The Texas A&M running back corps is one of the deepest and best in the SEC with sophomore Trayveon Williams, senior Keith Ford and freshman Jacob Kibodi.
However, the running back who is making the biggest strides this year is redshirt sophomore Kendall Bussey.
“[Bussey] is one of those guys who’s always ready to go,” senior quarterback Jake Hubenak said. “Everyone on this team knows it, we see it in practice everyday. He runs hard and makes people miss so we knew we wouldn’t miss a beat when he came into the game.”
Bussey hails from New Orleans, where he played high school ball for head coach Nelson Stewart at Isidore Newman High School. The running back racked up over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 35 touchdowns in his senior year as he led his team to the state semifinals in his senior year, earning him first team all-state and district co-offensive MVP honors.
Bussey’s stellar play in high school earned him a top-15 recruiting ranking in the state of Louisiana and a top- 30 ranking in the country for running backs. Bussey originally committed to Nebraska and Tennessee before finalizing his commitment with the Aggies two days before National Signing Day in 2015.
After redshirting his true freshman year, the running back didn’t see much action in 2016. Bussey played in five games, rushing 172 yards on 20 carries, including an 87-yard game on 10 attempts against New Mexico State. Bussey was frustrated with his playing time after last season, and even contemplating transferring, but so far this year, Bussey has already carried the ball 19 times, nearly as much as he did throughout all of last year.
“It’s hard to say,” Bussey said when asked how close he was to transferring in the offseason. “Like Coach Sumlin said, I just wanted to play and I was getting better each and every day, and I knew I could contribute in some way, so it’s kind of hard, but I knew if I just kept working hard, good things would happen.”
The Nicholls State game last Saturday can be considered Bussey’s debut, as he had 15 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, setting career highs in all three categories. Bussey will likely see more action since Ford was injured in Saturday’s 24-14 win over Nicholls State.
“It was a really good feeling,” Bussey said. “Being able to get in and actually get some time was a really great feeling. It’s really hard being behind two talented running backs like Trayveon and Keith, but I know that if I just keep working, my time will come, like Saturday night.”
With Ford’s injury, Bussey will most likely see more playing time in the coming weeks, but it’s still likely that Williams will start and see the majority of playing time.
Even though, Bussey won’t be starting, expect him to be ready at any situation and produce for the A&M offense when he’s put in the game.
“Now he’s proved we have three guys [at running back],” head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “He’s waited his turn, we can see the value in him and he’s explosive and healthy and he can be utilized. He gives us another opportunity at running back to run it. Based on his performance Saturday night, he’s in the mix of things and everybody feels better about him playing in critical situations.”
Bussey and the Aggies will continue their season this Saturday at Kyle Field against Louisiana-Lafayette. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.