After falling short to Ole Miss 29-19, Texas A&M football is looking to finish the season strong with just two more games left.
Here are five players to look for ahead of the Aggies’ next matchup against Prairie View A&M:
Seth Small – A&M
Senior kicker Seth Small has been far from field goal range all season long.
Last game, Small contributed seven of A&M’s 19 points, featuring a 43-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. He has kicked 100% on extra points and is 20-25 this season on field goals, with 49 yards being his longest.
A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said Small has been an outstanding person off the field and has boosted roster morale at every given opportunity, which has included hosting Bible studies with his teammates.
“He is a better human than he is a player,” Fisher said. “He is what a teammate is and what a good person is. I have the utmost respect for him and who he is and what he does.”
Jawon Pass – Prairie View
Prairie View is currently second in the Southwestern Atlantic Conference, or SWAC, in total offense, and the fifth-year transfer quarterback out of Louisville, Ky., is the source to thank.
In the 31-29 loss to Alcorn State, Jawon Pass connected on 69% of his passes and threw for 342 yards with three touchdowns. Down 31-23 with less than eight minutes left in the game, Pass connected with freshman receiver Tre’jon Spiller for a 70-yard touchdown. The score gave them a chance to tie the game up at 31 with just a 2-point conversion.
He has thrown for 2,327 yards and tallied 16 touchdowns this season. He currently sits third in the SWAC in total passing yards and passing yards per game.
DeMarvin Leal – A&M
A&M forced three fumbles in the loss against Ole Miss, but only one that was recovered, and it required the help of junior defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal.
Leal had five solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack against the Rebels last week. The only sack of the game resulted in a fumble to lead A&M to its first touchdown of the game.
After being down 15-0 at halftime, adjusting to the tempo of the game was a major adjustment made by the defense in the locker room, Leal said.
“Being able to adjust to the pace of the game was huge for us in the second half,” Leal said. “There was definitely two differences between the first and second half.”
Antonio Mullins – Prairie View
5th-year receiver Mullins is Pass’ No.1 target when it comes to the air this season.
Mullins leads all Panthers receivers in receptions this season with 38 — 10 more than Jailon Howard, the team’s next-leading receiver. His longest catch of the year came from their last game on Nov. 13 when he connected with Pass on a 30-yard touchdown pass for their first score of the second half.
Devon Achane – A&M
Despite the 29-19 loss against Ole Miss, a few positives came about from the game. The first was the run-game from the sophomore running back Achane.
On only 12 carries, Achane picked up 110 yards and two touchdowns in last Saturday’s conference matchup. His first touchdown in the second half was A&M’s first, cutting the 12-point deficit to a one-possession game.
Achane is now first in the SEC in yards per carry, with 7.56, and sixth in rushing yards, with 816. Fisher said the sophomore running back took advantage of the clean looks he was given in the game versus Ole Miss.
“[Achane] is an extremely talented player,” Fisher said. “You have two extremely talented running backs in him and Spiller, and Achane was able to take advantage of the looks he was given.”
