No. 14 Texas A&M will look to avenge its 48-31 loss last season in Starkville, Miss. when it welcomes the No. 21 Mississippi State Bulldogs into the newly renovated Kyle Field Saturday night. Here are some things to watch for.
Who’s Hot:
Kyle Allen
The sophomore quarterback played huge down the stretch against the Razorbacks, driving the Aggies down the field to tie the game at 21 late in the fourth quarter by hitting Josh Reynolds for a two-point conversion. With some assistance by the defense and a missed field goal by Taylor Bertolet, the Aggies and Razorbacks went into overtime for the second consecutive year. On the second play of overtime, Allen completed a pass into the back corner of the endzone to a speedy Christian Kirk to give the Aggies the lead for good. Allen threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns on the day.
Christian Kirk
This ‘hot’ section might be Kirk’s permanent place for the rest of the season if the true freshman keeps putting up the numbers that he has been producing for the first four games of his career. Kirk has become the focal point of the Aggie offense with Kevin Sumlin utilizing Kirk in unique ways. We saw Kirk come out of the backfield to catch a pass along with him getting the ball out of a jet sweep. Kirk gained his third 100-yard receiving game of his career with 173 yards on eight catches.
De’Vante Harris
The senior cornerback and most experienced defensive back in the Aggie secondary struggled a bit during the game last week. The connection of Brandon Allen to Drew Morgan repeatedly burned the Aggies on multiple third downs to keep the chains moving throughout the game. However, when the game was on the line against Arkansas, Harris deflected a pass on fourth down in overtime to queue the Aggie celebration at AT&T Stadium. Plays like these will be key for the confidence of Harris and the rest of the Aggie secondary going forward.
Who’s Not:
The defensive front
The Aggie defensive front was up against a tough Arkansas offensive line on Saturday, and the results definitely showed that. The Hogs dominated the Aggie defensive line for the majority of the game, creating holes for running backs Alex Collins and Rawleigh Williams to run through and get to the second level of the Aggie defense. The combination of Collins and Williams wore down the defensive line towards the end of the game, amassing over 200 yards rushing between the two. The running game kept Arkansas in manageable third-down situations, which prohibited the Aggies from sending their talented defensive end tandem at Brandon Allen.
What to watch for:
Dak Prescott
A Heisman Trophy candidate before the beginning of the season, the senior quarterback has been consistent again for the Bulldogs. Throwing for 1069 yards and seven touchdowns on the year, Prescott has been the straw that stirs the drink for the Bulldog offense. Keep your eye on junior receiver De’Runnya Wilson, Prescott’s favorite target in the past two years. These two have a great connection and will be looking to connect quite a bit on Saturday. Although the Prescott for Heisman talk has cooled off in recent weeks, this will be a huge test for an Aggie secondary, as Prescott could be the best quarterback they see all season.
