Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State was really a tale of two halves— the first was a defensive struggle on both sides that began to worry Aggie fans who were having flashbacks of how close the Auburn game was. The second half showed just why this is an Aggie team that deserves to be in the top five.
The Aggies were struggling mightily in that first half to get anything going on offense, thanks in large part to penalties— which were junking up nearly every single drive and throwing the Aggies off their game. In the second half, though, things completely changed.
The offense we saw out of this team looked completely different when Marcel Reed was delivering the ball confidently. Jordan Rodgers on the TV broadcast did a great job of illustrating the difference, paying attention to Reed's rhythm in the pocket and confidence in delivery.
Texas A&M rolls Mississippi State in blackout game to remain undefeated
The other thing that was extremely impressive here was the Aggies' run game. This was a Mississippi State team that was excellent against the run coming into this game, which they showed with their early goal-line stand against the Aggies.
As things would turn out, though, A&M turned up the intensity on the ground and just bowled the Bulldogs over. The Aggies ended up at over 5 yards per carry for the game, nearly exceeding 300 total yards on the ground. That's nothing if not domination.
After a poor showing on third down against Auburn, as well, the Aggies were a lot better this game. Again, State coming into the game was a really excellent third-down defense— holding teams to converting on fewer than one in every three attempts, ranking 31st in the country. The Aggies ended 7 of 13 for the game, over 50%.
Of course, it was the defense that buoyed the Aggies throughout the night, led by edge rusher Cashius Howell. He recorded another three sacks in this game, bringing his total on the year up to seven— further cementing his status among the elite in the conference.
It was fitting that Mario Craver cemented the game with some great moves on a jet sweep, converting the final third down to take the win home. The former State player was the target of a lot of ire from Bulldog fans this week, and he produced in a huge way in this one.
The bottom line is this: Texas A&M is continuing to show that they can win in different ways. The starts have to be better, without a doubt, than they were this week and last. But the transformation of this team in the second half (especially in regard to the penalties— after sustaining seven in the first half, they incurred only one in the second) shows that this is one of the most dangerous teams in the entire country.