Texas A&M Stock Watch: Who’s Rising and Who’s Falling After UTSA

Craver wasn’t just one of A&M’s standouts; he was one of the biggest breakout stars in all of college football last weekend. He announced himself to the college football world after torching UTSA with eight catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. 105 of those 123 yards came after the catch, the most by any Power 4 receiver in week one.

With offensive coordinator Collin Klein likely keeping the playbook conservative, expect Craver to continue seeing heavy volume on screen passes.

Marcus Ratcliffe

Insiders had been buzzing about Ratcliffe all offseason, and now the rest of Aggieland is catching on. The safety posted seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and a pass breakup against the Roadrunners.

His emergence is especially important for a secondary that finished 13th in the SEC in passing yards allowed last season. On Saturday, Ratcliffe and company held gunslinger Owen McCown to just 121 passing yards, a promising sign moving forward.

Cashius Howell

The stat sheet doesn’t always tell the full story, and Howell is proof of that. He finished with just one tackle and no sacks, but his five quarterback pressures played a huge role in keeping McCown quiet.

Howell has one of the highest ceilings on A&M’s defensive front, and with Utah State on deck, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to turn pressures into sacks.

Who is Trending Down?

Taurean York

The junior linebacker led the team with 10 tackles, but his performance left plenty to be desired, particularly in run fits. While much of the blame for A&M’s struggles against the run fell on the defensive line, York didn’t shy away from accountability.

"We misfit a lot of stuff at linebacker as well, so a little bit of sloppiness, that's what happens when you haven't played football in nine months."

As a team captain, York will be counted on to steady the run defense. A strong rebound performance against Utah State would be enough to move him off this list in a hurry.

Randy Bond

Perhaps the biggest surprise of Week 1 came on special teams, where three-year starter Randy Bond was benched in favor of Jared Zirkel. Bond had been reliable throughout his career, converting 83.3 percent of his field goals and accounting for 106 points last season.

What makes the move even more surprising is head coach Mike Elko’s remark that Zirkel secured the job by a ‘“wide margin.” Still, in a sport where your name can get called at any time, Bond must stay ready if an opportunity presents itself.