What The Texas A&M Defense Did For Rueben Owens

Owens gave a bunch of credit to his defense, who were lights out all evening at Kyle Field. It was the second week in a row that the defense hadn’t allowed more than two scores, and it was also a fantastic showing on third down, where the Aggies only allowed one third-down conversion in the last two games. 

“That’s two games in a row defense has been able to get stops for us, and then getting stops for us so we can do what we need to do,” Owens said. “They’ve been playing their butts off. It’s just Coach (Mike Elko), that defensive playcalling — it’s like that in practice, too. Going against that defense is something else. Now the whole world just gets to see it.” 

Love was shown to his teammates, including linebacker Daymion Sanford, who had one of his best performances of the season with nine tackles, four of which were for a loss, along with a sack. 

“I just tell him, you gotta wear your opportunity,” Owens said. “I knew he was a ball player. He practices hard. So him just going out there and showing what he can do just show everyone what he can really do really solidified him.” 

The Bulldogs’ defense began to show signs of fatigue, and Owens commented on how it benefited the Aggies. 

“As the game prolonged, you could just tell that they’re getting tired,” Owens said. “The first half, safeties coming down trying to lay a hit on you. As the game come down, they don't want to keep doing that. There's body blows on body blows. Like Coach Troop (Trooper Taylor) says, we're going to see who flinches first. They flinched first.”

On the night, the Aggies’ defense held the Bulldogs' time of possession to only 21 minutes, allowing an average of 4.3 yards per play, forcing two turnovers and four sacks. If it weren't for the heart and hustle of the defense, Owens wouldn’t get the burst of energy and time on the field that he earned.