2019 Texas Bowl: Texas A&M offensive players to watch vs. Oklahoma State

Before Oklahoma State and Texas A&M kick off the 2019 Texas Bowl, Cowboys Ride For Free will breakdown the Aggies’ offensive and defensive players to watch against the Cowboys.

It’s hard to know much about these Texas A&M Aggies. They haven’t beat a bowl eligible team this season but lost to five of the best 12 teams in the nation. It isn’t often a team plays a schedule as loaded as Texas A&M’s was this season and it resulted in the Aggies winning all the games they were supposed to win against bad teams, but not having much of a shot at upsetting any of the good teams they played. Let’s look at some impact players on the A&M offense.

Quarterback: Kellen Mond

Kellen Mond passed for 2,802 yards and could eclipse the 3,000 yard mark with a good game against Oklahoma State. He threw 19 touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions and took 30 sacks. Taking 30 sacks isn’t ideal, but he also rushed for 383 yards and seven touchdowns. Mond has enough speed and athleticism to avoid a decent pass rush and extend plays.

Mond completed 245 of his 400 attempts which equates to 61 percent. This is the third season in which Mond has experienced a significant amount of action and been a starter for the Aggies. That’s three years of playing some of the best competition in college football. He kept the Aggies relatively close in a few of their losses this season.

It doesn’t help Mond’s case that his offensive line is allowing 2.5 sacks-per-game this season. That number is slightly down from last seasons mark of 2.69, although, this group could match that number with a poor performance in the bowl game.

Running Back: Isaiah Spiller

Isaiah Spiller is a heralded freshman who I got to cover for a year working for Inside High School Sports: Houston. I loved Spiller’s burst in high school and he proved this year that he can compete at the highest level. He also showed that he was a true freshman with some room to improve.

Spiller rushed for 869 yards and nine touchdowns during his true freshman campaign. His best performances came against lesser opponents. He rushed for 217 yards and three touchdown against UTSA, but only averaged three yards-per-carry in the Aggies five losses against ranked SEC opponents. He was held to single digit rushing yards in three games this season. Two of those games came against highly ranked opponents and the he posted zero yards on seven carries against Arkansas. Spiller might be good for a few long runs in the bowl game, but OSU should be able to keep him in check for the most part.

Wide Receiver: Jhamon Ausbon

Jhamon Ausbon has been the leading receiver for the Aggies this season. The junior has been one of Mond’s favorite targets. He has 862 receiving yards this season, but just four touchdowns. One of his better games came in the loss against Georgia, where he posted 96 yards and a score.

That touchdown would be Ausbon’s only touchdown against a ranked opponent this season. He is the receiver that opposing defenses keyed in on the most over the course of the season. Ausbon is a junior and is one of the more experienced players of the group, having played significant snaps all three seasons.

Wide Receiver: Quartney Davis

Quartney Davis is the second leading receiver for Texas A&M and has stepped up big for the Aggies against ranked opponents. Davis has 568 yards and four touchdowns this season. Of those 568 yards, 301 of those have come against ranked opponents. Davis and Ausbon are the two receivers to look out for when A&M needs a big play.

Tight End: Jalen Wydermyer

Another heralded freshman that has made an impact for the Aggies on offense is Jalen Wydermeyer. I covered him last year as well when he played for the Dickinson Gators. Wydermeyer’s size is what stood out the most to me during his high school days and the Aggies have used that size to their advantage.

Wydermeyer is the Aggies leader in receiving touchdowns this season with six. He has only caught 31 passes for 419 yards but his size makes him an easy target in the red zone. Watch for Mond to try to lob the ball up to Wydermeyer when the Aggies get down in the red zone.