No. 5 Texas A&M football is enjoying its best start since 2016, seizing two straight Southeastern Conference victories over Auburn and now Mississippi State. Against the Bulldogs, the Aggies produced a constricting defensive effort, holding their maroon-clad opponents to a single third-down conversion.

Junior linebacker Daymion Sanford and graduate defensive end Cashius Howell each earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week and SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week honors, respectively.

The Maroon and White’s four sacks and an interception were achieved by this pair of defenders, including Howell’s second three-sack game of the 2025 season. As for Sanford, the Katy native was slotted into the lineup again after senior LB Scooby Williams was sidelined with an ankle injury. 

Howell now leads the SEC and is second in the nation with seven sacks. He finds himself in rarified air, on track to become the first Aggie with double-digit sacks since Landis Durham’s 10.5 in 2017.

Now the duo is readying themselves for another night showdown with Florida at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Kyle Field.