How Texas A&M Football Position Groups Graded Out in Win vs. UTSA

No two players had more of a complete game than the likes of transfer wide receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion from Mississippi State and NC State, respectively. The pair did exactly what they were brought in to do: take the top off the defense and shine in the big moments.

Craver, after never having more than 75 yards in a game in his true freshman season, had a spectacular eight-catch, 122-yard game with two touchdowns, good for over a third of his stats all last season with the Bulldogs. As for Concepcion, his welcome to College Station was an 80-yard punt return touchdown to pair with 72 yards and a touchdown. The two combined for almost 300 yards of total offense and were the focal points of Saturday's offensive output.

Running Backs: C-

When hype and expectations are brought up through the offseason, sometimes its hard to put it all together in the first game of the season. The A&M running back room had that same issue, as the corps of backs struggled mightily against the Roadrunner defense.

First Team All-SEC running back Le'Veon Moss had limited snaps after his return from a 2024 season-ending injury, and apart from a dynamic, 30-yard run by running back Rueben Owens, the Aggies' running game was stagnant all night. Graduate transfer EJ Smith had A&M's lone touchdown on the ground, but folks around college football expected more from the run last Saturday.

Run Defense: D+

Allowing a running back to go over 100 yards is warrant enough for a bad grade, but when their closer to 200 yards, a real problem is brewing on the defensive line. It is expected for some rust to be shaken out, and the defensive line ultimately got it together in the end, but the reason the game was so close at times was the inability to stop the run on first contact.

Henry had well over 100 yards after contact and managed to power his way over defenders. The UTSA running back's performance showcased true NFL potential, but if the Aggies are to take care of business down the stretch, the rush defense must be taken care of fast.

Linebacker Corps: A-

Though the defense as a whole struggled to stop the run, one position excelled in staying locked in and keeping the unit from breaking down altogether, and that was the pair of linebackers Taurean York and Scooby Williams.

The two combined for 13 total tackles as well as a couple of tackles for loss, and maintained composure for the whole defense to follow suit. The linebackers were involved in seemingly every tackle and look to have carried over their edge from a season ago.

Tight Ends: A

A quarterback's best friend, the tight end position, was the security blanket quarterback Marcel Reed relied on in times of peril. Accounting for major third-down conversions as well as a fourth-down red zone touchdown, the tight end group did its job to get the ball moving on offense.

Additionally, the corps of tight ends performed admirably in pass protection as they were in unison with the offseason line to give Reed a clean pocket all night and did not let up a sack through four quarters of work.

Quarterback: A-

It's hard to complain about the performance of Marcel Reed in his first start of the season. The Aggies QB completed 22 of 34 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns - the third highest total of his career - and rushed eight times for 39 yards. He also showed a tremendous connection with his new batch of transfer receivers, as we noted above.

Was Reed perfect? No but he clearly made progress in the passing game, and it showed in a big way on Saturday night.