Texas A&M dropped to 2-2 and 0-2 in SEC play after falling to LSU 35-6 on the road in Week 4, as the Aggies' once-promising season crumbles just four weeks in. After the loss, third-year coach Mike Elko stated that he will not make a change at quarterback after redshirt junior Marcel Reed threw for 106 yards, completing just 10/26 for 4.1 yards per completion.
However, Marcel Reed's poor play wasn't the only reason the Aggies have struggled, as Elko's defense has failed to generate pressure, while the secondary, once praised as one of the deepest units on the roster, allowed LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who was clearly injured, to throw for 312 yards and two touchdowns.
The Aggies look like one of the worst teams in the SEC based on what we've
witnessed during the last two games, and with Arkansas coming to College Station for a primetime matchup on Saturday night, what looked like a guaranteed win before the season began now looks like another massive challenge.
As I said in my recent takeaways, I'm not being hyperbolic less than 24 hours after the loss, because this performance only reinforced my view that the Aggies are in pure disarray, which starts and stops with Mike Elko. After the loss, here are the Pro Football Focus grades for Texas A&M on offense and defense.
Offense
- OL Wilkin Formby — 69.8 offense, 89.0 pass blocking, 64.7 run blocking
- RB KJ Edwards — 69.0 offense, 86.1 run
- RB Rueben Owens — 67.4 offense, 65.5 pass blocking, 72.5 run
- OL Trovon Baugh — 64.2 offense, 61.9 pass blocking, 64.3 run blocking
- OL Tyree Adams — 64.2 offense, 57.7 pass blocking, 65.7 run blocking
Not one offensive player earned a 70 grade or above, which isn't surprising after scoring just six points against LSU, but one positive takeaway that the Aggies can build on is the running game, which was successful for most of the night before OC Holmon Wiggins opted to rely on the passing game for some odd reason.
As you can see, three of the five starting offensive linemen posted above-average blocking grades, while redshirt junior running back Rueben Owens could have easily finished with over 100 yards rushing if the Aggies continued to run the ball. QB Marcel Reed earned the third-lowest PFF grade (34.9), including a 41.2 passing grade.
Defense
- DL Landon Rink — 74.0 defense, 71.2 run defense, 74.3 tackling
- LB Daymion Sanford — 71.8 defense, 78.2 tackling
- EDGE Anto Saka — 71.7 defense, 71.8 run defense, 74.7 tackling
- DL DJ Sanders — 71.6 defense, 67.5 run defense
- LB Noah Mikhail — 71.4 defense, 73.7 run defense
Texas A&M's defense was equally poor, with six players earning grades of 70 or above, led by sophomore defensive tackle Landon Rink, who deserves praise for playing through the whistle every week and consistently performing as one of the program's top run defenders this season.
Senior linebacker Daymion Sanford was by far the team's best tackler on a night when the Aggies missed 14 tackles, while the A&M pass rush produced nine pressures and zero sacks, led by freshman defensive end Tristian Givens, who earned a prolific 90.9 pass rush grade.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Notable PFF grades after Texas A&M's 35-6 blowout loss to LSU
