Against Mississippi State, Texas A&M senior defensive tackle Jayden Peevy put up five tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery for 19 yards. As a result, he was named the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week.
A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said the accolade is a credit to how hard Peevy worked during the offseason.
“Jayden’s success is because it started in the offseason,” Fisher said. “I expected Jayden to have a good year, his offseason has been the best offseason he’s had. He has been tremendous in the offseason.”
The Mississippi State Bulldogs had a net total of negative-2 rushing yards, which is a credit to the A&M defense’s hard work and determination during the game.
During the third quarter with about 10 minutes left, Peevy recovered a fumble by Mississippi State’s senior quarterback K.J. Costello and then ran for 19 yards, almost scoring a touchdown. This is especially noteworthy as it is one yard less than the Bulldog’s 20 total attempted rushing yards.
After the game, Peevy said he did not focus on who was behind him and was only focused on moving the ball forward as much as he could.
“I was that close [to my first touchdown],” Peevy said. “I didn’t know who was behind me, I was just trying to run.”
Fisher said Peevy is an unyielding player who is growing in his role as a leader.
“When you invest in something so much, it makes it hard to give up and hard not to play hard,” Fisher said. “[Peevy’s] leadership has been very good and it’s showing on the field now.”