10:30 p.m. | ESPN
Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada
SERIES HISTORY
• USC is 3-0 all-time versus Texas A&M. The Trojans defeated the Aggies 31-7 in the teams’ first meet up in 1964 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In the 1975 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., USC claimed a 20-0 victory over Texas A&M. In their most recent encounter in the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston, the Trojans won 47-28.
Texas A&M Aggies Notes
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• The Aggies and Trojans meet for the first time since 1977 on Friday, marking the third meeting between the two teams in a bowl game and the fourth in program history. • Dual-threat QB Marcel Reed regained his role as the starter and connected on a career-high three touchdown strikes while racking up a season-best 297 yards in the second-to-last game of the regular season at Auburn … The freshman adds six rushing scores and 49.7 yards per game on the ground, good for third among SEC signal callers. • The rushing attack has been a strength for the Aggies all season as it ranks 22nd with 199.2 yards per game, while its 4.8 yards per play are good for fourth in the SEC. • Junior RB Amari Daniels has played a key role in the Aggies’ success in the run game throughout the year, ranking 16th in the SEC with 55.1 yards per game and ninth with eight rushing scores, including a 71-yard dash to the end zone against New Mexico State. • Texas A&M has been efficient in the red zone as it ranks 17th in the country and third in the SEC with a 91.5 conversion rate … The Aggies have scored on 43 of 47 trips, including 33 touchdowns. • The Aggies have disrupted the opposition’s aerial attack all season, ranking ninth in the country with 50 pass breakups and 27th with 13 interceptions on the season. • Sophomore LB Taurean York has led the team in tackles in five of the last six games, most recently registering his third double-digit tackles game this year with 10 takedowns against Texas, also adding a career-best 3.5 TFL and 1.0 sack … York leads the team with 75 tackles, good for 17th in the SEC. • Junior DB Will Lee III has brought veteran leadership to the secondary and ranks among the top-25 nationally and fourth in the SEC with 10 breakups and 12 total passes defended … Lee registered his second interception of the season and first career touchdown after taking the pick 93 yards to the end zone against Texas.
QUICK HITS
• Junior WR Noah Thomas has been the top target for freshman QB Marcel Reed and has caught at least one pass in 18 consecutive games … Thomas racked up a career-high 124 yards on five catches at Auburn, scoring on back-to-back drives, including a career-long 73-yard touchdown reception … His six touchdown catches this year are good for eighth among SEC receivers while his 16.0 yards per catch rank 12th in the league. • The offensive line has controlled the battle in the trenches while clearing the way for A&M’s top-25 rushing attack, as the unit ranks 16th nationally and second in the SEC allowing 49.0 tackles for loss. • Junior DL Cashius Howell and Albert Regis have been menaces for opponent’s passing games, ranking second on the team and 21st in the SEC with six breakups apiece … Howell went off against Mississippi State with three breakups and two QB hurries, while Regis has gotten a hand on the ball in each of the last three games. • Senior DB BJ Mayes registered his third interception of the year, coming up with a deflected pass in the third quarter at Auburn … Mayes, along with sophomore DB Marcus Ratcliffe, ranks fifth in the SEC in the category. • Graduate K Randy Bond ranks 15th nationally with 19 made field goals this season and his 8.3 points per game are among the top 30 … Bond recently notched the 12th game of his career with double-digit points, adding two field goals and five extra points at Auburn. • Senior WR Jahdae Walker was the recipient of the Aggie Heart Award, the highest honor for a Texas A&M senior football player and is presented to a senior that completed their eligibility and displays the intangibles such as effort, desire, determination, competitiveness, accountability, leadership and courage, at the team’s award show earlier this month. • Sophomore DL Nana Boadi-Owusu was named the 12th Man ahead of the 2024 season, becoming just the sixth student-athlete in program history to hold the season-long honor.
REED SECURES STARTING JOB
• Freshman QB Marcel Reed took over as the starter after his electric performance in the second half of the LSU game … Prior to the midseason change, Reed was ready when called on sparked the Aggies’ historic start to SEC play as he guided the team to wins at Florida and against Arkansas. • Reed has made seven starts under center this season and has accounted for 18 touchdowns on the year, the 10th-most in the nation and third-most in the SEC among freshmen. • Reed connected on a career-best three touchdown passes at Auburn, including a 73-yard bomb to cap off a 21-0 scoring spree by the Aggies to tie things up in the third quarter, finishing with a season-best 297 yards … In the win over New Mexico State, Reed passed for two touchdowns and added a rushing score of his own for the third time this season, marking the first time an Aggie QB has done so three times in a season since Kellen Mond (2017-20) in 2019. • Reed was named SEC Freshman of the Week after sparking a 31-6 scoring spree in the second half to lift the Aggies past No. 8 LSU with three unanswered rushing touchdowns of his own to become the first A&M QB to rush for three-plus scores since Trevor Knight in 2016 … He also garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance at Florida after throwing for 178 yards and two scores to go along with 13 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. • During his redshirt season in 2023, Reed saw the field in three games, most notably in the Texas Bowl matchup with Oklahoma State when he went 20-of-30 passing for 361 yards, adding 10 rushes for 29 yards and touchdown after being called into action following the first offensive play of the game.
MAROON GOONS
• The Texas A&M offensive line has been winning the battle in the trenches all season long, playing with great consistency despite having to lean on its reliable depth … The Maroon Goons have helped the Aggies boast a top-25 rushing offense in the country while also holding strong to protect their quarterbacks. • The Maroon & White rank 16th in the country and second in the SEC, allowing 49.0 tackles for loss on the year. • With the help of the o-line clearing the way, the Aggies rank 22nd nationally and second in the SEC averaging 199.2 rushing yards per game and have racked up over 200 yards on the ground in six games this season. • The line is anchored by junior Trey Zuhn III, who was named a season-long team captain prior to the season and recently earned All-SEC Third Team honors… While the Aggies have had to use four different starting lines this season due to injury, Zuhn has remained a staple at left guard and has been joined in all 12 games by Ar’maj Reed-Adams at right guard and Dametrious Crownover at right tackle. • Zuhn started all 13 games last season and has logged 36 career starts as he helped clear the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in 2022 and helped A&M rack up over 400 yards of total offense in eight games last year.
ELEVATING THE RUN GAME
• Junior running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels made big improvements in the offseason and were a dynamic duo in the backfield to give the Maroon & White one of the best rushing offenses in the nation … With the loss of Moss after a season-ending injury at South Carolina, Daniels and freshman QB Marcel Reed have stepped up to maintain the rushing attack. • On the season, Daniels ranks 16th in the league with 55.1 yards per game while his eight touchdowns are good for ninth in the SEC … In the win over New Mexico State, Daniels registered his second rushing score of 50-plus yards when he took off on a 71-yard sprint to the end zone. • Daniels racked up a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries in the win over LSU … He recorded his second multi-touchdown game of the season and of his career with a pair of 1-yard scores in the first half against Missouri and joined the 1,000 career yards club with 68 yards on 13 carries in the win at Florida. • Reed has supplemented the Aggies’ solid rushing attack ranking third among all SEC QBs with six touchdowns on the season, while his 4.6 yards per carry are good for second among league signal callers and his 49.0 yards per game are good for 21st in the league … Reed came in midway through the third quarter against LSU and sparked the Aggies scoring three unanswered rushing TDs. • As a team, the Aggies are No. 22 in the country and second in the SEC with 199.2 yards on the ground per game.
STEADY BACKER
• Sophomore LB Taurean York immediately stepped into a leadership role as a true freshman in 2023, quarterbacking the defense at middle linebacker, and was selected as a team captain by his teammates ahead of the 2024 season. • To close out the regular season York made it back-to-back games with double-digit tackles … After racking up 10 takedowns at Auburn, York led the defense for the seventh time this season with 10 tackles, including a career-high 3.5 for 13 yards lost and 1.0 sack … York registered a new career high with 12 tackles in the win at Mississippi State. • York’s efforts against the Bulldogs also led an impressive outing from the entire linebacker unit, as junior Scooby Williams recorded his first career interception and returned it 32 yards to set up an A&M touchdown while also adding a career-best 2.0 tackles for loss and six tackles, and sophomore Daymion Sanford nearly doubled his previous career high with seven tackles, 1.0 TFL and two breakups. • He leads the Aggies with 75 tackles on the year, good for 17th in the SEC, and has recorded five-plus tackles in eight of the team’s 12 games this season. • York started all 13 games last season, finishing second on the team with 74 tackles, which ranked in the top-20 among SEC players and third among league freshman … His 8.5 tackles for loss were the most by an SEC freshman a year ago and ranked fourth on the team.
NEW LOOK SECONDARY
• The Texas A&M secondary has featured several new faces in 2024, adding eight defensive backs in the transfer portal while returning sophomores Jayvon Thomas and Dalton Brooks have also made starts this season. • Junior Will Lee III, who came to Aggieland from Kansas State, ranks fourth in the SEC with 10 pass breakups on the year, breaking up a career-high four passes in the win over Arkansas … He scored the first touchdown of his career in the regular season finale against Texas, returning his second interception of the season 93 yards to the end zone. • Brooks has been strong in SEC play, making at least five tackles in five of the eight games and leading the team in three of those outings … Brooks closed out the regular season with a career-best 10 tackles against Texas. • Sophomore Marcus Ratcliffe made an immediate impact for the Maroon & White after spending last season at San Diego State, starting all 12 games and ranking sixth the SEC with three interceptions on the year. • Senior BJ Mayes came up big in the third quarter against LSU, registering two of A&M’s three interceptions in the win that set up a pair of Aggie touchdowns … He struck again at Auburn, coming up with a broken-up pass to set up an A&M field goal … Mayes ranks sixth in the SEC with three interceptions and 21st with seven passes defended on the year. • Lone returning veteran Bryce Anderson registered the first touchdown of his career when he came up with a tipped pass and returned it 45 yards to the house at Florida. • As a team, the Aggies rank 11th nationally and third in the SEC with 67 passes defended, while also sitting at 27th in the country and third in the SEC with 13 picks.
DEPTH ON THE D-LINE
• Boasting one of the most talented and unpredictable defensive lines in the nation during the regular season, the Aggies will lean on their experienced depth against the Trojans behind the leadership of junior Albert Regis. • Regis has started all 12 games this season at defensive tackle and has been disruptive in the passing game in the latter half of the season … He ranks second on the team and 21st the SEC with six breakups, four of those coming in the final three games of the season … Regis recently matched his career high with a season-best six takedowns against Texas. • Junior Cashius Howell has seen significant snaps on defense all season, playing in all 12 games, and filled out the stat sheet against Texas with career bests in tackles (6) and tackles for loss (2.5) while adding a forced fumble … He has been a key disruptor in league play and ranks 21st in the SEC with six pass breakups on the season as he and Regis are two of just three defensive linemen to rank in the top-25 in the league … As a unit, the defensive line has tallied 20 of A&M’s 54 breakups this year. • Sophomores Rylan Kennedy and DJ Hicks have been staples in A&M’s rotation all season, each playing in all 12 games … The pair has combined for 33 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three breakups and four hurries this season. • As a defense, the Aggies have held their opponents to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground in five games, most recently limiting LSU to just 24 yards on 23 attempts, not allowing a rushing yard in the second half … A&M’s 86.0 tackles for loss rank among the top-20 nationally
SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS
• Graduate K Randy Bond was one of the nation’s leading scorers a season ago and continues to rank among the best in 2024 while also climbing A&M’s all-time scoring, field goals made and extra point lists. • Bond currently ranks 15th nationally and fifth in the SEC with 19 made field goals this season … He sent a pair of 50-plus-yarders through the uprights at South Carolina, including one from a career-long 55 yards. • Bond has posted double-digit points in a game 12 times in his career and five times this season, most recently tallying 11 points in the four overtime game at Auburn by way of two field goals and five extra points. • Among all active FBS players, Bond ranks 16th with 289 to-date through just 35 games played. • The kicker has been climbing A&M’s all-time field goals made, extra points and scoring lists, ranking fourth with 58 career makes, seventh overall with 289 points and ninth with 115 made extra points. • Freshman P Tyler White has also elevated A&M’s special teams game this season as he averages 45.1 yards on 42 punts in his first year as the team’s primary punter … A semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award and SEC All-Freshman Team selection, White boasts a 69-yard long from the Texas game and has sent 11 punts 50-plus yards and landed 24 inside the 20. • White earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks this season after landing seven of his nine punts inside the 15 and five inside the 10 against Arkansas and the following week averaged 46.3 yards per punt, pinning Missouri on its own 1 … White earned his third SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor after booming three punts 50-plus yards down the field, landing four of his five punts inside the 20, and finishing the night with an average of 48.4 yards per boot, including a game-long 54 yards. • Five Aggies on the 2024 roster have registered a blocked kick in their careers … Sophomore DB Marcus Ratcliffe got a hand on a punt against New Mexico State this year, senior DL Shemar Turner blocked a pair of field goal attempts last season, getting his hand on the ball in back-to-back weeks against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, junior DL Albert Regis blocked a field goal attempt in the win over Miami in 2022, and senior WR Jahdae Walker blocked a punt a year later in Miami and also got a hand on a punt against Texas this season … Prior to arriving in Aggieland, graduate DB Trey Jones III registered a blocked kick against Eastern Michigan in 2022.
USC Trojans Notes
“HOW ABOUT THAT RIDE IN? I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT SIN CITY.”
• Elvis Presley, Penn and Teller, the Bellagio Fountains and movies like The Hangover and Ocean’s Eleven are all synonymous with Sin City, but it appears that Las Vegas has become USC’s home away from home. • USC is bookending its 2024 campaign at Allegiant Stadium after opening the season with a 27-20 win over LSU on Sept. 1. • The Trojans are 1-1 all-time in Allegiant Stadium. • USC (6-6) will face Texas A&M (8-4) in the 33rd SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas at 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 27 on ESPN. • The matchup involves two nationally recognized programs who are set to meet for the first time in 47 years. • USC has won 11 national championships, Texas A&M 3. • USC is 35-20 in bowl games (not including 1 win and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 36-21), while Texas A&M has a 20-23 postseason record. • Both schools have produced Heisman Trophy winners (USC has 8 [the most of any college football program], Texas A&M 2). • The Trojans claim 176 All-American first teamers, while the Aggies have 56. • USC has 881 all-time wins with a .694 winning percentage, while Texas A&M boasts 778 all-time wins with a .603 winning percentage (not including USC’s 14 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 895, .696.).
BOWL HISTORY
• USC is among the nation’s premier bowl teams with an overall postseason record of 35-20 (not including 1 win and 1 loss later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 36-21). • This will be USC 58th all-time bowl appearance. • The Trojans are tied for the nation’s eighth highest bowl winning percentage (.636) among the 103 schools that have made at least 10 bowl appearances. • USC’s 35 bowl victories are third behind Alabama’s 45 and Georgia’s 38 for the most in the nation (not including 1 win for both teams vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 36 for USC, 46 for Alabama). • USC has appeared in an unprecedented 33 Rose Bowls, where it has a 25-8 mark (.758) (not including 1 appearance and 1 loss later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 34 Rose Bowls, 25-9, .735). • That is not only the most Rose Bowl wins of any team, but also the most wins by a school in a single bowl.
USC IN THE LAS VEGAS BOWL
• This will be USC’s third appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl. USC fell to Utah 6-10 in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl in Pete Carroll’s first season as head coach, but then defeated Fresno State, led by Bulldog Derek Carr, 45-20 in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl. Trojan QB Cody Kessler was the 2013 Game MVP after throwing 4 TD passes, the current Las Vegas Bowl-record and his then single-game career-high.
MAIAVA MANIA
• Leading the Trojans is QB Jayden Maiava who took over the starting role late in the season. • Through his first three starts (weeks 12-14), Maiava has recorded a 77.3 grade per PFF to rank No. 18 among all Power 4 QBs with a minimum of 50 passing attempts. • In that same time frame, he is also tied for No. 7 among all Power 4 QBs with 7 passing TDs and is No. 3 in big time throws (8) per PFF. • After the Notre Dame game, Maiava had a 91.2 grade per PFF to mark the third best grade among Power 4 quarterbacks in Week 14. • He also recorded 6 big time throws, the most among Power 4 QBs in Week 14. He is 79-of-130 (.608) for 906 yards and 7 TDs. He has also rushed for 49 yards on 17 carries (2.9 avg.) for 4 TDs. • USC finished the regular season first in the Big Ten and No. 11 in the nation in passing offense (291.7), third in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation in all-purpose yards (121.17), third in the Big Ten and No. 23 in the nation in total offense (440.3) and fourth in the Big Ten and No. 18 in the nation in first downs offense (287). • He is 2-1 as USC’s starting QB. • He is the first Polynesian quarterback to start for USC. • As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Maiava led UNLV to its most wins since 1984 and a first-ever appearance in the Mountain West Championship. • He completed 224-of-353 passes (63.5%) for 3,085 yards and 17 TDs with 10 INTs, plus he rushed for 277 yards on 73 carries (3.8 avg.) and scored 3 TDs while seeing action and starting in all 14 games. • He also recorded 2 tackles. Maiava was named the 2023 Mountain West Freshman of the Year and the 2023 College Football Network Freshman Quarterback of the Year. • He earned placement on the 2023 All-Mountain West Second Team and the 2023 Phil Steele All-Mountain West Second Team. • He set the Mountain West record for Freshman of the Week honors with 5. • Maiava redshirted the 2022 season and did not see any action at quarterback. • He is majoring in Communication at USC. • While at UNLV, Maiava earned placement on the Fall 2023 Academic All-Mountain West Team. • His uncle is former Trojan linebacker, Kaluka Maiava (2005-08).
DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND
• After completely rehauling the defensive coaching staff with defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn at the helm, the USC defense has made a significant improvement from 2023 to 2024. • Under Lynn, a Broyles Award nominee, the Trojans currently rank No. 15 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference in third-down conversion percentage defense (0.322), compared to ranking No. 106 (0.436) in 2023. • At the end of the 2023 season, USC ranked 116 in total defense (432.8). In 2024, USC has jumped to No. 70 in total defense (371.6). • The USC defense Is holding opponents to an average of just 22.7 points per game. In 2023, the USC defense allowed an average of 34.4 points per game. • USC’s defense ranked No. 83 in turnovers gained in 2023 (16), and USC now ranks No. 68 in the same category (16). • In 2023, USC was No. 116 in the nation in red zone defense (0.909), and this season, USC is currently ranked No. 69 (0.829). • In 2023, USC was No. 107 In fourth-down conversion percentage defense (0.607), and in 2024, USC is No. 83 (0.559). • USC ranked No. 124 in first downs defense in 2023 (295), and in 2024, USC is ranked No. 68 (238). • In 2023, USC was No. 116 in rushing defense (186.5), compared to ranking No. 54 (140.4) in 2024. • The Trojans were No. 118 in scoring defense in 2023 (34.4), and now are No. 56 (23.5). USC was No. 116 in team passing efficiency defense in 2023 (149.72), and now, USC is No. 70 (132.31). • Finally, USC ranked No. 109 in passes intercepted in 2023 (7), and USC is No. 62 in the same category in 2024 (10).
VERSUS THE SEC
• USC is 32-15-2 (.674) all-time against SEC schools (does not include 2 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 34-16-2, .673). • The last time USC played a team from the SEC was in the 2024 season opener when USC defeated LSU 27-20 in Allegiant Stadium.
NFL STADIUMS
• Since 2014, USC has played 8 games in a current NFL stadium besides the Los Angeles Coliseum (temporary home of the Los Angeles Rams). It beat Nebraska, 45-42, in the 2014 Holiday Bowl in Qualcomm Stadium, lost to Stanford, 41-22, in the 2015 Pac-12 Championship Game in Levi’s Stadium and to Wisconsin, 23-21, in the 2015 Holiday Bowl in Qualcomm Stadium, lost to Alabama, 52-6, in AT&T Stadium in the 2016 season opener, beat Stanford, 31-28, in the 2017 Pac-12 Championship Game in Levi’s Stadium and lost to Ohio State, 24-7, in the 2017 Cotton Bowl in AT&T Stadium, lost to Utah, 24-47 in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game in Allegiant Stadium and beat LSU 27-20 in Allegiant Stadium in the 2024 season opener.
DOMES
• USC is 4-4 in domed (or closed roof) stadiums, beating Washington State in the Kingdome in 1976, Texas A&M in the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl in the Astrodome, Houston in the Astrodome in 1996 and LSU in the 2024 season opener at Allegiant Stadium, but losing in AT&T Stadium to Alabama in 2016, Ohio State in the 2017 Cotton Bowl and Tulane in the 2023 Cotton Bowl and in Allegiant Stadium to Utah in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship.
IN DECEMBER
• USC has a 45-32-7 (.578) all-time record while playing in the month of December (not including 2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 47-32-7, .587). SEASON ENDERS • USC is 70-48-11 (.585) in all season finales (does not include 1 win and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 71-49-11, .584).
AT NIGHT
• USC’s first night game (5 p.m. or later) was on Oct. 14, 1944 against St. Mary’s Pre-Flight in Fresno. • The first USC night game in the Coliseum was Oct. 23, 1944 versus Washington. • USC’s 10 night games in 2010 and 2017 are a school record. • USC opened a season with 6 consecutive night games for the first time in 2015. • USC is 196-81-4 (.705) at night. (Does not include 5 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 201-82-4, .707 overall). • USC had a school-record 32-game win streak at home at night from 1997 to 2010. • USC’s most night foes: Oregon State (27), Notre Dame (18) and Washington State (16).
FRIDAY GAMES
• USC has played 15 Friday games since 1990: vs. Syracuse in the 1990 Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, N.J., vs. Louisiana Tech in 1999 in the Coliseum, at Colorado in 2011, at Oregon State in 2013, at Colorado in 2015, at Utah in 2016, 3 times in 2017 (at Washington State, against Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game and against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl), vs. Washington State in 2018 in the Coliseum, 3 times in 2019 (Utah in the Coliseum, at Colorado, vs. Iowa in the Holiday Bowl) and 2 times in 2022 (Colorado in the Coliseum and vs. Utah in the Pac-12 Championship). • All were wins except the 2016 Utah, 2017 Washington State and Ohio State, 2019 Iowa and 2022 Utah (Pac-12 Championship) contests. • In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, USC played occasional Friday night games in the Coliseum when sharing the stadium with UCLA.
ARTIFICIAL TURF
• USC is 51-40-1 (.560) in its last 91 games on artificial turf (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 54-40-1, .574).
TEXAS A&M SCOUTING REPORT
• In year one under head coach Mike Elko, the Texas A&M Aggies are 8-4 overall and 5-3 in SEC play, most recently falling 7-17 to Texas in the revival of the Lone Star Showdown. They have lost three of their last four regular season games. • Two quarterbacks took snaps for the Aggies throughout the 2024 season. After coming back from a season-ending injury in 2023, redshirt sophomore QB Conner Weigman battled a shoulder injury that sidelined him for three games. Redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed stepped in for Weigman when he was pulled during the Oct. 26 game against LSU. The Aggies went on to win the game 38-23 behind Reed, a dual-threat signal-caller who ran for 62 yards and 3 TDs. Elko announced Reed as the starter for the remainder of the season ahead of A&M’s game against South Carolina on Nov. 2. Last week, Weigman announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. Reed is 121-of-198 (.611) for 1,572 yards and 12 TDs. He also has rushed for 501 yards on 107 carries (4.7 avg.) and 6 TDs. • The Aggies lost their star running back Le’Veon Moss to a season-ending lower body injury that occurred in the team’s game versus South Carolina. Before his injury, Moss finished with 765 yards and 10 TDs, averaging 6.3 yards per carry (which ranks 17th in the nation and No. 2 in the SEC). Redshirt junior RB Amari Daniels is now Texas A&M’s most utilized back with 139 carries for 661 yards (4.8 avg.) and 8 TDs. Junior WR Noah Thomas regularly finds the end zone in Texas A&M’s aerial attack. He’s collected 34 receptions for 545 yards (16.0 avg.) and 6 TDs to lead the team in each of those three categories. In addition to Thomas, 7 other Aggies have scored TDs through the air this season. • Texas A&M finished the regular season ranked No. 18 in the nation and No. 3 in the SEC in red zone offense (.915). No. 21 in the nation and No. 2 in the SEC in rushing offense (199.2). • On the defensive side of the ball, LB Taurean York leads the team with 75 tackles. DL Shemar Turner is the team’s leading sack-man with 5 sacks for minus 21 yards. Eight Aggies have collected INTs this season: DB Marcus Ratcliffe (3), DB BJ Mayes (3), DB Will Lee III (2), LB Taurean York (1), LB Scooby Williams (1), DB Bryce Anderson (1), DB Dezz Ricks (1) and DB Jayvon Thomas (1). • The defense finished the regular season ranked No. 16 in the nation and No. 5 in the SEC in team tackles for loss (7.2). • On special teams, K Randy Bond has made 19-of-22 field goals (.864) with a long of 55. He finished the regular season ranked 15th in the nation and fourth in the SEC in field goals per game (1.58) and 23rd in the nation and third in the SEC in field goal percentage. The Aggies are also fifth in the nation and tied for first in the SEC in blocked punts with 2.
