They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that sentiment applies to the Texas A&M offensive line. The mammoth men are much like an air conditioner: only noticed when it’s not working. Unfortunately for McNeese State defenders, that was not the case at Kyle Field on Saturday.
The Aggies’ offensive front five, led by junior captain left tackle Trey Zuhn III, were somewhere between an unstoppable force and an immovable object in Saturday’s matchup. The Maroon and White tallied 333 yards on the ground with five rushing touchdowns while averaging 8.8 yards per carry, despite missing sophomore running back Rueben Owens.
“After looking at the film from last game, we wanted to come at this game pretty hard in the run game,” junior center Kolinu’u Faaiu said. “We just came out there, put our heads down and fired off the ball.”
The Aggies went six-for-six in power-run situations — times where less than two yards are required for a first down or touchdown. Junior right guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams played a key part in achieving the stat, washing McNeese defenders down the line of scrimmage and opening holes so wide that trucks could drive through them.
Junior RB Le’Veon Moss, who was the Aggies’ leading rusher a week before, accounted for 84 yards and two TDs, with many of his yards coming in large chunks. When Moss found the goal line, sophomore left guard Chase Bisontis was right in front of him, driving his defender deep into the endzone.
“I feel confident running behind them every down,” Moss said. “The O-line is helping me, and I’m helping them.”
Moss was not the only RB who found success on the ground this week, with junior RB Amari Daniels contributing 75 yards and two TDs of his own. Both of his endzone visits stemmed from a great push from the offensive line while within the 10-yard line.
Freshman defensive back Terry Bussey even got in on the rushing action, scoring a 65-yard touchdown after clearing a down-block from senior right tackle Reuben Fatheree II.
“We took this last week of preparation really hard,” Faaiu said. “We came out and put a bunch of rushing yards on the board.”
McNeese had allowed an average of 182 rushing yards per game this season, and the Maroon Goons crushed that number by consistently displacing the line of scrimmage.
“Running the ball is going to be critical for us to have success,” said coach Mike Elko. “You go on the road in this conference. You’re going to have to be able to control the line of scrimmage.”
The Aggies will look to build on their ground dominance when they hit the road and head to The Swamp to face the Gators on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2:30 p.m.
