COLLEGE STATION (Talk1370.com) -- After two weeks off due to COVID-19 protocols, Texas A&M is back in action Saturday night against Louisiana State. Here's a look at some of the key matchups in tonight's game, which is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. from College Station. Catch all the action LIVE on Austin's Aggie Home, Talk 1370.
What to watch for #LSUvsTAMU- Texas A&M returns to action against LSU, aiming to boast a 6-1 record on the season for the first time since starting the year that way in 2016.
- A&M moved into and remains the No. 5 team in the AP Poll following the win at South Carolina, marking the first time since finishing the 2012 season as the fifth ranked team in the country that the Aggies have been top five in the poll ... This is the first time since Sept. 26, 1999 that A&M has ranked in the top five during the regular season.
- The Aggies’ highest ranking in any poll since joining the SEC came when they were ranked No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff ranking of 2016.
- Senior QB Kellen Mond is in need of 153 passing yards and 74 rushing yards to become the third QB in SEC history to pass for over 9,000 yards and rush for over 1,500 yards in their careers.
- A&M’s veteran offensive line has not allowed a sack in five straight games (171 pass attempts) ... The Maroon Goons lead the country in sacks allowed, also sitting atop the SEC and ranking among the top three teams in the nation in TFLs allowed (4+ games).
- Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller has rushed for over 100 yards in four of A&M’s six games this season and scored multiple TDs on the ground in two of the last four outings.
- Sophomore TE Jalen Wydermyer has given the offense a spark lately, averaging 63.5 yards and two touchdowns per game over the last two outings.
- Senior LB Buddy Johnson has led the A&M defense in tackles in five of the team’s six games this season, reaching double figures in the category on four occasions.
Quick Hits
- Senior QB Kellen Mond became A&M’s career passing touchdowns leader at South Carolina, sending a regulation career-high four passes to the end zone to up his career total to 68.
- This season, Mond has also become A&M’s all-time leader in career passing yards (8,847), completions (730), attempts (1,234) and total offense (10,273), while currently sitting in second on the career TD’s responsible for (87) and QB victories (27-13) lists.
- Sophomore RB Isaiah Spiller is second in the SEC averaging 6.24 yards per carry, good for 24th in the nation ... After passing the century mark in just one SEC game a season ago, Spiller is averaging 107.2 yards per game against league opponents this year.
- To date, 89-percent of the Aggies’ rushing yards and 96-percent of their receiving yards have come from freshmen and sophomores ... Twenty-five of their 27 touchdowns have been scored by freshmen and sophomores.
- A&M has scored 18 times on its last 19 trips into the red zone (last four games), with 15 of those scores being touchdowns.
- The Aggies’ 62.0 success rate on third-down tries leads the nation, as they have converted more than 58.0 percent on third downs in four of the last five games.
- Texas A&M averages more than 4:00 advantage in time of possession per game and have held the TOP advantage in each of the last five games ... The Aggies lead the SEC in TOP and rank No. 16 nationally.
- 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).
Milestones to Watch For
- Senior QB Kellen Mond needs 153 passing yards to reach the 9,000 career mark ... The only SEC QBs to throw for over 9,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in their careers are Florida’s Tim Tebow and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott.
- Mond needs one rushing TD to join Johnny Manziel, Joel Hunt and Bucky Richardson as the only Aggie QBs with 20 career rushing scores.
- With one more rushing touchdown, Mond would also join an elite club of SEC QBs with at least 60 passing TDs and 20 rushing TDs in their careers ... The only members of the 60/20 club are Manziel, Tebow and Prescott.
- Mond is two rushing attempts away from 400 in his career ... The only Aggie QBs with 400+ carries are Reggie McNeal (411 from 2002-05) and David Walker (407 from 1973-77).
- Mond has made 40 career starts, which ties him for the most by a QB in school history ... Corey Pullig (1992-95) is the school record holder with 40 career QB starts (33-6-1).
- Senior OL Carson Green is slated to make his 36th consecutive start, which is the longest streak on the team.
- Senior DB Myles Jones has 26 career pass breakups, which is one shy of breaking into the school’s top 10 list for PBUs.
