bryant, lettered for the Aggies from 1982-85 and was a founding member of Texas A&M's famed "Wrecking Crew" defense.
Redshirt sophomore WR Ashton Bethel-Roman's father, Mark Roman, played 10 seasons in the NFL for Cincinnati, Green Bay and San Francisco.
Redshirt sophomore CB Dezz Ricks' brother, Eli Ricks, played two seasons in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles.
There are multiple brother tandems on the Aggie roster: Jacob and Boomer Graham (Houston), T.J. and Jeremiah Searcy (Thomaston, Ga.) and Tyler and Jared White (Southlake, Texas).
Graduate student RB EJ Smith is the son of the NFL's all-time leading rusher and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith.
Freshman WR Will Hargett's grandfather, Edd Hargett, was the Aggies' all-time leading passer for nearly 20 years and is a member of the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame and the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.