Texas A&M improves to 6-0 with another SEC home win

Buck Ringgold

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Texas A&M improves to 6-0 with another SEC home win image

Florida and embattled coach Billy Napier entered Saturday night’s game with a ton of confidence after knocking off Texas.

However, after a quick impressive start by both Florida and Texas A&M, the Gators couldn’t pull off a Texas two-step, while the Aggies continue their unbeaten roll in 2025.

After giving up touchdowns on two of Florida’s first three possessions, the Aggies settled in and were able to put the game away with a fourth-quarter drive that took more than eight minutes as they improved to 6-0 with a 34-17 win at Kyle Field.

It’s the first 6-0 start for A&M since 2016 and the Aggies also moved to 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference, all coming at home. That does mean the road to stay undefeated will literally get pretty tough in the coming weeks.

Here are some takeaways from the latest win by the Aggies:

Defense Delivers

Through Florida’s first three series, the Gators rolled up 157 yards of total offense and had two touchdowns.

But from that point on, the Aggies shut down Florida, limiting the Gators to 162 yards on their final 10 possessions. A&M forced the Gators to punt on four straight possessions and allowed just a field goal over the final three quarters.

The Aggies also got two takeaways in the second half, both resulting in field goals.

A&M finished the night with three sacks and six tackles for loss. Defensive end Cashius Howell had one of those sacks, and currently leads the SEC in that category, now with eight.

Taking Time

On each of the Aggies’ first three touchdown drives, they averaged just more than six plays and nearly three minutes.

But with A&M hanging on to a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter, the Aggies embarked on a clock-churning drive which essentially sealed the game. The drive covered 50 yards in 12 plays, with the Aggies taking 8:09 off the clock.

That was capped by a 2-yard TD run from tailback Rueben Owens II, which was his first rushing score of the season. Owens was the Aggies’ top rusher with 51 yards on 17 carries, and helped pick up the slack after Le’Veon Moss left the game in the first half with an injury and didn’t return.

Magical Marcel

Once again, A&M quarterback Marcel Reed turned in another solid performance. He completed 62% of his passes for 234 yards and a TD while adding a rushing TD, the seventh time in his career he achieved such a feat.

Reed’s rushing TD came on A&M’s opening drive, an 8-yard dash just one play after Reed threw a 67-yard strike to Mario Craver. That two-play scoring drive was a strong counter to Florida’s eight-play, 75-yard TD drive to start the game.

Also, Reed was able to overcome his lone mistake of the night, throwing an interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter while A&M was holding on to its seven-point lead. The Aggies held Florida on downs on the ensuing series.

The Aggies also finished with 417 yards of total offense, the fifth straight game they have generated more than 400 yards of offense.

Hitting the Road

A&M has done what it has needed to do through the first half of the regular season. The Aggies have played five of their first six games at the friendly confines of Kyle Field and have won all five, and also won that lone road game, the dramatic late comeback at Notre Dame.

But now, A&M will have to be road warriors for the next month. The Aggies are going to be playing three straight road games, with a bye week mixed in, and won’t be at Kyle Field again until Nov. 15.

That stretch starts next Saturday with a trip to Arkansas. Though the Razorbacks have lost four straight, three have been by a combined total of 10 points. Plus, interim coach Bobby Petrino - a former A&M offensive coordinator - had Arkansas in position to pull off an upset at Tennessee on Saturday before the Vols survived.

Then, A&M travels to take on two sets of Tigers - LSU and Missouri, both ranked teams. If the Aggies get through these next three games unscathed, then talk of an SEC championship and a run to the national championship can seriously commence.

Texas A&M 2025 Schedule

Aug. 30 UTSA W 42-24

Sept. 6 Utah State W 44-22

Sept. 13 at Notre Dame W 41-40

Sept. 27 Auburn W 16-10

Oct. 4 Mississippi State W 31-9

Oct. 11 Florida W 34-17

Oct. 18 at Arkansas

Oct. 25 at LSU

Nov. 8 at Missouri

Nov. 15 South Carolina

Nov. 22 Samford

Nov. 28 at Texas

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Buck Ringgold

Buck Ringgold has been covering high school sports for more than 25 years. He has a BA in Journalism from the University of Arkansas and is a die-hard Texas Rangers fan.