The Texas A&M Football team only has two games under their belt. One of them was a comfortable Week 1 victory over a solid Kent State team — the other, not so much. Still, the team is 2-0, which is all that matters at this point.
Statistically, it has been an up-and-down year. Literally speaking, the team was up in Week 1 and down in Week 2. As a result, the numbers may be slightly misleading at this point, leading to interesting team leaders in specific categories.
Today, I’m going to be going over the team’s leader in every major category thus far, starting on the offensive end.
Texas A&M Football offensive stat leaders through Week 2
Passing Yards, Touchdowns: Haynes King
Haynes King is currently the passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions leader for the Texas A&M Football team. Don’t expect this to last, as he’ll be out for around a month following a broken leg diagnosis. Heck, with Zach Calzada having taken the snaps last week and for the foreseeable future, these statistics could be a toss-up by the end of the season.
That said, neither have hoisted overly impressive numbers, as King has an undesirable touchdown-to-interception ratio, while Calzada’s completion percentage is in the gutter. There is work to be done at the quarterback position.
Rushing Yards, Touchdowns: Devon Achane
Who saw this one coming? Leading up to the season, Isaiah Spiller seemed like he’d be the Aggies’ workhorse runningback. Spiller was already being hailed as a preseason All-American and future first-round draft pick. Two weeks in and he has looked like the worse of two Texas A&M runningbacks. That said, this is more of a testament to how well Achane has played. On just 21 carries, the sophomore runningback has 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Receiving Yards, Touchdowns: Ainias Smith
This one isn’t necessarily a huge surprise, though many fans would have expected tight end Jalen Wydermyer to top this category. Instead, a player who could not be more different physically in Ainias Smith is the team’s top receiver through two weeks. Smith has 11 receptions for 119 yards and a pair of touchdowns in two games. Most of this game in Week 1.
Texas A&M Football defensive stat leaders through Week 2
Tackles: DB Antonio Johnson
This one should come as another surprise, as linebacker Aaron Hansford seemed like an early favorite to lead the team in tackles. Through two weeks, there’s a pretty distinct leader and it’s not a linebacker at all — it’s nickelback Antonio Johnson. Not only does Johnson lead the team in tackles, but every one of his 15 stops has been a solo tackle. He also has a tackle for loss and two pass deflections and is quietly one of the best defensive Aggies thus far in 2021.
Sacks: DL Shemar Turner
This is a really pleasant stat to look at right now, though it probably won’t last into the season. 5-star freshman defensive lineman Shemar Turner had a monster game in his first outing against Kent State, recording a sack and a half in limited action. He didn’t do much against Colorado, but his numbers are still good enough to lead this team.
Tackles For Loss: DeMarvin Leal, Jayden Peevy
Seeing Leal’s name atop the list of Tackles for loss shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The other player listed, however, may surprise some. That said, Jayden Peevy has managed to produce increasingly strong numbers in each of his seasons with A&M. Seeing that he shares the top spot with Leal is a slight surprise, but not a huge one. Still, Leal has an extremely high ceiling, and as a result, will probably run away in this category by the end of the year.
Texas A&M Football defensive stat leaders through Week 2, Part 2
Pass Deflections: Jayden Peevy
It’s another beautiful sight — big man Jayden Peevy atop the list of pass deflections. In the first four years of his career, Peevy only managed four pass deflections, one in each season. This year, he already has three through just two games. Peevy has been extremely active on the defensive front, getting his hands up to deflect passes.
He doesn’t lead the category, but Peevy is also in the second-place spot for interceptions after a Week 2 pick against Colorado. As expected, the fourth-year player is having the best season of his career.
Interceptions: Leon O’Neal
I could talk about Leon O’Neal’s impact thus far for hours. In the first game of the season, O’Neal recorded two interceptions, the second of which he returned for a touchdown. This went a long way to help Texas A&M cover against Kent State.
O’Neal also has eight total tackles, one for loss, and a pass deflection. Outside of Peevy, there isn’t another player on this team who has stuffed the stat sheet as well as O’Neal.
Forced Fumbles: N/A
Surprisingly, nobody on Texas A&M has forced a fumble yet this season. Thankfully, the Aggies have been producing turnovers, causing three interceptions in two games. Still, this is a category where they’d like to get going.
Expect players like DeMarvin Leal, Micheal Clemons, or Jayden Peevy to be leading the charge in this category by the end of the season.