Each won at least 10 games despite not playing in their conference championship games, but had losses to Louisville, SMU and Texas combined. For A&M, the Playoff is the ultimate opportunity to rewrite the ending of its season after playing the worst game of its season against in-state rival Texas in its last regular-season game.

Here are 3 things A&M needs to do to beat Miami and win the first CFP game in the program’s history.

1. Marcel Reed must be a true dual-threat QB

After being kept under wraps most of the season and instructed to try to do more damage with his arm than his legs, A&M star quarterback Marcel Reed will need to be deadly with both now that the Playoff is here.

In games against Utah State, Arkansas, LSU and Missouri, Reed was able to produce explosive runs and complete multiple explosive passes while throwing for multiple touchdowns, which all resulted in Aggie wins. When Reed is causing havoc on the ground and in the air, A&M’s offense seems to go to another level as it averaged 44 points a game in those games and won 3 of the 4 games by 17 points or more.

With Reed already declaring he’ll be returning to Aggie Land next season, having big performances against Miami and other teams in the Playoff will go a long way toward helping him become a more dangerous quarterback going forward.

2. Texas A&M’s defensive line must outplay Miami’s offensive line

If recent history is any indication of the future, A&M should be fine after 2 weeks off, as both times after byes this season the Aggie defense has responded with dominant performances, holding opponents to 10 and 17 points.

This is a trend which must continue, as the A&M defensive line, led by SEC Defensive Player of the Year edge rusher Cashius Howell and senior defensive end Dayon Hayes will be tasked with pressuring and making plays against Miami quarterback Carson Beck. Although A&M tied with Oklahoma with 41 sacks for the national lead, getting to Beck won’t be easy. The Miami signal caller was sacked only 9 times this season and plays behind a very good offensive line led by junior right tackle Francis Mauigoa who earned All-ACC honors this season.  

Mauigoa sits as one of the top-rated linemen in the nation and is expected to enter the NFL Draft after the season. He is projected as a can’t-miss first-round draft pick. The winner of the Howell and Mauigoa battles will play a big in the outcome on who advances to the second round of the Playoff. The Aggies need Howell to be disruptive early and often as he has recorded a sack in 8 of the Aggies 12 games and has produced multiple sacks in 3 games this season.

Even more telling, Howell produced at least 1 sack in every SEC game except for A&M’s loss in the season final against Texas.  

3. The A&M offense must produce explosive plays

If A&M wants to beat Miami or any other elite team in the CFP, it must continue the trait of consistently producing explosive plays on offense like it has done a majority of the season.

After getting a season-low 2 total explosive plays against Texas, A&M must find ways to put first-team All-SEC wideout KC Concepcion and third-team All-SEC Mario Craver in better positions to make explosive plays in the passing game and returning start running back Le’Veon Moss in the running game.

The Aggies will need Concepcion to keep producing as he finished the regular season with 12 total touchdowns, the most among SEC receivers, in the process becoming the first A&M player in the modern era to score via rush, reception and punt return in the same year. A&M produced an average of 6 explosive plays game this season and will probably need at least 4 to 5 to beat Miami.

Moss, who has been injured since October, is expected to return in the CFP to boost a pedestrian A&M running game. If he’s able to return to form, Moss will open the Aggies’ entire offense, as his physical running style often leads to explosive plays in the run and pass game, which allows the offense to go to another gear.

Miami will be difficult opponent for A&M, but if the Aggie offense is able to revert to form while its defense continues playing with the physicality it has brought all year, the Aggies should be able to punch their ticket to Cotton Bowl next weekend.

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Even though the loss to the Longhorns cost them a first-round bye, there is a blueprint successfully established for a team sitting in the very position they find themselves in.

Just last season Ohio State went from being in the doldrums of losing to bitter rival Michigan for the fourth consecutive year to regrouping and going on to beat Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame, all by double figures, while winning the national championship.

With the CFP 2 weeks away, here are 3 things A&M must improve upon to make a CFP run.

1. A&M must become more disciplined and cut down on penalties

Despite consistently being mentioned as one of the best teams in the nation for a majority of the season, Texas A&M has had one problem it hasn’t fixed all season long which must be dealt with if they plan on making noise in the Playoff.

Penalties.

Currently, A&M is the most penalized team, followed by Miami, of teams most likely to compete in the CFP as it finished ranked as the 124th most penalized team in the nation this season. The Aggies have had more penalties than their opponents in 8 of their 12 games despite racking up an impressive 11-1 record.  

Early in the year, penalties almost cost the Aggies before SEC play even started in their season-defining win against Notre Dame (13 penalties, 86 yards) and made a conference win over Auburn (13 penalties, 119 yards) a much closer game than it needed to be. The penalty bug reared its ugly head again just last week against Texas. In the second half, A&M got a false start while attempting to go for it on 4th-and-1 and got a costly delay of game penalty while making a last-ditch desperation effort in the fourth quarter.

Both penalties led to A&M punts and snatched away any realistic chances the Aggies had of coming back against the Longhorns. If A&M plans on making major noise in the CFP it must cut its penalties in half, especially on defense, where allowing an extra play or 2 to a high-caliber Playoff team can get you in trouble.

2. Defense must recapture early season form

After starting the year as one of the most productive defenses in the nation, A&M’s defense ended the regular season with a whimper as it gave up 25 points or more in 4 of its final 5 SEC games. This is far cry from the beginning of the season where the Aggies held 5 of their first 6 opponents to 24 points or less.

Although they’ve struggled more later in the season than they would have preferred, the Aggies still led the nation by holding opponents to the worst third-down conversion rate on the season and tied with Oklahoma for most overall sacks on the season with 41.

If A&M plans on making a deep run during the postseason, the defense — specifically the secondary — must get more active and find ways to create turnovers after getting an SEC low 3 picks for the entire season. Head coach Mike Elko and his staff must use these 2 weeks off to incorporate more aggressive schemes.

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3. The Aggies need more explosive plays from running backs to open up passing game

Since senior running back Le’Veon Moss went down with a major injury in A&M’s victory over Florida, the Aggies’ big-play ability from their running game has disappeared as well. After Moss’s injury, A&M only has 3 explosive runs from running backs, with 2 coming against Mizzou and 1 coming against lowly Samford.

Star QB Marcel Reed has 5 explosive runs since the Moss injury and has been a problem for A&M opponents when he chooses to use his legs. If Reed is going to make explosive plays in the passing game by connecting with KC Concepcion, Mario Craver and company in the Playoff, the running back committee of Rueben Owens II, Amari Daniels and EJ Smith must make more explosive plays on the ground.

A&M will be a difficult challenge for whoever they see in the Playoff as it can win in a variety of ways. If the Aggies plan on making a successful run, they must become a more-disciplined team, consistently generate explosive plays on offense and find ways to create turnovers while creating havoc on defense.   

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As a result of their biggest win of the season, Texas keeps its slim College Football Playoff chances alive (even if those hopes basically ended with the rankings on Tuesday night) and can only sit back and wait for results from this weekend to see if it will return to the CFP for the third consecutive year. By taking down the Aggies, the Longhorns finished up the home part of their schedule undefeated for the second time in 3 seasons and have now won 20 of their last 21 regular season games at Darrell K. Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, dating back to 2022.

Here are 3 reasons the Longhorns were able to beat the Aggies for the second consecutive season.

1. Texas’s zone defense, led by Michael Taaffe, delivered

Despite being one of the best units in the nation, the Texas defense has also been its Achilles heel at times this fall as it has struggled multiple times on big stages. In the 4 games heading into its showdown with A&M, Texas had given up 15 explosive plays of 20 yards or more despite going 3-1 in the same stretch.

As result, many national analysts expected Texas to have hard time containing Marcel Reed and the explosive passing attack of A&M.

Enter Texas senior defensive back Michael Taaffe, who despite struggling at times since returning from a thumb injury, was able to make the defensive play of the night. With 3 minutes left in the game and counting and A&M trying to make the game a 1-score game, Taaffe, while in zone coverage was able to come over the top of A&M star wideout Mario Carver to pick off Reed to all but end the Aggies’ realistic chances of making their first-ever SEC Championship Game.

The pick was the former walk-on senior’s second of the season and the second-consecutive year Taaffe was able to pick off Reed in the Lone Star Showdown. With Taaffe as its unquestioned leader, the much-maligned Texas secondary was able to hold Reed and the A&M passing game to its lowest passing total of the season as Reed was only able to muster 180 yards in the Aggies’ biggest game of the season.

Thanks to Taaffe being the over-the-top safety valve in Texas’s Cover 2 zone scheme along with its pressure up front, Reed was picked off again on the final play of Taaffe’s career at DKR to secure his legacy as a Texas Lone Star Showdown hero.

2. Quintrevion Wisner and the Texas run game produced their best game of the season

No matter if you blamed the offensive line, which has been in a constant shuffle all season, or the running backs themselves, Texas’s running game has been abysmal all season long. The Longhorns’ running game has been so bad they entered the Lone Star Showdown averaging 3.8 yards per attempt and no player on the roster had been over 100 yards the entire season.

Unfortunately for A&M, Quintrevion Wisner changed all that, as the man who many felt would be the lead back for Texas in the preseason produced his best game of the season and third-best of his career against the Aggies.

With Texas in sputter mode on the heels of another underwhelming offensive half, Wisner broke a 48-yard run on his first carry of the second half and the Longhorns’ first offensive play from scrimmage. The run was Wisner’s longest this season and jump-started Texas’s offensive explosion in the half as it outscored A&M 24-7.

When the dust settled, Wisner averaged 8.6 yards a carry on 19 carries with 108 of his season-high 155 yards coming in the second half. Like Taaffe, this is the second consecutive year Wisner has victimized the Aggies as he rushed for a career-high 186 yards on 33 carries in last season’s Lone Star Showdown victory.

3. Texas produced more explosive plays than A&M

A big hallmark of A&M’s offense this season has been the explosive plays it consistently creates. The Aggies came into the game averaging 4.4 explosive plays a game having produced 44 total explosive plays through 10 games. Unfortunately for A&M, Texas’s defense was able to rise to the challenge as it held A&M to a season-low 2 explosive plays. Texas’s offense produced 4 explosives in the second half alone.

The Longhorns simply made more big game-breaking plays than the Aggies for the second consecutive season. Regardless of if they make the CFP or not, 2025 has not been a complete disaster for the Longhorns like some might think.

Nobody can take away this victory that ended A&M’s perfect season, or the fact Texas is the first team since LSU ran the table in 2019 to win 3 games against teams ranked in the top 10. Texas is now 6-0 in its SEC rivalries over the last 2 seasons, which is nothing to downplay in the SEC.

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Fast forward to today, and Elko and the Aggies have beaten 3 top-25 teams — including Notre Dame on the road who was ranked No. 8 at the time they played — and are undefeated this late in the season for the first since 1994, needing only a win over in-state rival Texas on Friday to reach the program’s first-ever SEC Championship Game.

Here are 2 big reasons why Elko was able to turn A&M from a pretender to a contender in just one offseason.

1. Developed Marcel Reed correctly

Reed began the season by passing for 869 yards and 9 touchdowns, highlighted by throwing for a then career-high 360 yards and a last-second game-winning touchdown against Notre Dame on the road in Week 3. He then went crazy and set a new career-high by passing for 439 yards and 3 touchdowns while coming back from 27 down to beat South Carolina in Week 11. The A&M sophomore quarterback looks completely different and better than he did at any point last season.

Unlike last year, when his passing game was very inconsistent, Reed has been a model of consistency in 2025 thanks to completing 65% or better of his passes in 6 games while throwing for at least 1 touchdown in 10 of A&M’s 11 games. Despite using his legs to rush for 395 yards and 6 touchdowns on the season, Reed’s impressive 3-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio has been a key factor in A&M success this season.

Combine this with the high level of confidence Elko and his staff have instilled in the talented signal caller and it’s easy to see why A&M has converted 73% of its fourth-down conversions while going for it 15 times on the season. All these factors have Reed playing the best football of his young career and why we are watching the best Aggie football team assembled this century.

“If you want to win in the SEC you better be good at the quarterback position, we had a lot of confidence in what Marcel was going to become this year as we saw a lot of growth from him last year,” Elko said in a recent radio interview with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “He’s become the complete player he has as he’s a kid who can stand in the pocket and deliver the football and can beat with just his arm standing there. But, he also has this incredible athletic skill set that when the play breaks down and we need him to he can get out and run and make plays.”

Regardless or not if he garners any individual accolades during award season, Reed’s development has been one of the best things to watch this college football season as it has the Aggies on the doorstep of making program history.

2. Hitting multiple home runs in the transfer portal

Thanks to having one of the largest NIL endowment funds in the nation available to him, Elko can flip his roster every season. He’s proven to be a great recruiter who can consistently get top-notch talent straight out of the transfer portal. Unfortunately for teams in the SEC and other high-ranking teams in the nation, this is exactly what Elko and his staff did last spring and they have the dividends to show for it.

Insert A&M’s dynamic wide receiving duo of KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, who came to Aggie Land via NC State and Mississippi State from the portal this spring along with talented tight end Nate Boerkircher, who came from Nebraska. After watching the offense consistently fail, lack explosion and production last season, A&M has leaned on this trio, along with freshman Ashton Bethel-Roman, to give it what it was missing and it has been nothing but a home run.

Fortunately for the Aggies, all 3 have panned out and morphed into 3 of Reed’s top targets. Concepcion and Craver have been such a hit, some national analysts feel they are the best receiving duo in the nation.

When you add Boerkircher in the mix, you have 16 of Reed’s 25 touchdowns.

“Obviously you have to adapt with the times and roster building and roster development has always been part of college football, and the way go about it has changed dramatically with NIL and transfer portal and all of those things,” Elko said. “A big piece of it when we first got here was a massive need to get into the portal and reload the roster. After a couple of rocky years at A&M we convinced a lot of kids to stick around and went and added a lot through the portal.”

No matter what happens the rest of the season, Elko has proven to Aggie Land and many across the nation that he’s the right man for the job. The board of regents of Texas A&M thinks so as well as Elko was recently awarded a 6-year contract with an average annual salary of over $11 million, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football through the 2031 season.

The post How Mike Elko has led Texas A&M to the doorstep of a perfect regular season appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Texas Longhorns must regroup this offseason after going from a squad which started off the 2025 season ranked No. 1 in most polls to finishing the season in extremely disappointing fashion by not making the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2 seasons. Despite beating 2 teams ranked in the top 10 when it played them, mustering up 4 consecutive wins in the SEC and watching Arch Manning constantly improve, Texas was never able to reach the level of consistency it has played at for the majority of the last 2 seasons.

Here are 3 reasons Texas now has 3 losses on its record heading into its 2 remaining rivalry games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.

1. Couldn’t overcome tough road environments

Thanks to having an 11-game road winning streak and not losing on the road in the regular season since October 2022, Texas entered this season confident it could master its road games despite its difficult road slate. Unlike in years past, Texas couldn’t run the ball or protect Arch Manning consistently enough to win difficult road games in some of the toughest environments in the nation.

With losses at the “The Horseshoe” in Columbus, “The Swamp” in Gainesville and “Between The Hedges” in Athens, the Longhorns played in 3 of the hardest venues in the nation to win at this season and lost at every one of them. According to EA Sports and its iconic College Football video game series, Ohio Stadium and Sanford Stadium are the third and fourth hardest places to visit while Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the seventh.

Even in victory Texas struggled on the road, as it needed to go to overtime to beat lowly Kentucky and Mississippi State in consecutive games the Longhorns were double-digit favorites to win. A consistent huge problem for Texas was the fact its offensive line was a no-show in these big environment games.

In their 3 road losses, the Longhorns allowed 10 total sacks and ran the ball for 241 total yards while rushing for under 55 yards in losses to Florida and Georgia. When you have a young quarterback like Manning who thrives on the play-action fake game, a nonexistent running game, combined with weak offensive-line play in tough road environments, you have a recipe for disaster. That’s something Texas couldn’t run away from this season.

2. Got burned by the big play in losses

Another major common theme which doomed Texas on the road this season was the lack of consistency from its talented defense which, for whatever reason, didn’t travel well this season. In 4 SEC road games, Texas gave up 29.5 points per game and had only 1 game where it gave up 29 points or less.

Texas’s inability to consistently get off the field on third down or prevent explosive plays in the pass game has been a constant problem it couldn’t overcome all season. In all 3 losses, Texas had a disturbing trend of giving up a touchdown of 30+ yards.

Allowing big plays to consistently happen is not conducive for winning big games in the toughest environments in college football.

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3. Never learned to play from behind against elite teams

A characteristic most elite teams have is the ability to come from behind in some games where they trail.

For whatever reason this was a huge problem for the Longhorns this season especially on the road. Yes, the Longhorns came back to beat the aforementioned Kentucky and Mississippi State. But in all 3 of their losses, they couldn’t muster up any late heroics. If you plan on beating teams like Ohio State and Georgia in their buildings you must make them uncomfortable.

The fact Texas never scored first or took a lead in their road losses will be something coach Steve Sarkisian and company must evaluate this offseason as it’s a trait you must have to win in the SEC. Fortunately for Longhorn Nation, they have the Mississippi State game to build upon, where Manning showed some growth and maturity by bringing them back from 21 points down on the road to win in overtime.

In the big picture, Texas had one of the toughest road schedules in the nation and simply wasn’t good enough to overcome it. How Manning and company grow from these road failures will determine how successful Texas is going into 2026 and beyond.

The post Why does Texas have 3 losses? The 3 biggest reasons for Longhorns’ struggles appeared first on Saturday Down South.

With the Lone Star Showdown against Texas over Thanksgiving weekend being the Aggies’ only remaining SEC game, A&M is officially 1 win away from clinching its first ever SEC Championship Game appearance.

With Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama being the only teams besides A&M with fewer than 2 losses in SEC play, the Aggies know their opponent in the conference championship game, should they take care of business and get to Atlanta, will be 1 of the 3. Here’s a breakdown in order of which of the big 3 teams A&M should want to see in the SEC Championship Game.

1. Ole Miss

If you think experience doesn’t mean anything in a big conference game like the SEC title game, you are sadly mistaken.

Just like A&M, Ole Miss came into season with moderate expectations and viewed by many analysts as a dark horse in the SEC. Despite winning double-figure games in the last 2 seasons, this is the first time Ole Miss has had 1 loss or less this deep in the season since the SEC started playing a championship game in 1992.

Just like the Aggies, an appearance in the SEC title game would be the first in program history as the last time Ole Miss won an SEC title was in 1963.

On the field, A&M’s ability to win games in multiple ways, especially in a shootout, is one of the main reasons Ole Miss is the team Aggie fans should be pulling for the most to see in the SEC title game. Of Ole Miss’s 6 conference wins, every one but its 10-point victory over Florida this past weekend has been by 8 points or less.

With A&M having the knack for rising to the occasion and making plays in big moments this season, a matchup with Ole Miss fits the mold of the most favorable, as the Aggies would more than likely have another opportunity to shine again in the clutch. Combined this with the fact A&M would be facing a team and a program who has no recent experience of being on this stage, Ole Miss is the perfect opponent for A&M to play in its inaugural appearance in the SEC Championship Game.

2. Alabama

Although a matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide wouldn’t be ideal given their recent history, this is definitely the second-best option for the Aggies in this scenario. Despite Alabama being one of the best and most physical teams in nation, A&M has the talent and physicality to give them problems.

Thanks to Florida State and Oklahoma providing a blueprint on how to beat Alabama this season, Mike Elko and company will know exactly what they need to do if they see Alabama in Atlanta.  

To beat Alabama, you must be able to stop the Tide from getting their moribund run game going, as they were held under 100 yards rushing in both losses. You also must get to their star quarterback, Ty Simpson, who was sacked 3 times in both losses and has had some fumbling issues lately.

Fortunately for A&M, the Aggies have a defense which can duplicate this feat, as Cashius Howell and Dayon Hayes can get after any quarterback in the nation to set the tone for an Aggie defense, which could make Alabama one-dimensional.

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3. Georgia

Out of the 3 hypothetical SEC Championship Game options, Georgia is without a doubt the least desirable for A&M due to the fact the Bulldogs are defending SEC champs and have been there and done that and can beat you in a multitude of ways. Just like A&M, no matter if it’s a defensive struggle, a come-from-behind effort or an SEC shootout, Georgia is a team that has found a way to consistently win no matter the scenario.

Unlike against Ole Miss, A&M would be at disadvantage in the experience department, as half of the Georgia roster has an SEC championship ring on their résumés. Although the Bulldogs expected to be in Atlanta for the fifth season in a row since the schedules came out, A&M has built a culture under Elko that has consistently propelled them to rise to the occasion no matter the opponent or stage.

They will need that mentality as the Aggies will have to go through the fire no matter who they play if they want to bring home the program’s first SEC title.

The post Ranking Texas A&M’s 3 potential SEC Championship Game opponents appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Aggies have been at their best in SEC play as they have won 4 of their 6 games by 17 points or more and just beat Arkansas, LSU and Missouri in consecutive road games to rise up the conference standings. As a result, A&M is 6-0 during conference play for the first time since 1998 when it was part of the Big 12 and winning the program’s last conference title.

With the bulk of their schedule behind them, here is a breakdown of the Aggies’ 3 remaining opponents. A&M will not leave the Lone Star State the rest of the 2025 regular season as its remaining schedule is considered “favorable” by many:

1. South Carolina

The Aggies have won 9 of 11 meetings against South Carolina all-time, but the Gamecocks have won 2 of the last 3 meetings between the programs. Last season, despite coming into Columbia on a nice 7-game winning streak, A&M laid an egg in the second half and was outscored 24-0 while losing 44-20 to record the worst loss of the Mike Elko era.

Fast forward to this season and A&M will be a heavy favorite, as South Carolina comes into the matchup at College Station this weekend with the worst offense in the SEC. The Gamecocks are the only team in the conference who are not averaging over 300 total yards a game. The Gamecocks head into their matchup with the Aggies losers of 4 consecutive SEC games in a row and have scored only 20+ points once during their tough stretch.

A&M must contain South Carolina’s talented sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers if it wants to get its revenge on the Gamecocks. Sellers is the key to the engine of South Carolina’s offense; his big-play ability is a threat to any South Carolina opponent.

In their matchup last fall, Sellers racked up 350 total yards while producing 3 total touchdowns to register the best statistical game to this point of his young career. The Aggies’ defense, which has been pretty consistent most of the year, should be up for the challenge, as it is the best third-down defense in the SEC led by SEC sack leader Cashius Howell.

2. Samford

In what is nothing but a glorified scrimmage, AKA a payday game for Samford, A&M will be a heavy 3-touchdown plus favorite in its tune up game for its showdown with Texas.

This season Samford has allowed 26 or more points in every game but one and has scored 22 points or less in every game but one to rack up a dismal 1-9 record. A&M must simply stay sharp; get backups some burn and stay healthy to win this one as Samford has no realistic chance of beating the Aggies in College Station.

3. Texas

Depending on what happens in Athens this weekend, the Lone Star Showdown could have extremely huge ramifications. Texas could be fighting for a College Football Playoff berth, while the Aggies should be playing for a perfect regular season and SEC title berth. If A&M is able to finish the regular season undefeated, it will be the first time the program has accomplished the feat since 1992 when it ran the table in the now defunct Southwest Conference before losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, 28-3.

If A&M is going to beat Texas, it must keep Arch Manning under fire all day long, stop the Longhorns’ run game to make them 1-dimensional and be efficient on offense, as playing behind the sticks is a recipe for disaster against Texas’s talented defense. Also, Heisman Trophy candidate Marcel Reed must play at high level and have a big game if he wants to have any realistic chance of winning the Heisman this season. Playing against Texas gives him a big stage to showcase his talents.

Beyond bragging rights, finishing an undefeated regular season will give Elko and A&M a huge boost on the recruiting trail, as many kids from Texas grow up dreaming of playing in this rivalry game.

In the big picture, A&M is all but officially in the College Football Playoff and a loss to its bitter in-state rival is not the end of the world, but a win will put an exclamation point on a dream season while making its future even brighter.

The post The biggest key for every remaining game on Texas A&M schedule appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Fast forward to today after an undefeated 9-0 start to the season and a high seed in the College Football Playoff well within his team’s grasp, Elko is now a major candidate for multiple Coach of the Year awards, in line for a big extension and rumored to be a top target on Penn State’s wish list for its current head coach opening.

Although his stock is white hot in coaching circles, here are 3 reasons the Aggies head man should stay in College Station and not worry about the Penn State job, or any other job for that matter.

1. Winning at Texas A&M in the SEC will make Elko a legend

To say Texas A&M is in the middle of a dream season would be a huge understatement, as the Aggies have a realistic chance to win the program’s first conference title since 1998. If Elko can get Texas A&M a berth in its first-ever SEC title game, along with garnering the programs first-ever berth in the College Football Playoff, he would have accomplished in 2 seasons what no Aggie coach before him was able to get done.

For an example of how revered Elko would be in College Station if he was able to win an SEC title and make noise in the playoff all one must do is look at R.C Slocum and Johnny Manziel.

Despite not winning a national championship, many people in Aggie circles view Slocum as an Aggie legend as the former coach won 4 conference championships, including A&M’s only Big 12 championship. Slocum never had a losing record in 14 seasons at the helm, and his 72% overall winning percentage is one of the best in program history.

If Elko keeps his current pace, he’ll be the first A&M head coach to win over 70% of his games since Slocum.

In Manziel’s case, just by having the best individual season in program history while making A&M relevant in the SEC, he will be revered by every Aggie fan for the rest of his life.

With A&M having not won anything of note since joining the SEC in 2012 (and along with rival Texas now being in the conference), Elko has a huge opportunity to not only completely change the narrative in College Station, but win at a level which no coach in A&M history has been able to reach while creating his own legacy.

This is something he can’t do in Happy Valley, as anything he does there will be following in the legendary footsteps of Joe Paterno.

2. Recruiting at A&M is easier than at Penn State

The adage if you can’t recruit at a high level you can’t win at a high level in college sports is at a premium today as we live in the NIL era.

With A&M consistently having one of the top 3 endowments given to its athletic programs on a yearly basis, Elko would be walking away from one of the biggest recruiting advantages in the nation if he left. Thanks to A&M’s yearly impressive budgets, Elko currently can consistently grab big time high school recruits and high-level transfers through the portal every year, unlike many of his competitors.

Just this past offseason, Elko was able to hit big in the portal, as transfers Mario Craver, KC Concepcion, Nate Boerkircher on offense and Dayon Hayes and Tyler Onyedim on defense have all played key roles in the Aggies’ 8-0 start this season. Let’s also not forget that game-wrecker Cashius Howell was a member of Elko’s 2024 portal class.

Having some of the biggest financial backing in the nation, combined with Elko’s ability to recruit at a high level, has A&M on pace to have a top 10 recruiting class in the 2026, 27 and 28 recruiting cycles.

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3. A&M is the better job long term

The type of foundation Elko has been built in just 2 years in College Station would be extremely hard for him to duplicate in Happy Valley in even a decade.

Fundamentally it’s a gap which will never close, as Penn State simply can’t compete with the resources at his disposal in Aggie Land no matter how much money it throws at him. With an extremely strong foundation in place that could make him a legend in the college football world in the future, Elko doesn’t have any logical reason to leave College Station at this point in his tenure.

If he’s fortunate enough to win a national championship or consistently have A&M in the SEC title race, Elko’s reputation moves from people wondering who he is to being viewed as one of top coaches in college football very quickly. In the end, Texas A&M might have finally found its man and Penn State should look elsewhere for its next head coach.

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With 3 games remaining and a realistic path to the College Football Playoff still available, Texas is resembling the team it was projected to be in August. Here are 3 reasons why the Longhorns are finally living up to the preseason hype which surrounded them entering the season.

1. Arch Manning is finally playing consistently

After struggling most of the first 5 weeks of the season, Arch Manning has put together strong performances in 3 of the Longhorns 4 consecutive wins in SEC play. Since beating Oklahoma in his first Red River Rivalry start, Manning has passed for 972 yards, 7 touchdowns while throwing only 1 pick.

If Manning’s last 2 games are any indication of what lies ahead for future Texas opponent,s there will be lot of people around the nation looking silly and taking down posts on social media. Manning has thrown for 674 yards and 6 touchdowns against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt while going over 300 yards passing in back-to-back games for the first time in his young career.

A big beneficiary of Manning’s hot streak has been star sophomore wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who is also starting to live up to the preseason hype as a result. After not going over 80 receiving yards but once the entire season, Wingo has gone for 184 and 89 yards in consecutive weeks highlighted, by back-breaking catches of 62 and 75 yards each week.

Against Vandy this past weekend, Wingo’s 75-yard catch and run occurred on the first play of the game from scrimmage to get Texas on the board first. If it wasn’t for an apparent hand injury which forced him to leave the game early, Wingo would most likely have produced consecutive games of 100 plus receiving yards for the first time in his career.

2. Previously unheralded players keep producing

Coming into the season, every publication talked about Texas’s dominant defensive trio of Athony Hill, Colin Simmons and Michael Taaffe, while mentioning Manning, Wingo and Quintrevion Wisner on offense when talking about the Longhorns. Although all have had made some big plays and been major contributors throughout the season, a big reason Texas is starting to reach preseason expectations is because of the outstanding supporting cast that doesn’t get talked about enough.

Players like junior defensive back Jelani McDonald and sophomore wide receiver Emmett Mosley V continue coming up big for the Longhorns despite lacking the attention and fanfare of others.

McDonald has been so consistent he has recorded 8 tackles or more in every SEC game except for one and is second on the team in tackles overall behind Hill. On offense, Mosley V has had an explosive reception in 3 games in SEC play and has racked up 3 touchdowns in his last 2 outings.

Both were at their best when Texas needed them the most in Week 9’s come-from-behind victory over Mississippi State. McDonald led the team with 14 tackles, while Mosley V caught the game-winning touchdown to save Texas’s season in overtime, which held up after going under review for a few minutes.

To get to the College Football Playoff to even win a national championship, every team needs unsung players to step up on occasion and, luckily for Texas, McDonald and Mosley V have answered the call and performed big when called upon for the Longhorns.

3. The Longhorns’ pass rush is elite

Despite losing a lot of defensive talent to the NFL in the spring, the Texas defensive unit came into the season expected to be a force and give a lot of quarterback and offensive coordinators nightmares. Unfortunately for opponents, Texas’s defense has been elite most of the season, highlighted by an aggressive pass rush that continues to get better each week.

Currently, the Longhorns lead the nation with 34 sacks, led by Simmons who is starting to live up to his All-American billing with a team-high 8 sacks on the season. Besides the overall sack total, the big reason Texas is starting to live up to the hype is the timing and consistency of the sacks.

Since Texas began its 4-game conference winning streak against Oklahoma, the pash rush has generated 5 sacks or more in every one of the 4 victories. The unit was at its apex against Vandy, as it sacked Commodores star quarterback Diego Pavia 7 times despite the fact Pavia entered the game having only been sacked 7 times all season long.

If Texas can continue to generating this type of elite pressure, combined with an offense finally executing at a consistent high level, it has a legit chance to do the unthinkable and beat Georgia and Texas A&M to finish the regular season. What seemed like a bad prediction is starting to become a reality as Texas is starting to figure things out across the board and winning games in the SEC.

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Regardless if you rock with them or not, last week’s 17-point dramatic come from behind road win was a huge culture-building win and Manning’s first big step towards being the player many projected he will eventually become, even if he missed the bulk of overtime after suffering a concussion. Most people around the nation might say it’s only Mississippi State, but that sentiment fails to realize just how tough it is to win on road in the SEC (and just how much the Bulldogs have improved from last year).

The win gets a little extra mustard when you add in the fact it was Texas’s second win in back-to-back road games, which is hard for any team in SEC. Here are 3 reasons Texas’s comeback win over Mississippi State was huge for the Longhorns’ culture in the big picture.

1. Big step forward for Arch Manning

After struggling mightily against Kentucky a week ago and most of the season when he’s had an ineffective run game, Manning had the best all-around performance of his young career against Mississippi State.

Despite Texas’s leading rushers Quintrevion Wisner and C.J. Baxter rushing for only 41 and 27 yards, respectively, Manning was able to go 29-of-46 for 346 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception while also adding a rushing touchdown. Unlike in recent games, Manning was able to manage Mississippi State’s blitz storm effectively by navigating being hit 10+ times and sacked 5 times while setting a new career-high in passing yards.

With Texas down by 17 and its season on the line, the redshirt sophomore signal caller put together his most dominant stretch of the season. Manning started the dominant stretch off by hitting Ryan Wingo on a 62-yard strike to set Texas up inside the Mississippi State 5-yard line. Manning would go on to connect on 12-of-20 passes in the quarter for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Although Manning couldn’t fully complete the comeback due to sustaining a concussion in overtime, he showed the nation he has the skill, heart and ability to play well when the Longhorns’ backs are against the wall. This performance gives many people in Austin hope that the most famous player on their roster is legitimately good enough to live up to the hype when everything is said and done.

2. Steve Sarkisian moves culture forward through adversity

In a season where some of the top coaches in the game have gotten fired for not meeting expectations, Sarkisian continues to build a strong culture in Austin despite Texas not meeting most people’s preseason expectations.

At the end of the day, Texas has 2 losses at 2 of the hardest venues to win at in the nation on its ledger. The Longhorns have given the best team in the nation its closest game of the season, and somehow found a way to win a big rivalry game (Oklahoma) and 2 games in overtime on the road in SEC play in consecutive weeks. Regardless of the opponent or the circumstances, winning back-to-back road games in overtime and a neutral-site game in SEC play is impressive.

Texas must continue its “let’s find a way to win on Saturday” mentality if it wants to continue running the table to have a possible shot of making the College Football Playoff.

3. The Longhorns are built for the long haul

This might be the Longhorns’ second season in the SEC, but it’s starting to look like, even in a down season by their standards, they’ll still be a consistent threat in the SEC. Through 13 total games, Texas has produced a solid 10-3 record against SEC opponents.

Being able to get ugly gritty wins against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M last season and Kentucky and Mississippi State this season are part of the reason the last 2 weekends have been huge in the big picture for the Longhorns. Because if it was that easy to find ways to consistently win in the SEC, more people besides Alabama and Georgia would being winning throughout the conference on a yearly basis.

Texas might not be playing up to its lofty standards this year, but being able to win any type of game no matter the situation or opponent is huge for any program. As a result, Texas is raising the bar for its program even in a down season and in today’s era of college football, that’s all you can ask for from your coaching staff.

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This week’s victims were the Bayou Bengals from Baton Rouge, as A&M beat LSU at Death Valley for the first since joining the SEC in 2012. More importantly, it moves to 8-0 for the first time since 1992, a step closer to its first SEC title game appearance and 1 win closer to clinching its first College Football Playoff berth.

While many people are surprised by the Aggies’ 49-25 beatdown of the Tigers at their house, don’t count second-year head coach Mike Elko among them. As the Aggies head man is not about the past at all and firmly focused on the present 2025 version of the Aggies.

“We got to stop worrying about the past, thinking about the past and talking about the past. I’m excited about what this team is doing right now,” a frustrated Elko said in his postgame press conference.

“This team is doing some really special things. I think we should enjoy it, and I think we should stop focusing on last year.”

As A&M rides off into its bye week undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the nation, here’s a list of 3 players who have consistently produced and help shape the Aggies’ magical season so far.

1. Marcel Reed

It’s no secret that since Johnny Manziel was doing his thing in College Station over a decade ago, it has been hard for the Aggies to get a signal caller who can consistently deliver on the biggest stages when needed.

Enter Marcel Reed.

The redshirt sophomore has been consistent all season and his impact can only be measured by moments not stats. In A&M’s 2 biggest wins of the season, Reed has made a big play to give his team the lead for good or win while producing a nice stat line.

In A&M’s biggest win of the season against Notre Dame, Reed threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Nate Boerkircher while being heavily pressured with 13 seconds left to give the Aggies a huge 41-40 win in South Bend. The  pass capped off the biggest night of Reed’s young career as he threw for a career-high 360 yards.

On Saturday night against LSU, Reed converted a third-and-4 early in the third quarter by running for a 5-yard touchdown to give A&M a lead it would never relinquish. Reed finished the game with 4 total touchdowns while throwing for 202 yards and rushing for 108 yards.

Unfortunately for Aggie opponents, big-play performances from Reed have been consistent all season long and are one of the many reasons he’s one of the faces who have helped turn things around at Aggie Land.

2. Cashius Howell

After sitting behind NFL first-round pick Shemar Stewart and NFL second-round picks Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner last season, Cashius Howell has been a force to reckon with in 2025. Howell has at least 1 sack in 6 of the Aggies 8 games and currently leads the SEC with 9.5 total sacks on the season.

Howell has been at his best in SEC play, as the elite edge rusher has a sack in every one of A&M’s conference games and multi-sack games in 2 of the Aggies’ 4 conference wins. With 2 3-sack games on his résumé while being a constant terror to opposing offenses, Howell’s name is surging up NFL Draft boards as he now might be a potential first-round pick based on how he ends his season.

In meantime, he must settle for getting big-time sacks to close games for the Aggies like he did against Auburn, all while being one of the faces of a program which is changing its trajectory every week.

3. KC Concepcion

Although he probably won’t break any of Josh Reynolds’ or Christian Kirk’s single-season receiving records this fall, KC Concepcion is the most consistent and explosive receiver A&M has had in a decade. The NC State transfer has caught a touchdown in 5 of the A&M’s 8 games and has 2 games this season where he has caught and returned a touchdown of 70+ yards.

Despite only 36 catches this season, Concepcion has an outside shot of 1,000 yards this as he’s averaging a productive 15.1 yards per reception while grabbing 7 touchdowns. Concepcion’s most explosive and biggest play of the season occurred against LSU in Week 9, as his 79-yard game-breaking punt return all but ended the game and the Tigers’ season all at once.

He may have come into the season as a question mark, but  Concepcion has morphed into one of the biggest reasons the Aggies are changing the narrative and in the middle of a dream season.

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Thanks to its win over Arkansas last weekend, A&M moved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1994 season and is ranked No. 3 in the nation for the first time since 1995 when it held the No. 3 ranking for the first 5 weeks of the season. As a result, A&M is in the best spot its ever been in since joining the SEC, as it is the highest ranked team in the conference and controls its destiny for the SEC title game and a College Football Playoff berth with just 5 games remaining.

Here are 3 reasons why this is the best Texas A&M squad in 14 seasons of being a member of the SEC:

1. A&M’s well-rounded offense has consistently produced

A lot of people in Aggie Land are starting to feel the 2025 season is the Year of the Aggies due to them consistently winning close games and beating teams they have historically struggled with. This theory will be put to the test this week as A&M travels to Baton Rouge, where the Aggies haven’t won since joining the SEC, to play the LSU under the lights in Death Valley.

A big reason why this is A&M’s best team in its SEC era and why it should beat LSU Saturday is because of the offense, which is one of the most efficient and consistent offensive units in the nation.

Through 7 games, A&M has produced at least 1 explosive play in the passing and running game every game while scoring 31 points or more in 6 of its wins this season. The lone exception was the 16-10 slugfest win over Auburn. Currently the Aggies are averaging 12 explosive plays a game, which is 11th in the nation.

2. The Aggies are finding ways to win no matter who or where they play

Since Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans and company shocked the world by beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa during the 2012 season, A&M has consistently come up short in big games and big situations.

In their upset win over Notre Dame earlier this season, A&M won by making big plays down the stretch, highlighted by Reed’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Nate Boerkircher with 13 seconds left to seal a 41-40 win. Currently this is the biggest win on the Aggies’ résumé this season, but it’s also very significant because it was the first time they beat a Top 25 team on the road since knocking off then-No. 3 Auburn on Nov. 8, 2014.

Wins like this highlight why this year’s team is the best the Aggies have had since joining the SEC, as the program had lost 13-straight road games to ranked opponents before upsetting the Fighting Irish in Week 3. Until recently and all through the Jimbo Fisher era at A&M the saying around the state of Texas was “Texas A&M is going to do Texas A&M things when adversity hits and things get tough.”

To Mike Elko’s credit, the tough-minded coach has gotten his Aggies to produce and consistently make plays when the chips are down and the game is in the balance. Whether it be star edge rusher Cashius Howell’s big sack to seal its big win over Auburn, or Rueben Owens II’s 12-yard touchdown run to cap off a 10-play drive to close out a shootout win over Arkansas, this year’s A&M team is consistently making winning plays and that’s why the Aggies are undefeated.

3. The Aggies defense has flipped the script

Unlike in recent years, A&M’s defense is viewed as a strength and not a liability, which has constantly been one of its major problems since joining the SEC. Although they have had 2 rough performances on the road against Notre Dame and Arkansas, A&M’s defense has been solid at stopping the run, getting to the quarterback, and getting stops on third downs.

When you have an offense that has shown it’s almost guaranteed to put up at least 30 points a game, it allows your defense to be more aggressive and thrive.

Despite having several future NFL players its front 7 last season, A&M only produced 25 sacks the entire season. This year, it has 25 going into this weekend, which is good for the third most in the SEC.

Where the Aggies have really excelled and what completely separates them from teams in recent memory is their ability to get offenses off the field on third down. Currently the Aggies have the best third-down defense in the SEC, having only allowed 22 first downs in 87 chances for the entire season. Add in the fact A&M held Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida to a combined 2-for-33 on third downs in its wins over them and it’s easy to see why A&M is playing at an elite level defensively.

If A&M can win 2 of its 3 games against upcoming ranked opponents LSU, Mizzou and Texas, their dream season could become a historic season for the program.

The post Why this is the best Texas A&M squad since Aggies joined the SEC appeared first on Saturday Down South.

After its narrow overtime victory over Kentucky on the road in Lexington this past weekend, this is exactly the case for Texas as it improves to (5-2) overall and (2-1) in the SEC. Despite the excitement surrounding their thrilling overtime victory in a game they could have easily lost, there is a lot to be concerned about going forward if you support the Longhorns.

Here are 3 troublesome signs from the Longhorns’ narrow escape over the Wildcats.

1. The offense is still not fixed this late into the season

After showing signs of promise last week against Oklahoma, Texas’s offense looked just as bad, if not worse, than it did against Florida 2 weeks ago. Despite Kentucky being the second-worst defense in the entire SEC, Texas punted the ball on 4 of its first 5 drives of the game. This continues to be a disturbing trend for the Longhorns, who have punted 6 times or more in 2 of their 3 SEC games despite having one of the most talented offenses (on paper) in the nation.

A major culprit behind the Longhorns’ offensive problems is the lack of a consistent run game and their inability to generate explosive plays to make defenses pay for how they are defending them. After rushing for 94 yards on 22 carries against Oklahoma, Quintrevion Wisner was a no-show against Kentucky, rushing for a measly 37 yards while averaging 3.1 yards per carry.

This trend must be stopped ASAP, as Texas is 7-1 when Wisner rushes for 79 yards or more and he can single-handedly open up Arch Manning’s play-action and RPO game, which is when Texas is at its best. But, when you average 1.7 yards per a carry and can’t convert on third-and-inches in the fourth quarter, not even a great play caller like Steve Sarkisian can consistently overcome it.

At the end of the day, this must get fixed immediately if Texas wants a realistic chance to run the table.

2. Arch Manning and the entire passing game must start producing

After generating 4 explosive plays in the Red River Rivalry, with 2 coming on the ground and 2 from the passing game, Texas was only able to generate 2 explosive plays via the air against Kentucky’s low-rated defense. As a result, Manning was hit 8 times and sacked 3 times by a defense that came in with only 7 total sacks on the season.

Texas’s star signal caller simply must be more accurate and get his talented receivers more involved, as he has completed less than 60% of his passes in 2 of the Longhorns’ 3 SEC games. As a result, star wide out Ryan Wingo has only 1 explosive catch on his résumé while tallying less than 75 yards receiving in every SEC game this season.

Combine this with Manning’s early season go-to guy Parker Livingstone having only 76 total receiving yards in SEC play and it easy to see why Texas will not win too many games in the SEC, let alone on the road, without drastic improved production in the overall passing game.

3. Texas must play better on the road

For the third time this season, Texas had a horrendous performance on the road. The only difference this trip is it was able to escape with a victory unlike its trips to The Horseshoe and The Swamp. Through 3 road games this season, Texas is only averaging 14.6 points per game, 285 total yards per game and a pedestrian 188.3 passing yards a game.

This road formula must be fixed immediately by Sark and his staff as it’s due to rear its ugly head with trips to Starkville and Between the Hedges in Athens left on the schedule. The Longhorns must find a way to bring their offense on the road as they won’t be able to beat Georgia and will struggle mightily against Mississippi State if they continuously try to win on the road by only playing great defense and special teams.

It might sound simple or cliché but it’s true — Texas must find ways to run the ball and stop the run while staying ahead of the chains consistently if it wants to win its remaining 2 road games. Unfortunately for Longhorn Nation, things are trending in the wrong direction for Manning and the boys as they simply haven’t been good or consistent enough to be a participant in the College Football Playoff this season.

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Fast forward to today, Elko has more than answered the bell as the Aggies are 6-0 for the first time since 2016 and for only the second time in the past 30 years following their win over Florida last weekend. If Elko and his Aggies can navigate an upcoming tough stretch of their schedule where they have consecutive road trips to Arkansas, LSU and Missouri, their dreams of grabbing the program’s inaugural College Football Playoff berth could become a reality in December.

As a result, here are 3 reasons the head man of Aggie Land is the current frontrunner to win the SEC Coach of the Year award this season.

1. Elko fixed A&M’s broken defense

Last season, Elko watched his Aggies give up an eye-popping 34.2 points per game in their final stretch of the season to end his first season in Aggie Land on a sour note. As a result, Elko has been way more hands-on with the defense this season and the results have been the foundation of the Aggies’ successful start.

Since blowing up and looking identical to the way it did last season in its 41-40 upset road win over Notre Dame, A&M has morphed into a new-school version of its 90s “Wrecking Crew” in SEC action. With Elko more active in defensive meetings during the week than he was last season, A&M has given up 17 points or less in its 3 SEC wins against Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida.

A big reason for A&M’s defensive success has been its domination on third down as it became the first Power 4 program in the past 20 years to hold 3 straight teams to 1 or fewer conversions on third down. If the Aggies can get their defense to travel over the next month and continue this trend, Elko’s chances of landing his first SEC Coach of The Year award will grow even higher.

2. Maximizing the transfer portal

Thanks to an up and down first season in College Station, Elko and his staff rebuilt their talented roster, which featured 28 players from the transfer portal, and made it even better by hitting the portal hard again last spring. After adding 13 through the portal to this season’s roster, A&M has morphed from a team who was a big question mark to a team viewed as a dark horse to win its first national championship since 1939.

By acquiring Cashius Howell through the portal last season and the productive receiving duo of Mario Craver and KC Concepcion this season, Elko has hit multiple bullseyes on the transfer market as the trio makes up some of the most productive players on A&M’s roster.

On offense, QB Marcel Reed has put himself in the conversation as a dark horse Heisman candidate with 1,490 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, many of which have gone to Craver and Concepcion, who have combined to grab 60 receptions for 1,081 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. Craver has been so dominant, the Mississippi State transfer leads the SEC with 634 receiving yards and ranks third nationally while morphing into a potential early round NFL Draft pick.

On the defensive side of the ball, Howell leads the SEC with 8 sacks, which is tied for third nationally, while leading a defensive unit ranked fifth in the nation and third in the SEC in sacks. By Elko hitting on his targets in the portal, A&M’s roster has massively improved from top to bottom while giving it the foundation to potentially reach its first SEC title game.

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3. Coming up big on the biggest stages

After routinely falling flat on its face in big games last season, A&M has been able to come up big this season by making huge plays down the stretch to grab important victories over Notre Dame and Auburn.

If Elko can continue working his magic and lead the Aggies to a couple of big road wins over the next month, you can probably go ahead and hand him this year’s SEC Coach of the Year trophy.

The post Why Mike Elko is the frontrunner to win the SEC Coach of the Year appeared first on Saturday Down South.

This year is no different, as most of the top teams in the conference have at least 2 talented wideouts consistently making explosive plays for their teams to win games. With SEC action in full effect, here’s a breakdown of the top receiver duos in the conference who have been the most productive and consistent in 2025:

1. Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

Thanks to struggling in the passing game mightily last season, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko and his staff hit the transfer portal this spring and brought in Craver and Concepcion from Mississippi State and NC State, respectively, to help out star QB Marcel Reed.

Fortunately for Elko and company, they hit double jackpot, as Craver and Concepcion have been Reed’s top 2 targets since spring ball and have morphed into the best receiving duo in SEC and quite possibly the nation in just a few games.

Through 6 games, Craver leads the SEC in receiving yards with 634 and has reeled in 77 yards or more in 5 of A&M’s 6 games. Not to be outdone, Concepcion is fourth in the SEC with 447 receiving yards and is tied for fourth in the conference with 5 touchdown receptions. Both have a chance to join the SEC’s 1,000-yard receiving club.

More importantly than their gaudy stats, the duo has come up big for the Aggies when they have needed them most.

Against Notre Dame, with A&M struggling on offense, Craver took a swing pass and made 3 Fighting Irish defenders miss while going 86 yards to the house to jump start the Aggies’ offense. So far this season, Craver’s touchdown reception is the longest receiving or rushing touchdown by an SEC player.

Concepcion came through for the Aggies recently by catching touchdowns in back-to-back quarters to springboard them to a victory over the Mississippi State after being on upset alert most of the game. Despite this being their first season together, Craver and Concepcion have proven to be a dynamic duo as no A&M opponent has been able to keep them both under control the entire game.

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2. Chris Brazzell II and Mike Matthews, Tennessee

The duo of Brazzell and Matthews is so good they are a big reason why the Tennessee Volunteers are 3 points away from being undefeated this season. Brazzell and Matthews have consistently been able to beat defenses to make big catches on third downs and extend drives, which has allowed the Vols’ offense to be one of the steadiest in the nation.

Although both are very talented and future NFL receivers, Brazzell’s success this season is somewhat out of the blue, as the redshirt junior has recorded a 100-yard receiving game in 3 of his last 5 contests after coming into the season with only 2 100-yard outings in his career.

Currently, Brazell leads the SEC with 7 receiving touchdowns and is second in the conference in receiving yards with 536. The Vols’ dominant duo has been a consistent problem for its opponents all season, as both Brazzell and Matthews have recorded at least one explosive play in every game but one this season.

3. Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams, Alabama

Coming into the season, many felt the Alabama wideout duo of Bernard and Williams was the best receiving tandem in the conference due to Williams being viewed as the best in SEC and Bernard expected to have a breakout season.

So far half of that equation is right. A big reason why the Tide tandem is the third-best receiving duo in the SEC, Bernard is the Tide’s leading receiver and in the middle of a career year with 5 touchdown receptions.

His ability to consistently beat press coverage and deliver whenever his number is called is a big reason some view him as Alabama’s No. 1 receiver despite all the hype surrounding Williams. Together Bernard and Williams are a big problem for Tide opponents because they balance Alabama’s offense out as either one can make the big play to beat you.

The post Ranking the SEC’s top 3 wide receiver duos appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Texas was able to dominate Oklahoma on offense, defense and special teams to get its biggest win of the season, as a loss to the Sooners would have officially ended any realistic chance the Longhorns had of making the College Football Playoff. Now that the dust has settled on their second-consecutive Red River Rivalry victory and a realistic winning formula has been established, here are 3 things coach Steve Sarkisian and company must continue doing if they plan on running the table the rest of the season:

1. Consistently get Quintrevion Wisner and the run game going

Unlike their upset loss to Florida a week ago, the Longhorns were able to consistently convert third downs on the ground and dictate the pace of the game thanks to their productive rushing attack. After only gaining 20 total yards on 14 plays on its first 3 possessions of the game, Texas was able to convert 7 consecutive third downs to keep Oklahoma on the field while scoring on drives of 75 and 65 yards in the second half.

After missing a lot of time due to serious hamstring issues, Wisner led the attack with 94 yards on 22 carries as the shifty junior running back was a problem for Oklahoma’s talented defensive unit all game long. The running back was so impressive, Arch Manning went out his way to give Wisner a game ball after the final whistle.

“It’s always hard knowing what’s at stake and that the defense knows you are going to run the ball, but we executed at a high level,” Wisner said during his on field interview with ESPN.

Going forward, Wisner and the Longhorns must continue to use the run to open up passing windows for Arch Manning and the receivers. Games like this are what led to Wisner rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 2024. Texas is an eye-popping 7-0 when out-rushing its opponents in SEC action since last season.

2. Defense must continue playing at a high level and being more physical

A week after putting together its worst performance of the season at The Swamp, the Texas defense was at its best against its bitter border rival at the State Fair of Texas.

Texas was able to hold Oklahoma to a season-low 258 yards of total offense while becoming the first defensive unit to hold the Sooners under 300 total yards all season long. The Longhorns’ defense was able to match the Sooners’ physicality while consistently pestering OU star quarterback John Mateer into a 20-of-38 passing day highlighted by 3 big interceptions.

This type of defensive dominance must continue if Texas is going to continue winning games in the SEC. The Longhorns are undefeated in conference action since the start of last season when holding SEC opponents under 20 points. With every game basically a Playoff game for the Longhorns going forward, being able to lean on one of the best defensive units in the nation has to give the boys from Austin confidence performances like this can be the norm going forward.

3. Arch Manning must continue improving

Despite being a game manager by most people’s standards in his first Red River Rivalry game, Manning took a big step forward by producing his most efficient game of the season. Although going 21-of-27 for 161 yards and a touchdown is nice, Manning’s assertive, efficient decision making while helping Texas convert 10-of-17 third downs is even more impressive.

The talented single caller’s ability to stay calm and make big throws when needed must continue improving for Texas to run the table the rest of the season. After being bashed for his dismal performance against Florida last week, Manning gave the world a glimpse of what can be when he has a efficient running game this week against Oklahoma on the big stage.

Manning must continue improving weekly for Texas to do the unthinkable and turn a season once on the brink into a College Football Playoff berth.

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Despite losing 2 games by 8 points or less at 2 of the toughest stadiums in the country, most pundits and college football fans in America officially put dirt on the Longhorns’ grave and have ruled their 2025 season all but over this past weekend. Although it’s not dead, Texas is officially on life support just 1 game into its SEC slate.

With their Red River Rivalry game upon them this week and big games with Vanderbilt, Georgia and Texas A&M on the horizon, here are 3 things the Longhorns must dramatically improve upon if they want any chance of running the table the rest of the season.

1. Texas must develop a consistent run game

Through 5 games, it is preposterous that Arch Manning and his 160 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns lead the Longhorns on the season. To highlight how bad things are even more for Texas, Manning is the only player on the roster who has rushed for more than 1 touchdown on the season.

If Texas plans on turning things around or even having a positive season in SEC play, it must get the running back trio of CJ Baxter, Quintrevion Wisner and Jerrick Gibson healthy and going. Someone from this trio or even talented true freshman running back James Simon must emerge as the lead back if Texas wants to have any shot of beating Oklahoma this weekend or A&M and Georgia in November. On the season, the Longhorns have failed to have anyone rush for over 100 yards in a game, with Wisner coming the closest by running for 80 yards against Ohio State.

If coach Steve Sarkisian and company plan on righting the ship, this must change immediately. After rushing for over 1,000 yards last season, Wisner was expected to be the man the Longhorns needed this season, but has been limited to just 2 games due to a recurring hamstring injury that kept him out of games early in the season.

With Manning struggling mightily without a consistent run game, Wisner’s reemergence is a necessity for the Longhorns to have any success in SEC play. The fact that the Longhorns sport a 4-0 record when Wisner goes for over 100 yards in a game in his career and are 6-1 when he rushes for 79 yards or more highlights why Wisner is the key to getting Texas’s nonexistent ground game going.

2. The Longhorns’ offensive line must dramatically improve

The Texas offensive line came into the season as the Longhorns’ biggest question mark and is now one of their biggest problems.

So far this season, Manning has been sacked 9 times, hit 22 times and hurried 67 times. Last week against Florida alone, he was sacked 6 times and hurried 10 times all behind a struggling O-line that simply got bullied by the Gators all game long.

This can’t happen any more the rest of the season as Sarkisian and his staff must find a way to make what was a strength for Texas last season at least adequate in 2025. Most want to blame Manning as the biggest culprit for Texas’s offensive struggles this season when the bigger problem has been the subpar play of the guys up front.

If Texas wants any shot of getting things back on track, its offensive line must protect Manning more consistently and it must improve its run blocking to balance things out while allowing Sark to get deep into his play-calling bag.

3. Stars must play like stars

No matter if its Manning or Ryan Wingo on offense or preseason All-Americans Colin Simmons, Michael Taaffe and Anthony Hill Jr. on defense, none of the faces of the Longhorns program have lived up to their preseason billing. This must change beginning this weekend for Texas to have any remote dreams of returning to the College Football Playoff.

 On offense, Wingo must become more consistent and make his presence known as the talented wideout has failed to catch more than 4 passes in a game or record a 100-yard receiving game this season despite leading the Longhorns with 4 touchdowns. On defense, Simmons must majorly improve his disappointing 1.5-sack total on the season while Taaffe and Hill must become more consistent to stabilize a Longhorn defense coming of its worst performance of the season.

It’s a difficult task, but all these thing need to happen for Texas to have a remote chance of turning around its disappointing 2025 season.

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Despite being ranked No. 9 in the latest AP Poll and viewed as one of the best teams in the nation, Texas has a few things it must correct sooner than later. Here is a list of 3 things the Longhorns must do if they plan on kicking off the SEC part of their schedule with a win over Florida on Saturday.

1. Texas must find a consistent run game

It’s well known that Arch Manning is the undisputed QB1 of the Longhorns and his 9 passing touchdowns leads the team. What isn’t as well known is the fact that Manning’s 5 rushing touchdowns this season leads Texas by far, as he’s the only player to score more than 1 touchdown on the ground.

This is a huge problem for Steve Sarkisian and company that must get fixed ASAP.

Half of the problem could be solved thanks to the bye week, as Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter, who combined to rush for 120 yards in Texas’s season-opening loss at Ohio State, will be returning from injuries against Florida this week. Coming into the season Wisner and Baxter were listed as co-starters, but have only been able to play the Ohio State game together.

Texas needs one or both to take the lead of the running back room as the Longhorns have not produced a 100-yard rusher through 4 games this season. In Texas’s blowout of Sam Houston State, the Longhorns ran for a season-high 264 yards, which played a big role in Manning’s play-action pass success.

With the running game in full effect, Manning was able to produce his best game of the season, leading Texas’s offense to a season-high 607 yards of total offense. The Longhorns must build upon this effort to beat Florida, as the Gators are ranked No. 8 in the SEC against the run.

If Texas plans on navigating through the torrential SEC waters, it must find a consistent run game. What better way to do that than starting against a Florida squad that isn’t elite against the run?

2. Let the defense hunt

Behind a quick, free-flowing, aggressive defensive unit, Texas has produced one of the best defenses in the nation so far in 2025. Despite only being challenged by Ohio State, it’s easy to see why the Longhorns defense will be a problem for any offensive unit it sees this season.

Through 4 games, Texas’s defense has produced 11 sacks and 7 turnovers while only allowing an eye popping 7.7 points per game. The Longhorns must attack and get to Florida sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway early and often if they want to walk out of The Swamp with a win this weekend.

Lagway, who some considered a Heisman Trophy threat before the season, has looked like a shell of himself after throwing 6 interceptions through the Gators’ first 4 games. A big reason for Lagway’s problems has been his decision making under pressure.

With Texas’s defense clicking on all cylinders, expect Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski to unleash his talented Longhorn unit and let Colin Simmons and company go hunting as Lagway has shown a propensity to consistently fold under pressure this season.

3. Arch must be Arch

With his best overall game in the books, the job for Manning against Florida is simple — keep improving and eliminate turnovers, much like he did in his first SEC start against Mississippi State last season. Despite the overall struggles on defense, Florida is decent against the pass and still has a talented secondary that is capable of making game-changing plays.

If Manning can complete basic throws like he did in his last outing and hit on a couple of deep plays down the field in big moments, Texas should be able to grab a big road win to kick off its SEC schedule. At end of the day, Arch needs to simply be Arch and take the same mindset he took into his first-ever SEC start last season into his first SEC road start this weekend for the Texas to win for the first time ever in Gainesville.

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With the win, the Aggies improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2016 and head into their game next week against Mississippi State with a ton of momentum. After getting carved up to the tune of 429 yards in its 41-40 upset victory over Notre Dame 2 weeks ago, Texas A&M’s defense rose to the occasion and produced its best performance of the season by holding Auburn to its lowest point total of the season.

Here are 3 takeaways from the Aggies’ big win:

1. Texas A&M does not look like a top-10 team

Despite the win and its lofty top-10 ranking in the polls, Texas A&M doesn’t look like a legitimate top-10 team in the nation as currently constructed due to its inability to dominate on both sides of the ball at the same time to produce a complete game. In what could be deemed a very choppy game at best, A&M consistently self-destructed offensively due to never getting into a rhythm and committing multiple costly penalties forcing it to lean on its highly motivated defense.

For the best example of how fortunate the guys in maroon and white were to win this game all one must do is look at their performance in crunch time.

With A&M driving early in the fourth to close out the game, Marcel Reed’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Auburn’s Xavier Atkins, who ran 73 yards before running out of gas at the 2. After Auburn scored to cut the lead to 13-10, A&M was flagged for an ineligible player downfield to take a Reed touchdown pass to team leading receiver Mario Craver touchdown off the board.

As a result, A&M settled for a field goal before leaning on its defense 1 more time to close out the win. Although sloppy play, turnovers and bad penalties didn’t prevent A&M from winning this week, it sure could when the Aggies go on the road to play fellow top 10 teams at Death Valley and Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium later this season.

2. The A&M defense got its redemption

The Texas A&M defense, which almost kept the Aggies from upsetting Notre Dame last time out, showed it can play big-boy SEC football with the best of them.

When the dust settled on Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas A&M had sacked Auburn QB Jackson Arnold 5 times while holding the Tigers to a season-low 177 yards of total offense. Although this current defense won’t get mistaken for one of A&M’s famous “Wrecking Crew” defensive units from the 90s, it was very dominant all game long.

The Aggies’ defense was at its best on the money downs, forcing Auburn to go 0-for-13 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down. With money on the table on Auburn’s final drive, A&M’s defense was able to produce a Dayon Hayes sack on fourth down to close the show.

Although this isn’t the Cam Newton-led Auburn team from a decade ago, holding Auburn under 20 points and under 200 total yards is nothing to dismiss and something the Aggies can build upon going forward.

3. Keep riding Le’Veon Moss

Despite getting banged up in the second quarter of the game, Texas A&M’s star running back Le’Veon Moss was the Aggies’ most consistent offensive player on the day. Moss ran for 64 yards and 1 touchdown before the injury and finished with a season-high 139 yards on 21 carries.

If A&M wants to continue winning big games at a high clip, it must utilize Moss going forward, as his physical style and intensity set the tone against Auburn. This was Moss’s fifth time going over 100 yards rushing in his career and the Aggies are 5-0 in such games.

In a league where every game and every yard counts, Texas A&M would be wise to ride the big shoulders of Moss going forward, as his physical running style will help stabilize the Aggies’ inconsistent offense. With Reed still figuring things out, Moss’s production and energy should help get A&M’s offense get back on track and be more consistent in the future.

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Each SEC team will have 3 annual rivalry opponents while facing every other SEC program once every 2 years. Every school still must schedule at least 1 nonconference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12 conference or Notre Dame each season, as everything is part of a formula to give SEC schools the best chances to make the College Football Playoff.

With Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Arkansas as its built-in rivals, Texas is set up nicely in the SEC mix, which should bode well for the Longhorns over the next 4 seasons. Combined this with the fact Texas has some talented recruiting classes on the horizon coming to Austin and it’s easy to see why the Longhorns can be viewed as a realistic perennial threat to make the Playoff for the next few years.

Here are 3 reasons why Texas is a winner of the new SEC scheduling format:

1. Familiarity breeds comfortability

With Texas still being one of the new kids on the SEC block, it could have easily been given a rival combination with schools it doesn’t historically play often. That would make things more difficult than currently constructed. By being given the trio of Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Arkansas, Texas has 3 teams it has played 80 times or more in school history and the Longhorns keep their 2 biggest rivals consistently on their schedule.

With its game against Oklahoma always a neutral-site game in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl, Texas gets the underrated benefit of never having to play on the road at more than 1 rival school a year. Although the home-field advantages of Kyle Field and Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium aren’t what they were about a decade ago, you won’t find many SEC teams voluntarily signing up to play at both places in the same season.

2. Texas Can Keep Recruiting At A High Level

Since Steve Sarkisian arrived on “The Forty Acres” 4 years ago, Texas has produced a top-10 recruiting class every cycle. Sarkisian has been so dominant on the recruiting trail, Texas is in the mix to have the top overall recruiting class for the 2025 and 2026 cycles.

By having the SEC trio of rivals they got — specifically Oklahoma and A&M — Sarkisian and company will have another pitch to get recruits’ attention while on the recruiting trail.

It’s a very well-known fact in recruiting circles in the South, and specifically in Texas, that many kids come to Texas to be part of the Texas-OU and the Texas-Texas A&M rivalries. Thanks to the SEC’s decision makers, this remains the case and indirectly gives the Longhorns a small advantage when it comes to recruiting because Texas will get future talented players to stay in the Lone Star State and come to Austin just to play in these 2 big rivalry games each season.

3. Texas Dodges The SEC Big Boys

Before Texas entered the SEC, many people across the Lone Star State questioned out loud if the Longhorns could consistently compete with Alabama, Georgia and LSU on a yearly basis. Thanks to this new scheduling format, Texas will not have more than 2 of the 3 powerhouse programs who have won the last 11 SEC championships on its schedule in a calendar year.

In 2026 and 2028, the Longhorns play LSU, with only 1 trip to Death Valley in 2026 and play Alabama and Georgia in 2027 and 2029, but get 1 game in Austin each year and a trip to Tuscaloosa and Athens in 2027 and 2029, respectively. One of the best things about the SEC is you can’t hide from anyone, and have to see everyone, as the best plays the best no matter what the sport.

In the big picture, despite Texas being the new kid on the block, the Longhorns are more than ready to take on the SEC gauntlet of talented teams year after year thanks to their NIL resources, high-level recruiting and the school’s commitment to making Texas the national powerhouse. The scheduling just let Sark and company know which difficult path they must travel each season to get in the Playoff in efforts to end their current national championship drought.

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Although the Longhorns have a lot of work to do to become the team many people thought they could be in the preseason, it is way too early to count Texas out of the College Football Playoff at this point. Here are 3 big reasons Texas will make the Playoff for the third-consecutive season.

1. A Championship-Level Defense

As much criticism as Texas’s offense has faced, the defense should get just as much, if not more, praise as they’ve played at an elite level in every game this season, including their season-opening loss to Ohio State. Through 4 games, the Longhorns’ defense is only allowing 7.7 points per game while holding opponents to a very respectable 212 total yards a game.

Thanks to their consistent play, the Longhorns defense is ranked second overall in the SEC, behind only Oklahoma, and ranks in the top 4 for total yards allowed per game, sacks and interceptions. In the big picture, all these stats might be meaningless due to the level of competition, but they do set the tone for SEC play, which starts in Week 6 at Florida.

No matter if you are Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas A&M or any other future opponent of Texas, you know coming in you must keep the Longhorns under 20 points just to compete with them. If you think that’s an exaggeration, all one must look at is this key fact — since joining the SEC in 2024, Texas has scored 20 or more points in 16 games and has won all 16 games.

With every SEC opponent on the schedule except Vanderbilt and Texas A&M, who both come to Austin, bringing suspect offenses to the party, Texas can easily ride its championship-caliber defense back to the Playoff promised land.

2. Everybody Texas needs to beat is on the schedule

A blessing and a curse of playing in the SEC is that, every Saturday, odds are you’re going to play against a Top 25 opponent. For Texas, this is exactly what the doctor ordered as their schedule allows them to realistically stay in the college football playoff hunt just like they did last season.

Currently 4 of the Longhorns’ 8 SEC opponents are ranked in the Top 20, with Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M each ranked in the Top 10, ahead of them. Thanks to this difficult schedule, the path for Texas to get into the Playoff is very direct and simple.

They must run the gauntlet of games against opponents outside of the Top 10 and find a way to sweep their rivalry games against Oklahoma and A&M or split their rivalry series and find a way to take down Georgia in Athens for the first time in program history. No matter if your are a Texas supporter or hater, the Longhorns still control their destiny. Will it be easy? No. But the path is certainly still there.

3. Steve Sarkisian is a good bet to get the offense back on track

To date, Texas has only played in 9 SEC games and has won every one of them except the 2 losses to Georgia last season. The offense is struggling this year, sure, but Steve Sarkisian‘s track record of play-calling prowess must still be taken into account.

After learning under the great Nick Saban in 2019 and 2020, Sark has a knack for staying a step or 2 ahead of most of the SEC’s talented defensive coordinators. In big road wins against Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Texas A&M last season, Sark’s play calling directly led to victories as he kept all 3 teams off balance most of the game which led to Texas being able to pull through and grab its 3 biggest road wins in SEC action.

With Manning improving while developing his dynamic skill set, Sark’s knack for calling great games which turn into big wins will play a role in whether or not the Longhorns grab their third-consecutive Playoff berth.

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As a result, many people in Austin and Longhorn Nation have major concerns about the redshirt sophomore as Texas starts the heart of its SEC schedule in just 2 weeks with a big game on the road at The Swamp in Gainesville. The reason fans and pundits alike are on red alert about the Manning situation is simple — if he doesn’t figure it out and play better, the team who entered the season ranked No. 1 in the nation will miss the College Football Playoff for the first time in the last 3 years.

With 1 more nonconference tune up game left on the schedule against Sam Houston on Saturday, here are a couple of things Manning must improve upon to change the trajectory of his season and legacy:

Keeping It Simple While Improving Accuracy

After completing 67% of passes in spot duty last season and coming into the Texas program highly touted for being one of most accurate high school quarterbacks in recent memory, it’s been very odd to see Manning be so inaccurate. Currently, Manning has completed a head scratching 55% of his passes while only completing 47 of his 85 pass attempts through 3 games.

No matter if the throws are short or deep, Manning has consistently been high and away or high and long on a chunk of his passing attempts this season. Just last week against UTEP, things got so bad he threw 10 consecutive incompletions while getting booed loudly by the Austin faithful.

A big way to fix this problem would be to give Manning dink and dunk passes where he can find a rhythm early and, if things aren’t available, he can take off running freely so that he’s playing football and not thinking football. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has an impeccable reputation of getting quarterbacks straightened out and his process is to be trusted, but this current Arch Manning situation must be handled differently than how coach Sark has done things in the past.

Instead of calling more shot plays and go balls to try to get Manning in rhythm, Sark should scrap almost everything and call simple drag and crossing routes until Manning proves he comfortable enough to take the 50-yard shot passes down the field he’s more than capable of completing.

The “Keep It Simple” method must be put on full display if Manning is going to have any chance of reclaiming his accuracy this season.

Arch must get his swag back

Despite saying all the right (and cliché) things, owning up and taking full responsibility for his lackluster play so far this season, Manning’s body language on the field is not displaying the confidence needed to be great. This must be addressed ASAP if Texas is going to have any realistic chance to come out of the SEC as champion this season.

Unlike last year, we haven’t seen the choreographed gestures and dances with teammates which defined Manning’s sophomore year in his abbreviated role. Many times, he comes to the sidelines with a perplexed look on his face while looking like an athlete who is uncomfortable rather than a player who is the star of the show.

Having swag doesn’t determine if a player is going to be great or not, but for some players, it’s a part of their athletic DNA and Manning proved last year it’s a part of his. Nobody has fun while struggling, but a loose, more carefree approach by Manning should help him slow down and turn things around instead of being sped up and consistently rushing his delivery, which is playing a big role in his current struggles.

In the big picture, Arch Manning is too talented and prepared to struggle this way all season long. My advice to Texas fans and people around the nation who keep Manning under the microscope is simple. To quote Aaron Rodgers from his time with the Packers: “R-E-L-A-X” and give the kid a realistic timeline to figure things out before forming concrete conclusions.

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The win ended A&M’s 13-game road losing streak against ranked opponents, was its first win over Notre Dame since 2001 and, more importantly, improved the Aggies to 3-0 and to the No. 10 spot in the AP rankings. With very winnable back-to-back home games coming up against Mississippi State and Florida, the Aggies have the foundation and potential to have their best season since joining the SEC.

Here’s a list of the 3 most dangerous games left on Texas A&M’s schedule, as the Aggies must find a way to win in Baton Rouge and Austin, where they haven’t won since 1994 and 2010, respectively if they want to play in their first ever College Football Playoff.

1. Must Deal With Death Valley Demons

With in-state rival Texas a huge question mark, A&M’s biggest game left on the schedule might be a road game against LSU, who currently is ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll. Despite beating LSU last year 38-23 in College Station, odds are A&M will head into the game as major underdogs due to its horrendous play at Tiger Stadium in recent seasons.

Since joining the SEC in 2013, the Aggies have never beaten the Tigers in “Death Valley” and have been outscored by an average of 19.6 points per game in 6 visits to Baton Rouge. If the Aggies want a legit chance at a College Football Playoff berth and proof they are officially back on the national scene they must conquer their Tiger Stadium demons and beat a talented LSU team.

Despite making the throw of the game in the big win over Notre Dame, quarterback Marcel Reed must play better and be more consistent in big road games going forward if Texas A&M plans on repeating the feat. On Oct. 25 he will have his biggest opportunity to prove he’s legitimately the guy to return to A&M the promised land, because a win over LSU would springboard A&M up the polls while quite possibly solidifying Reed as a Heisman candidate.

2. The Lone Star Showdown Is A Must Win

After renewing its rivalry with Texas after a 13-year hiatus last season, A&M produced one of its most disappointing games of the 2024 season while losing to its bitter rival 17-7 in College Station last November. This season, redemption is a must for the Aggies.

No matter what craziness might be going on in Austin come November, the Aggies must find a way to beat the Longhorns on the road just like they did Notre Dame if they want a realistic chance to play in the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. Even if Texas is struggling at that time, a win over a rival like the Longhorns should solidify one of A&M’s best seasons since joining the SEC, put on stamp on the Aggies as the best football team in Texas and give them a direct shot to win the school’s first national title since 1939.

With “The Lone Star Showdown” being the last regular season game of the season and with A&M off to a perfect start with a relatively soft schedule ahead of it, this could be the program-defining win the Aggies have desperately been searching for. A road win over Texas would prove A&M is a program to be reckoned with now and going forward while giving concrete proof Mike Elko is right man for Aggie Land after a rough finish following a promising start in 2024.

3. Beware Of The Gamecocks

Although South Carolina is one of the few SEC teams A&M has owned since joining the conference, the Aggies need to be on upset alert when the Gamecocks come to College Station in November.

Currently the Aggies have a 9-2 series advantage over the Gamecocks since 2014 and have won every matchup at Kyle Field. Despite history being on their side, they must be prepared for the challenges South Carolina will give them this season, as their aggressive defense led by All-American Dylan Stewart and the dynamic quarterback play of sophomore sensation LaNorris Sellers will be a problem.

A&M must find a way to beat a quality at home when it’s expected, which is something it has struggled with mightily since Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans left in 2013.

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In the 4 previous meetings between the programs, Texas has won all 4 matchups by an average of 44 points, with 3 of the 4 victories coming by 34 points or more. Even more impressive, in 3 of the games, the Texas defense has held UTEP offenses to 1 touchdown or less.

Despite history overwhelmingly being in their favor, this year’s version of the Longhorns must do more than win their matchup with UTEP if they are going to become the team many think they will be in the end.

Here are some key things I need to see from Texas as they creep closer to SEC action:

1. Texas must begin developing a consistent run game

If one just glanced at the stats, you’d see Texas is averaging 160 yards a game overall on the ground and averaging 4.6 yards per carry as a team. Both are respectable numbers until you take a deeper look at the Texas running game situation and see the Longhorns have more things they need to improve on than things they do well.

One big cause for concern is the lack of explosive plays from the run game this season for Texas. Through 2 games and 69 carries, the Longhorns’ longest run was Arch Manning’s highlight reel 20-yard touchdown run last week against San Jose State.

To date, Manning’s run is the only run which qualifies as an “explosive” run for the Longhorns. For this weekend to be a true success, Texas must get at least 2 explosive runs from the running back duo of C.J. Baxter and Jerrick Gibson with lead back Quintrevion Wisner out due to injury.

The quicker Texas finds ways to develop an explosive ground attack, the better Manning and their explosive passing game will be.

2. Colin Simmons and Ryan Wingo need to emerge

Coming into the season, the sophomore duo of Colin Simmons and Ryan Wingo were almost universally viewed as the most important players on Texas roster not named Arch Manning. Through 2 games, both have been major disappointments, as neither has lived up to the hype despite being put in good positions to make plays for the Longhorns.

In Simmons’ case, he simply must be more disciplined and stop trying to do too much and let things come to him. Currently on the season, Simmons has more penalties than tackles and sacks combined as he’s registered 0.5 sacks and 2 solo tackles while committing 3 penalties.

A breakout game against UTEP is a necessity for Simmons, as the talented edge rusher needs to right the ship before Texas begins SEC play on Oct. 4 against Florida.

On the offensive side of the ball, there’s an APB out for Wingo, who came into the season listed as Manning’s No. 1 receiver after a stellar freshman campaign where he racked up 472 receiving yards on just 29 catches. Through 2 games, Wingo only has 6 catches for 65 yards and has at least one drop in every game. It’s very important that Wingo breaks out against UTEP, because when he’s clicking, Texas’s offense tends to take things to another level.

A big barometer of Wingo’s impact can be shown in games he’s been able to deliver explosive plays in his career. So far in Wingo’s young career, Texas is 5-2 in games he’s been able to produce an explosive play, with both losses coming against Ohio State.

Catching a touchdown and producing explosive plays against UTEP needs to happen so Wingo can get on the right track before Texas gets to the SEC part of its schedule.

3. Texas must dominate from beginning to end

After struggling and never getting its footing while losing to Ohio State and starting off slow while beating San Jose State, Texas needs to dominate from beginning to end against UTEP. Unlike last season, Texas has yet to display it has another gear most teams don’t possess this season.

Although it’s early in the season and UTEP is a major 40-point underdog, Texas needs to flex and produce a dominant and complete game this weekend to prove this year’s version of the Longhorns has that extra gear. Because sooner or later, Texas is going to need consistent domination and another gear if it plans to get through the SEC gauntlet without stepping on a landmine.

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After struggling against Ohio State at “The Horseshoe” in the biggest spot of his college career, Manning displayed a bounce-back trait all elite quarterbacks must possess. When the dust finally settled, Manning completed 19 of his 30 passes for 295 yards and 4 touchdowns while adding a highlight-reel rushing touchdown where he tiptoed the sideline from 20 yards out this week against San Jose State.

Stats aside, what’s more encouraging if you’re a long-term Manning stockholder was how he overcame a pedestrian start to ultimately put together a heck of a game.

Unlike last week when he seemed timid and perplexed at times by the exotic looks Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia was dialing up, Manning remained very aggressive while having full command of the offense which led to multiple big plays in the second quarter.

“I thought offensively Arch played a really good game. We were able to create explosive pass plays and we are at our best as a football team when we can run it and create those explosive pass plays,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in his postgame press conference. “I think with Arch, the competitor in him is like I wish I could have that one back from a week ago because there’s probably some plays in there where he’s like I wish I would have cut that lose and did this a little differently. But, I thought today was a by product of the week of work as he played aggressive throughout the week and studied the game plan and I thought today he played more of his style.”

For a 5-minute stretch, Manning put his greatness on full display when he found freshman wideout Parker Livingstone along the left sideline. Livingstone did the rest, turning up the field and racing down the sideline for an 83-yard touchdown. The touchdown was the longest passing touchdown by Texas since 2017 and more importantly was the biggest play of a Manning’s highlight reel stretch where he went 5-for-5 for 142 yards and 4 touchdowns..

The talented redshirt sophomore got so hot he connected for TDs on 3 consecutive passing attempts, which included another touchdown to Livingstone from 3 yards out and 2 to tight end Jack Endries from 36 and 16 yards out, respectively.

Here’s where it’s worth noting that the opponent in Week 2 was San Jose State, so much like Week 1 against Ohio State, we should be patient with making overarching (pun intended) statements either way after facing a pair of diametrically opposite opponents. But, for 1 week, at least, Manning was able to take the game over and give some hope to the Mel Kipers, Paul Finebaums and NFL scouts of the world who were drooling over Arch and his talent all offseason long.

“I thought I went out there and made a few more plays, but once again wasn’t very efficient and a little sloppy as there were too many penalties,” Manning said during his postgame press conference. “I thought I made plays when it was there and got my guys involved a little bit more. I play to a certain standard and sometimes you have to just let go of the past and move on and keep playing rather it’s a bad play or a bad game just move on.”

To be perfectly honest, no matter if you ride with Arch and think he’s one of the best QBs in the nation, or if you think he’s a bum who can’t get it done; he must be allowed to play out this season (or at least get an SEC start or 3 under his belt) before anyone can make an accurate assessment of him as a quarterback. Please let the kid at least play a full SEC schedule before coming to any definite conclusions on whether he can play at a high level or not.

He hasn’t even made a start on the road in SEC play and yet there are some people who think he’s all show and no go. In just 2 weeks we’ve seen the good and bad out of Manning, which is to be expected. In the meantime, can we sit back and enjoy watching the “Arch Manning Show” uninterrupted from now until December so we can make accurate assessments on how good or bad of a QB he actually is?

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Despite another big loss on the national stage all is not doom and gloom for the Longhorns, as the new version of the College Football playoffs has already shown us thanks to the Buckeyes that you can lose at least 2 games and still bring home a natty. The Longhorns bounced back in Week 2 with a 38-7 win over San Jose State. They host UTEP in Week 3, but let’s be real — the real danger lies ahead in SEC play.

Here’s a list of the 3 most dangerous games left on Texas’s schedule, as 2 more losses would all but end the Longhorns dream of ending their 20-year national championship drought.

Texas first trip ever “Between the Hedges” in Athens

After losing to Georgia in Austin by 15 and then again in the SEC championship game by 3 in overtime, Texas must find a way to beat the defending conference champions in their backyard. Fortunately for Texas, the formula for victory over the Bulldogs is very simpl,e although it will be very difficult to execute.

For Texas to avoid the Georgia landmine and win in its inaugural trip to Athens to keep its national championship hopes alive, it must run the ball and stop the run. In last season’s matchups, Texas was only able to muster 29 and 31 total rushing yards while allowing Georgia to rumble for 108 and 141 yards on the ground. That pretty much sums up why Georgia went 2-0.

If Arch Manning and company are going to get what would be the best victory of his young career, Texas’s young offensive line must improve and learn from the lessons given to it by Ohio State. Also, Sarkisian must exhibit patient play calling against Georgia and let the Longhorns’ talented running back duo of Quintrevion Wisner and C.J. Baxter cook.

Despite going against an NFL-like defense in Ohio State in Week 1, both backs averaged 4 yards or more a carry and could have impacted the game more if Texas did not abandon the run game so early. This mistake must be corrected if Texas’s inaugural trip “Between the Hedges” is going to be successful.

Dodging Gator revenge in “The Swamp”

In college football, revenge is a prevalent thing when playing in a Power 4 conference full of very powerful and prideful programs. With the revenge factor extremely in play, Texas’s most-dangerous game behind the trip to Athens will be their trip to “The Swamp” in Gainesville, where Florida will be looking to avenge a 49-17 loss to Texas in Austin last season.

A key to beating Florida in one of the toughest venues in college football will be how good Texas can play defense in a must-win SEC game. If the Week 1 game against Ohio State is any indication, Texas’s defense is more than capable of controlling a game in a hostile environment as it gave the Buckeyes’ offense all it wanted despite the loss.

The trip to “The Swamp” will be Manning’s first road start in SEC play. Yes, the Gators just fell at home to USF, but if anything, that actually might make Billy Napier‘s squad more dangerous. A Gator with its back against the wall is a scary thing, indeed.

The Longhorns would be smart to lean on Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill Jr. and company in this one against a tough and talented Florida squad. Although Texas dominated Florida’s offense in last year’s matchup, this season will be a lot different and harder as Florida sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway will test the Longhorns’ talented defense on every level.

The Red River Rivalry Is a Must Win

Like most big-time rivalry games any and everything can and has happened over the years in “The Red River Rivalry” game against Oklahoma.

Once you peel back the layers and take the emotions out of the game, this season’s matchup is a must-win for both teams. For Texas, a win would be a statement in Dallas in SEC action and set up the Longhorns to be in great position going through the second half of the season despite their slip up against Ohio State last week.

On the other hand, a loss would put the Longhorns’ championship aspirations on life support as Texas would have lost against top 15 opponents twice and might be forced to run the table the rest of the way just for a shot at a Playoff berth. A common theme in all of the Texas potential roadblock games will be how good will Manning be on these different big stages.

Because if he’s the guy we’ve heard about for over the last year, then we will see improved quarterback play and Manning making big plays in key situations to win games consistently. If Manning turns into a bust, Texas will morph into the most disappointing team in the nation and there will be a lot of questions to be answered by Sark and company.

Against Oklahoma, he’ll need to out-duel John Mateer, who has garnered some early season Heisman buzz thanks to his strong play. Crazy things happen in Dallas, so make sure to have that one circled on your calendars.

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For Arch Manning, that man is sophomore wideout Ryan Wingo who morphed into Manning’s go-to guy this spring while preparing to step into the Texas Longhorns‘ No. 1 receiver role. Wingo, like Manning, came to Austin with a lot of hype after a high-school career that saw him become a 5-star player while hauling in 129 receptions for 2,160 yards and 31 touchdowns during his time at St. Louis University High School in Missouri.

With Wingo and Manning often running with the backup unit at practice last year, the pair was able to develop a nice organic chemistry, which Texas hopes to ride to major success this fall. The Manning and Wingo connection is so strong it transcends football, as Manning accepted Wingo’s invite to help with his football camp back in the inner city of St. Louis this summer. 

Just like former Texas receiving legends Wane McGarity, Roy Williams, Limas Sweed and Jordan Shipley before him, Wingo will be expected to consistently make big plays while delivering in big situations for the Longhorns this season.

Despite having a minor role in Texas’s offense last season while playing behind Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden and DeAndre Moore Jr., Wingo was able to display his clutch genes this January in his second-career Playoff game against Arizona State in the quarterfinal round.

With Texas driving for the winning field goal, Wingo was able to beat 1-on-1 press coverage to grab a 6-yard pass and followed that up by catching 27-yard slant to beat zone coverage on consecutive plays for his only 2 catches in the game to get the Longhorns in position to win. Although Texas missed the field goal before winning in overtime, Wingo was able to give Longhorn Nation a little sample on the national stage of how clutch of a player he already is.

“I think Ryan Wingo is a budding star. He didn’t get the opportunities maybe that a couple of the other freshman got, but when he got his opportunities hey made some big-time plays for us in some big games,” Steve Sarkisian said on The Always College Football Show with Greg McElroy. “He’s big, he’s physical, he’s fast. What is he going to provide for Arch is the question because they have great rapport.”

After showing flashes and what he could do in big time situations despite sitting behind Golden and Bond during his true freshman season, Wingo enters his sophomore campaign eager to show how much he’s improved his all-around game.

“Being able to watch DeAndre Moore and some of the freshmen work while getting used to the speed has helped me improve a lot this offseason,” Wingo said after a recent practice. “My approach is to take it day by day while working hard everyday to get good looks for Arch, specifically on certain routes. Knowing that if we are going to have a great connection it’s going to start in practice inspires me daily.”

If last season’s limited sample size is any indication, the Manning and Wingo connection is going to be a huge problem for Texas’s opponents this fall.

In Manning’s extended action against UTSA and 2 starts against ULM and Mississippi State, Wingo was able to produce 7 receptions for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. During this abbreviated sample, Wingo produced the first 100-yard game of his career grabbing 3 receptions for 127 yards against UTSA highlighted by scoring on a 75-yard pass for his first career touchdown.

Wingo’s first career TD grab ended up being Texas’s most explosive pass play of the 2024 season and gave fans a glimpse into the future. When the dust settled, the talented Wingo grabbed 29 catches for 472 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season to finish as the fourth-leading receiver for the Longhorns.

This weekend the future becomes the present, as Texas will need both Wingo and Manning to be on their A-games when they lead the Longhorns into the “Horseshoe” to take on Ohio State. Wingo must find ways to make big plays on third down and beat 1-on-1 coverage whenever he’s given the opportunity if Texas wants to get its revenge on the Buckeyes.

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Since Johnny Football and future NFL Hall of Famer Mike Evans left College Station, Texas A&M has not won 10+ games in a single season and has only won 9 games 3 times while producing a winning record in SEC conference play only 3 times as well.

(It should be noted that the Aggies went 9-1 during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.)

How can the Aggies get back into the spotlight nationally?

Here’s a list of 3 things that must happen if the Aggies are going to return to national prominence.

1. Mike Elko must prove he’s the right fit

After starting off last season 6-1, Mike Elko and company faded down the stretch, losing 4 of their final 5 games by an average of 10 points per game. In those losses, A&M, who didn’t give up more than 23 points in any of their first 7 games, gave up 35 or more points in 3 of their 4 losses.

For Elko to prove he’s the right fit for A&M, the formula is simple. The Aggies must take care of business at Kyle Field and find a way to get a signature win or 2 on the road against an SEC opponent. The Aggies haven’t defeated a ranked SEC team on the road since October 4, 2014, when they beat No. 21 Ole Miss 35-31.

A signature win or 2 in Baton Rouge, Austin, or even in South Bend this season will definitely put A&M in the thick of the Playoff race, get it over the proverbial hump and produce some receipts for Elko to show he is the right fit Aggie fans have been desperate for over the last decade.

2. Marcel Reed and A&M offensive unit must be consistent and better

Since taking over the starting quarterback job midway through the 2024 season when former starter Conner Weigman was injured, sophomore QB Marcel Reed is the unquestioned QB1 for A&M’s offense. With A&M returning a talented offensive line — ranked third in the nation by Pro Football Focus due to all 5 starters coming back led by captain Trey Zuhn III — it will be imperative that the Aggies’ offense is consistent and better than it was last year.

After failing to complete 70% of his passes in any game he threw 10 or more passes last season, Reed’s passing accuracy must improve this fall. The talented Reed must consistently complete timely passes while staying ahead of the chains if A&M plans on returning to the national stage.

Consistently missing big plays despite having time in the pocket, as was his tendency during his freshman campaign, simply can’t happen in 2025.

A&M will also need leading rusher Le’Veon Moss, who led the team with 765 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns before having his season cut short due to injury last season, to fit into offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s zone-heavy scheme. Moss leads a very talented running back room featuring Rueben Owens, Amari Daniels and E.J. Smith, which will need to produce consistently on the ground to take the pressure off Reed. The more consistent A&M produces in the running game the more problematic they become for opponents in big games.

3. Texas A&M must find a way to win on the road

Since joining the SEC in 2012, A&M has only won 6 or more games in conference play twice, with no SEC title game appearances. This must improve if they want any chance of returning to national prominence this fall.

How do they get there? By winning on the road. The Aggies showed some promise early last year, going 2-2 in true road games and winning at Florida and at Mississippi State. But since the aforementioned strong 2020 season, the Aggies are a dismal 4-12 in true road games. That has to change this year.

Winning road games will play a big role in getting to 6+ conference victories.

With an SEC slate featuring visits by Florida and South Carolina and trips to Arkansas, LSU and Texas, the Aggies must find a way to go at least 4-1 in these tough conference games to have a realistic chance of grabbing a Playoff berth. That’s going to require multiple conference road victories.

At the end of the day, Elko and his team must do what hasn’t been done at A&M in over a decade — win big games in the SEC consistently and win in tough environments on the road.

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If Texas plans on winning the program’s first national championship since Vince Young and company beat Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and USC in the best college football game ever in 2005, several things must happen in 2025.

1. Arch Manning must live up to the hype

Since committing in June 2022, people all over the nation have been dying to see Arch Manning be QB1 for the Longhorns and, starting this season, everyone’s wishes will become a reality. The Manning era at Texas will officially commence on Aug. 30 in Columbus against Ohio State and for Longhorn fans, 3 years of waiting officially ends.

After passing for 939 yards for 9 touchdowns and rushing for 4 more while making 2 starts last season, Manning must continue to mature as a player and leader in his redshirt sophomore season if Texas is going to return to the promised land. The talented signal caller doesn’t have to be the star of the show but must take on a leading role for the Longhorns this fall.

Manning must be a game changer who consistently comes up big in key moments if Texas plans to navigate a tough SEC schedule which features showdowns with Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M. A key component of this will be Manning’s ability to consistently push the ball down field to playmakers like Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr. to create explosive plays.

After watching incumbent quarterback Quinn Ewers be “Check-Down Charlie” the last 2 seasons, Manning’s ability to consistently make big plays down the field will be something Texas offense desperately needs. This added dimension will be a key variable all season long because the more explosive the passing game is, the more dangerous Manning becomes.

In the big picture Texas’s winning formula is simple — Texas doesn’t need Manning to be the show, but he must be one of the main stars if Texas plans on ending its 20-year national championship drought.

2. Revamped offensive line must come through

With so many positions filled with skill, talent and depth across the board for the Longhorns, it’s hard to find a position of concern until you look at the offensive line, which lost 4 of the 5 starters from last season. The major losses from the group were All-American left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who was the New Orleans Saints’ first-round pick, durable center Jake Majors and talented right tackle Cameron Williams.

This year’s group of Brandon Baker at right tackle, Trevor Goosby at left tackle, D.J. Campbell at right guard, Neto Umeozulu at left guard and Cole Hutson at center must hold up if Texas wants to win big games on the road in the SEC and eventually win a natty. The unit must be consistent no matter the combination on the field, pave the way for Texas talented running backs and, of course, protect Manning at all costs.

3. Defensive line must dominate

Just like they had 20 years ago, the Longhorns come into the season with a dominant defense that will be in the running for best defensive unit in the nation. With talent across the board on D, there’s one unit which must be consistent and dominant all season long if Texas’s national championship dreams are to become a reality.

The defensive line.

With an All-American edge rusher in sophomore Colin Simmons and junior LB Anthony Hill Jr. in the fold, Texas’s defensive line is led by 2 of the best pass rushers in the nation as the tandem combined for 17 sacks last season. When you add in talented senior edge rushers Trey Moore and Ethan Burke, it’s easy to see why this unit is considered Texas’s best unit.

With trips to Columbus, Gainesville and Athens on the horizon, the Longhorns defensive line must be dominant and consistent all season long if Texas plans on finishing the season in Miami with orange and white confetti raining down. The Longhorns have a very talented offense but there will be no championship this season if their defense, led by a special defensive line, doesn’t travel to big games.

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