Texas A&M Looks to Get Things Right Against McNeese State

The Texas A&M Aggies (0-1) continue their college football season against the McNeese State Cowboys (1-1) at 12:45 p.m. EST in College Station, Texas on Sept. 7.

The Aggies will be looking to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame and secure the first win for head coach Mike Elko. Texas A&M faces what should be an inferior opponent before starting Southeastern Conference play against the struggling Florida Gators next week.

What's at Stake?

An 0-2 start, however unlikely, would be catastrophic for Texas A&M as it tries to instill a championship culture. The offense struggled last week, but McNeese State's defense gives A&M a chance to get things moving in the right direction on that side of the ball before conference play begins.

Meanwhile, McNeese State is looking to move to 2-1 on the season and defeat an FBS opponent for the first time since 2013.

Key Players: Texas A&M

Offense

QB Conner Weigman

Everyone knows A&M needs to have better play from its quarterback after the sophomore went 12 of 30 for 100 yards with 2 interceptions and no touchdowns in the season opener. Big things were expected of Weigman as he returned from injury. This type of game could allow him to get things right and back on track.

WR Jahdae Walker

Aggie wide receivers struggled against Notre Dame, but Walker emerged as the best of the bunch with 6 catches for 31 yards. Those numbers are beyond pedestrian but turned Walker into Texas A&M's clear No. 1 target. Because of that, he could have a big game this week. It would go a long way toward building a decent passing attack.

RB Le'Veon Moss

Moss ran for 484 yards and 5 touchdowns last season and was the only Texas A&M player to score against Notre Dame. He found the end zone from the 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter. If Texas A&M's offense wants to improve, then Moss and the running game will play a crucial role. McNeese State allowed nearly 250 rushing yards per game last season. Seems like the perfect opportunity for the Aggies to control things on the ground.

OL Kolinu'u Faaiu

The junior transfer from Utah slid into the lineup at center against Notre Dame following an injury to starter Mark Nabou. As it turns out, Nabou tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. So Faaiu will take over the starting center duties for the foreseeable future. Faaiu made eight starts at center while with the Utes.

Defense

DB Will Lee III

Lee III tied for the team lead in tackles against Notre Dame and was one of two Aggie defensive backs to register a pass defended. The Kansas State transfer played well for the Wildcats last year and grabbed a starting role for Texas A&M. It looks like he's ready to make his mark.

LB Taurean York

York already earned a remarkable accomplishment by being named a team captain as a true sophomore before the season started. He followed that with 9 tackles last week. He's been a starter since he arrived on campus, making the third-most tackles on the team and earning SEC All-Freshman and ESPN Freshman All-America honors.

DE Nic Scourton

The Purdue transfer was everywhere against Notre Dame. Scourton came to College Station as a highly-regarded pass rusher and proved it with a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss (TFL) in his team debut. He should continue to gain national recognition if he can continue that kind of production throughout the season.

DL Shemar Turner

Turner was expected to become the leader of the Aggies' defensive line and proved it against Notre Dame with 7 tackles and 0.5 TFL. He's making a slight adjustment from defensive end to defensive tackle to better serve his potential NFL future, and it seems to be going well. He should dominate in the trenches this week.

Key Players: McNeese State

Offense

QB Clifton McDowell

The senior is 15 of 24 passing for 273 yards through 2 games this season for the Cowboys and leads the team in rushing with 132 yards. McNeese State is his fourth school after starting his career at Lousiana-Lafayette. He has also played for Central Arkansas and Montana. McDowell was last season's Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year after helping Montana reach the FCS National Championship game.

RB D'Angelo Durham

While Durham only played in 9 games last season, he led the Cowboys with 509 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also ran for over 1,200 yards and scored 12 touchdowns as a freshman at Savannah State in 2019. He hasn't duplicated that season yet, but he poses a threat out of the backfield.

WR Matthew McCallister

The Louisiana Tech transfer entered the season as the Cowboys' projected No. 1 receiver and leads the team in receiving yards. McCallister only has 2 catches but is one of two receivers to have scored this season on an offense that runs the ball much more often than it passes.

Defense

LB Micah Davey

Davey is the heartbeat of the McNeese State defense. As a redshirt sophomore last season, he led the entire FCS in total tackles, tackles per game and solo tackles per game. This year, he was a Preseason First-Team All-American and already has 31 tackles.

DB Boogsie Silvera

Silvera started 8 games last season and finished second on the team in tackles with 68. In two games this season, he has 18 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception—including a 10-tackle performance against Southern.

Trends to Watch

Struggling A&M Offense

Texas A&M's offensive struggles were a big national talking point after last week's loss to Notre Dame. The unit scored just 1 touchdown and only had two drives longer than 50 yards. Weigman looked off and uncomfortable at quarterback, players couldn't get out in space and receivers couldn't get open down the field.

But how much of that was the Aggie offense and how much was Notre Dame's vaunted defense? The answer may not reveal itself for a few weeks still. Continued struggles on that side of the ball against an FCS school like McNeese State would be an early sign for concern.

FCS vs. FBS

McNeese State and Texas A&M have only met once before, with the Aggies winning 38-24 in 2001. FCS teams are usually given no chance against FBS teams, but 25 FCS teams have pulled off the upset since 2021. Is there any chance the Cowboys can join that group?