Texas A&M Run Game Named 'X-Factor' for Aggies in 2025

After the additions via the transfer portal and the full offseason of work for starting quarterback Marcel Reed, it has become a common take that the Texas A&M Aggies' season will depend on their signal-caller. After the sport has become a quarterback-driven one, the teams with the best quarterbacks typically find themselves playing in December and January.

But it wasn't Reed who was named the "X-Factor" for Texas A&M entering the 2025 season. Instead, according to ESPN, the "X-factor" in College Station isn't just one player, but rather an entire facet of its offense, the running game.

Running Game X-Factor

"The Aggies' offense will go as far as their running backs take it. Last season, Le'Veon Moss broke out, averaging 6.3 yards a carry with 10 touchdowns, and had been responsible for about a quarter of the offense's entire production when he was lost for the season because of a knee injury against South Carolina in November," ESPN writes. "The Aggies, 7-1 going into that game, lost that one, then finished 8-5 without Moss, losing to Auburn, Texas and USC by a combined 16 points to limp to the finish."

ESPN goes onto say that with the returns from injuries for Moss and Rueben Owens, the Aggies are set to have an "embarrassment of riches" in the backfield.

Owens, the former highly-touted running back out of high school, had his potential breakout season taken away from him in fall camp. The El Campo, Texas, native missed all but the final two games last season due to a Lisfranc fracture in his foot.

In the absence of Owens, the Aggies turned to Moss. Who, despite not being the former five-star prospect, had a breakout season of his own. Moss finished with a career-best 765 yards and 10 touchdowns on 121 carries, in addition to 141 yards on 10 receptions. That was before a season-ending knee injury sidelined him after just nine games.

Even with the injury, Moss was still named a member of the All-SEC second team. And considering his success in just nine games last season. Now, as he returned to College Station for a senior season, that could prove to be just his first All-SEC honor.

While the passing game was a big point of emphasis this offseason, as evident by the portal additions, the run game is still set to be featured. One of the best ways to help a young quarterback is to possess a strong run game, and at least on paper, the Aggies look set to have one in 2025.