Texas A&M Football: Mid-Season Offensive MVP

Carrying the team on his back

Mond had done something no other Aggie quarterback had done since Johnny Manziel: showed legitimate growth and progress from week to week. Basically, he’s been the exact opposite of, say, Kenny Hill, who peaked early then regressed as the season went on.

Sure, Mond’s early numbers against UCLA and Nicholls State were … not really great. But then, he posted solid numbers against Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina and, wait for it, Alabama. Yes, you read that right. In fact, most of you reading this probably remember Mond’s Johnny Manziel-esque touchdown pass against Alabama that I’m not certain Nick Starkel or Jake Hubenak would have been able to pull off.

He then followed that up by posting a rather unimpressive completion percentage (8-of-24 attempts) against Florida. However, that effort ended up being enough. A lot of the success came in the waning minutes of the game when everything was on the line. Sometimes, that’s exactly what a quarterback needs to do. Mond did just enough to put his teammates in a position to win the game.

Last time I checked, football is a team sport. The result? A true freshman led the Aggies to win in one of the toughest venues to play for an opposing team. As a bit of a cherry on top, it was the Texas A&M’s first win over Florida in Gainesville ever and their first win in the state of Florida since World War II.

Padding the stats

Mond has thrown for 1,225 yards on the season to date, posting a completion rate of 53.6 percent with seven passing touchdowns. However, much of that inaccuracy came against UCLA in his first college snaps ever and on the road against a tough Florida defense. Otherwise, he’s been a serviceable passer with a lot of room to grow. He’s shown flashes of greatness like his 81-yard strike to Christian Kirk against Arkansas.

However, his true strength lies in his legs. Like Johnny Manziel and Trevor Knight, Mond’s rushing has been the difference between Texas A&M losing and winning games. With 447 yards, Mond is actually the second leading rusher on the team after Trayveon Williams. He has also accounted for three rushing touchdowns, and I’m sure that number will grow by the end of the season.

Without Mond’s ability to scramble, A&M probably wouldn’t be 5-2, and Kevin Sumlin might be unemployed right now. He’s been that important so far this season.