Opponent Preview: Texas A&M’s Offense

STARKVILLE, Miss. — A battle of offensive minds will take place inside Davis Wade Stadium Saturday when the Mississippi State Bulldogs welcome the No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies for a 3 p.m. CT game.

The Aggies come to Starkville with the fifth-ranked offense in the Southeastern Conference as they average 455.0 yards per game. The passing offense ranks seventh in the SEC with 287.30 yards per game, while the rushing offense ranks fifth with 167.70 yards per game.

The Aggies are led by senior quarterback Kellen Mond, who has surpassed the 300-yard passing mark in back-to-back games. Mond is coming off a game where he passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Aggies past the then-No. 4 Florida Gators. He earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance, and in that game, he broke Texas A&M’s career passing yardage record. He has now passed for 8,224 yards in his Texas A&M career.

Much of Mond’s success this season has been helped by the fact that the offensive line of Texas A&M has held up. The Aggies haven’t allowed a sack in the last 95 pass attempts.

Sophomore running back Isaiah Spiller leads the Texas A&M ground game with 316 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 46 attempts. His 316 yards rank third in the SEC.

In last week’s big win, Mond connected with sophomore wide receiver Caleb Chapman nine times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Chapman earned the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Player of the Week honor for that performance. He is second on the team in receiving with 14 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, Chapman is now out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

Sophomore running back Ainias Smith leads the squad with 203 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 12 receptions. Sophomore tight end Jalen Wydermyer has hauled in a team-high 15 receptions for 154 yards, while freshman wide receiver Chase Lane has chipped in with 152 yards and a touchdown on 14 receptions.

The game will be televised by ESPN.