Scouting Texas A&M

Texas A&M tight end Jace Sternberger (81) lunges forward at the end of a catch against Clemson during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Head Coach: Jimbo Fisher (2-2 in first season at Texas A&M and 85-25 in ninth season overall)

2018 Record: 2-2 overall, 0-1 SEC

2017 Record: 7-6 overall, 4-4 SEC

Postseason Result: Lost 55-52 to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl

Offense: Pro

Defense: Multiple

Returning Lettermen: 52 (23 offense, 26 defense, three special teams)

Returning Starters: 16 (seven offense, eight defense, one special teams)

Players to Watch: QB Kellen Mond, RB Trayveon Williams, TE Jace Sternberger, WR Jhamon Ausbon, DE Landis Durham, LB Otaro Alaka, LB Tyrel Dodson, S Donovan Wilson, P Braden Mann

Series Record: Arkansas leads 41-30-3

Last Meeting: Texas A&M defeated Arkansas 50-43 in overtime on Sept. 23, 2017, in Arlington, Texas

The Skinny on Texas A&M

Jimbo Fisher became the first coach since Johnny Majors more than 40 years ago to leave a school where he won a national championship for another college program without a stop in the NFL in between.

Texas A&M has given Fisher 10 years and $75 million to try and harvest the Aggies’ recruiting gains made since the move from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference six years ago.

Like when he took over at Florida State in 2009, Fisher inherited a roster ready-made for success in Aggieland, but early-season games against Clemson and Alabama guaranteed Fisher’s first Texas A&M team would have some growing pains in the first month. A two-point loss to Clemson indicated the Aggies’ restoration project might not take long.

Texas A&M has experience and talent at positions across the board, and it would not be a surprise to see the Aggies finish in the top three of the SEC West. The key is whether the Aggies can continue to produce away from Kyle Field, in particular during a two-week stretch in October and November at Auburn and Mississippi State. Under former coach Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M won 63 percent of its SEC road games.

Texas A&M Key Stat

The Aggies have won all six games against Arkansas since Texas A&M joined the SEC for the 2012 football season — on campus the first two seasons and at AT&T Stadium the past four.

Three of the past four wins have come in overtime, with each game playing out strikingly similar to the others. In all three, Arkansas blew a fourth-quarter lead and Texas A&M scored late to tie the game, lost the overtime coin toss, scored on its first possession and held the Razorbacks out of the end zone on the ensuing drive to win the game.

Texas A&M seems to have a psychological edge over Arkansas. If the Razorbacks can keep the score close through three quarters, can they close in the fourth? That has been an issue for Arkansas for several seasons, and not only against the Aggies.

Texas A&M Key Player

Junior running back Trayveon Williams has been one of the SEC’s more underrated running backs during a strong three-year run in College Station.

Williams became the first Texas A&M freshman to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 2016, then fell back to 798 yards while splitting carries and playing in more of a passing offense as a sophomore last season.

This year, Williams is off to a strong start, propelled by a 240-yard, three-touchdown performance in the season-opener against Northwestern State.

Williams has true breakaway speed and is not afraid to run inside between the center and guards. He shows good vision and the ability to cut in traffic, which often frees him up for long runs. He was bottled up frequently against defensive lines by Clemson and Alabama that feature several future NFL draft picks, but had 12 runs of 11 yards or more in games against Northwestern State and ULM. He did not play in the fourth quarter of either game.

The Razorbacks are seventh nationally against the run, but have faced three teams with heavy passing attacks.

Williams has become more physical and is better in pass protection, which expands his playing time and role in the pro-style offense. He was targeted only twice as a receiver in the first four games, but was a frequent target in the Aggies’ spring game when he caught six passes for 58 yards.

In two career games against Arkansas, Williams has rushed 29 times for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

Texas A&M on Offense

Sophomore Kellen Mond won an offseason quarterback battle and has been efficient early this season after several months working with Fisher, considered one of the top quarterback developers in college football. Prior to throwing two interceptions in the Alabama game, Mond had completed 63 percent of his passes. Most importantly, he protected the football, throwing six touchdowns to zero interceptions in 89 attempts.

Mond works mostly from the shotgun formation. He has good mobility — he rushed for 98 yards at Alabama and had a 79-yard run against Arkansas last season — and his speed coupled with Williams’ running ability gives Texas A&M a chance to use the run-pass option (RPO), although the Aggies rely more on the traditional three- and five-step drops.

Mond’s top target is sophomore Jhamon Ausbon, who had 14 catches for 216 yards this season. Ausbon is an athletic 6-2, 220-pound receiver who has shown the ability to contort his body to make good plays on the ball in the air, and also is a serviceable blocker.

The emergence of Quartney Davis on the other side of the field has provided some one-on-one matchups for Ausbon, as well as for tight end Jace Sternberger, a favorite target of Mond in the red zone.

Junior center Erick McCoy anchors the offensive line, but Texas A&M is young in the front five. It starts sophomores at both tackle positions and at right guard. But having seen the talented defensive fronts from Clemson and Alabama, the youthful group from Texas A&M is more battle-tested than most at this juncture in the season.

Texas A&M on Defense

If Arkansas fans want to see the personnel vision John Chavis has for the Razorbacks’ defense, look at the Aggies on that side of the ball.

Chavis was the Texas A&M defensive coordinator from 2015-17 and helped recruit several of the players who will take the field against the Razorbacks.

With eight returning starters, the Aggies have been better defensively than during Chavis’ final season when Texas A&M ranked 78th nationally in total defense and allowed its opponents to score 43 or more points five times.

The Aggies have fared much better against the run this season under coordinator Mike Elko, who left the same position at Notre Dame after one season. Against Clemson, Texas A&M allowed 115 yards on 32 attempts and had several tackles for loss.

The Aggies are strong in the front seven, and especially at linebacker with senior Otaro Alaka in the middle and junior Tyrel Dodson on the strong side. Donovan Wilson is an aggressive safety who can also make plays in the backfield.

Look for Arkansas to try and establish the passing game against the Aggies. Teams are converting more first downs through the air against Texas A&M than on the ground, and completing about 56 percent of their passes.

The Texas A&M pass rush has not been as strong this season than it was under Chavis. Landis Durham is the Aggies’ most capable pass rusher and Wilson can pressure the quarterback because of his aggressive play at safety.

Texas A&M on Special Teams

Texas A&M kicker Daniel LaCamera has not played the past two games because of a foot injury and is not expected to play against Arkansas. LaCamera made 18 of 21 field goals last season, including one in the final seconds of regulation to send the game against the Razorbacks to overtime.

Seth Small has filled in well for LaCamera, going 5-for-5 on field goal attempts during games against ULM and Alabama. Small, a freshman, kicked a 52-yard field goal in the second quarter against the Crimson Tide, but the rest of his field goals have been between 25-40 yards.

Braden Mann is one of the SEC’s better punters and is averaging nearly 55 yards per attempt this season. He has a 29 percent success rate downing punts inside the red zone, and has a 73 percent touchback rate as the Aggies’ kickoff man.

Texas A&M’s return game lacked productivity in the first quarter of the season.

The Bottom Line

In years past, Arkansas’ showing has made this feel like a true neutral game, but it might feel more like a road game this season.

A strong showing has Texas A&M’s fan base energized at the end of Fisher’s first month of games. That, the Aggies’ larger presence in and proximity to the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, and Arkansas’ poor on-field start to the Chad Morris era might give Texas A&M a defined advantage in the seats of AT&T Stadium, where the 12th Man’s crowd noise has been a factor even in games in which attendance was split down the middle.

Like most games in conference this year, an Arkansas win would be considered an upset because of the disparity in talent. The Razorbacks likely would need to play a great game and capitalize on any mistakes by Texas A&M, which has not been prone to turnovers this season.

Texas A&M Offense Depth Chart

Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr.

QB 11 Kellen Mond 6-2 210 So.

17 Nick Starkel 6-3 218 So.

RB 5 Trayveon Williams 5-9 200 Jr.

22 Kwame Etwi 5-9 200 Sr.

WR 2 Jhamon Ausbon 6-2 220 So.

13 Kendrick Rogers 6-4 210 So.

TE 81 Jace Sternberger 6-4 250 Jr.

Trevor Wood 6-6 265 G-Sr.

RT 54 Carson Green 6-6 300 So.

72 Colten Blanton 6-7 285 Fr.

RG 73 Jared Hocker 6-5 318 So.

70 Connor Lanfear 6-6 320 Sr.

C 64 Erick McCoy 6-4 315 Jr.

77 Ryan McCollum 6-5 295 So.

LG 78 Keaton Sutherland 6-4 315 Sr.

76 Colton Prater 6-4 300 Jr.

LT 65 Dan Moore Jr. 6-5 317 So.

73 Kellen Diesch 6-5 310 So.

WR 1 Quartney Davis 6-2 200 So.

14 Camron Buckley 6-2 190 So.

FB 12 Cullen Gillaspia 6-2 235 Sr.

46 Ryan Renick 6-2 233 So.

Texas A&M Defense Depth Chart

DE 46 Landis Durham 6-3 255 Sr.

3 Tyree Johnson 6-4 250 R-Fr.

DT 52 Justin Madubuike 6-3 300 So.

92 Jayden Peevy 6-6 300 So.

DT 34 Daylon Mack 6-1 320 Sr.

90 T.D. Moton 6-3 305 So.

DE 8 Kingsley Keke 6-4 305 Sr.

5 Bobby Brown 6-4 282 Fr.

MLB 42 Otaro Alaka 6-3 240 Sr.

56 Keeath Magee II 6-0 225 So.

WLB 1 Buddy Johnson 6-2 225 So.

OR 11 Larry Pryor 6-0 212 Jr.

SLB 25 Tyrel Dodson 6-2 242 Jr.

35 Riley Garner 6-3 220 Sr.

CB 21 Charles Oliver 6-2 202 Jr.

27 Roney Elam 6-2 192 Jr.

S 6 Donovan Wilson 6-1 207 Sr.

26 DeShawn Capers-Smith 6-0 200 Sr.

S 4 Derrick Tucker 6-1 200 So.

14 Keldrick Carper 6-2 190 So.

CB 29 Debione Renfro 6-2 193 So.

28 Travon Fuller 6-1 173 So.

Texas A&M Special Teams Depth Chart

K 47 Seth Small 5-11 190 Fr.

P 34 Braden Mann 5-11 190 Jr.

H 34 Braden Mann 5-11 190 Jr.

LS 45 Austin Frey 6-1 220 Sr.

PR 6 Roshauud Paul 6-0 180 So.

KR 6 Roshauud Paul 6-0 180 So.

AND 22 Kwame Etwi 5-9 200 Sr.

2018 Texas A&M Schedule

Aug. 30 — Northwestern State, W 59-7

Sept. 8 — Clemson, L 28-26

Sept. 15 — ULM, W 48-10

Sept. 22 — at Alabama, L 45-23

Sept. 29 — vs. Arkansas (in Arlington, Texas)

Oct. 6 — Kentucky

Oct. 13 — at South Carolina

Oct. 27 — at Mississippi State

Nov. 3 — at Auburn

Nov. 10 — Ole Miss

Nov. 17 — UAB

Nov. 24 — LSU

This article originally appeared in Hawgs Illustrated