Texas A&M achieved its primary goal by beating an undersized, less talented FCS team in Week 7. On Saturday afternoon, in front of over 101,000 fans inside Kyle Field, the Aggies earned their second shutout of the season, defeating The Citadel 41-0. From starting quarterback Marcel Reed's clean performance to freshman running back KJ Edwards' big day, A&M was nearly flawless on both sides of the ball.
The Aggie defense held the Bulldogs to under 200 yards, while the Aggie offense racked up 501 yards, led by 264 rushing yards and three touchdowns from sophomore running back Jamarion Morrow. Again, facing a bad Citadel team and putting up these kinds of numbers won't impress most of the Aggie fan base, but the team desperately needed a win and some momentum.
Facing Alabama on the road next weekend, an upset is a long shot and will require elite effort and equally clean play on offense, especially if Marcel Reed continues to start. Texas A&M's defense, outside of a poor pass rush, isn't an issue moving forward.
A few hours after Saturday's game, Pro Football Focus released its updated grades for Texas A&M's offense and defense. Here are the top five rated players on both sides of the ball.
Offense
- RB Jamarion Morrow — 92.6 offense, 80.8 pass, 74.6 pass blocking, 85.4 running
- TE Richie Anderson III — 89.5 offense, 70.8 pass blocking, 81.8 run blocking
- WR TK Norman — 87.9 offense, 86.7 pass
- TE Micah Riley — 84.4 offense, 67.2 pass blocking, 82.8 run blocking
- OL Robert Bourdon — 81.0 offense, 78.7 pass blocking, 79.3 run blocking
Jamarion Morrow had a strong performance, looking fully healthy for the first time this season, as his powerful red-zone running led to three touchdowns, while freshman RB KJ Edwards (79.9 offense) led the game with a career-high 116 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.
TK Norman caught 88 yards on five receptions, including an impressive sideline catch, which led to one of the Aggies' four first-half touchdown drives. Combined with freshman wide receiver Aaron Gregory, who caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns, also career highs, the Aggies' future at the position looks bright.
Marcel Reed's numbers in the pocket, 64.8 (65.5 clean pocket, 58.9 under pressure), compared to backup Brady Hart's 83.5 (90.2 clean pocket, 63.2 under pressure), will spark more heated debates among fans heading into the new week.
Defense
- DL DJ Sanders — 85.7 defense, 85.7 run defense, 75.3 tackling
- LB Ray Coney — 80.8 defense, 81.4 run defense, 81.4 tackling
- LB Tamarion Watkins — 77.6 defense, 79.7 run defense, 75.8 tackling
- DL CJ Mims — 76.9 defense, 71.5 run defense, 70.2 tackling
- Edge Sam M'Pemba — 76.7 defense, 76.5 run defense, 76.3 tackling
Texas A&M's defense held the Bulldogs to just 183 total yards, including 43 passing yards; while it was a group effort, freshman linebacker Tamation Watkins stood out with four tackles and looked very fast in the open field. The Aggies missed just six tackles.
However, the pass rush produced only two pressures and zero sacks, mainly because The Citadel ran the ball 47 times. Sophomore defensive lineman DJ Sanders was impressive, recording four tackles and three stops, while Mike Elko and DC Lyle Hemphill got a better look at their future linebacker and defensive line rotation.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Notable PFF grades after Texas A&M's 41-0 win vs. The Citadel