Texas A&M Football: Predicting Zach Calzada’s final stats in 2021

One of the best storylines surrounding the Texas A&M football team this season has been that of the development of Zach Calzada. As soon as he stepped into the starting QB role, the Aggie quarterback had fans calling for his benching.

I’ll be the first to admit it — he didn’t look like the man for the job.

Still, as quickly as he had fans calling for his benching, Calzada got fans back on the Cuban Missile starter campaign. He did this with a near-flawless performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in a game that saw the Aggies win 41-38. With an up and down season, this begs the question — what will Calzada’s stats look like at the end of the season?

Texas A&M football QB Zach Calzada will have a couple of opportunities to pad his stats down the road

Even though none of the defenses ahead for the Texas A&M football team are particularly threatening (I’ll get into that in a second), Zach Calzada can do a lot to prove himself as a quarterback in the Aggies’ final four games.

Here’s where Texas A&M’s final opponents rank out of 130 NCAA teams in passing defense.

• Auburn: 69th
• Ole Miss: 90th
• Prairie View A&M: N/A
• LSU: 86th

As you can see, this is a very favorable slate for any team that plans to pass the ball. And even though the Aggies aren’t a particularly pass-heavy defense, virtually any quarterback could find success in these types of games.

As a result, I see Zach Calzada finishing his 2021 season on an extremely strong note, even if the games ahead have big implications. Actually, the importance of these games might even improve Calzada’s performances, as he seemingly steps up in games that matter most. This is evident by the fact that his best performance of the year came against No. 1-ranked Alabama.

But what specifically will his numbers look like? For reference, here’s what Calzada’s stats look like right now.

• 55% completion, 1,364 yards, 12 TD, 7 INT

Here’s what I think his stats will look like by the end of Texas A&M’s regular-season slate.

• 58% completion, 2,150 yards, 20 TD, 10 INT

If you’re not one for math, that would give him roughly an 800-yard boost to finish the season, along with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Even though this would be an improvement from the start of his season, the stats are relatively modest.

That’s by design. Calzada will not be a home run-type of quarterback — at least not in 2021. Expect his performances to come secondary to the Aggies’ run game for the remainder of the season.

That said, he should continue to play steadier and steadier football moving forward.