Texas A&M did what it was supposed to do against The Citadel, cruising to a 41-0 win at Kyle Field and giving itself something resembling a reset after losing three of its previous four games. The Aggies entered Saturday at 3-3, fresh off a 27-6 loss at Missouri, and had failed to score a touchdown in two of their previous three games. Against a 2-4 FCS opponent, none of that was going to be fixed permanently, but there was still value in seeing the offense function the way it was supposed to for a few hours.
There is only so much stock that should be placed into a game like this. The Citadel is not remotely comparable to what Texas A&M will see next week at Alabama, and a comfortable win over an overmatched opponent does not erase the questions that have followed this team through the first half of the season. Still, a few players did enough to help themselves heading into the most difficult portion of the schedule.
Stock Up: KJ Edwards
Edwards continues to make a compelling argument for a larger role in the Texas A&M backfield.
The freshman entered Saturday as the Aggies' second-leading rusher with 201 yards despite operating behind Rueben Owens II for much of the season. He then topped 100 rushing yards against The Citadel, adding another productive performance to a growing body of work that has made him increasingly difficult to ignore.
The opponent matters, obviously. Running against The Citadel is considerably different from trying to create space against Alabama, and Saturday was never going to be the game that settled the running back rotation. Edwards has shown enough beyond this matchup, though, that his case is not built solely on what happened against an FCS defense.
Stock Up: Marcel Reed and Brady Hart
Saturday did not settle Texas A&M's quarterback conversation, but both Reed and Hart came away from it in a better place than they entered.
Reed started and completed 8 of 13 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, including a 37-yard play-action score to Aaron Gregory. After several weeks of offensive frustration, simply seeing Reed operate the offense cleanly and avoid the mistakes that have repeatedly stalled Texas A&M was a positive development.
Hart then received an extended look after halftime rather than being limited to a handful of meaningless snaps at the end of the game. He opened 3 of 4 for 49 yards and put a ball in position for Isaiah Horton to score before it was dropped in the end zone. None of that should be interpreted as proof that a quarterback change is coming, but Texas A&M at least got a more meaningful look at what Hart can provide behind Reed.
Stock Down: Not Really Anything
There is no reason to manufacture a loser from a 41-0 win simply because the format demands one.
Overall, it was a great day at the office. Now on to Alabama.
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