Sluggish Texas A&M Trails Mississippi State At Halftime
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After what looked like a turning point for Texas A&M's offense against Arkansas, the clock seemed to have struck midnight at Davis Wade Stadium.
Mississippi State currently leads No. 17 Texas A&M 14-0 entering halftime thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Will Rogers. The Bulldogs have totaled 272 yards of offense compared to the Aggies' 106.
Rogers, who entered Saturday ranked fourth among FBS quarterbacks in passing yards (1,386) struggled to find consistency in the first quarter. A&M's defense forced four consecutive punts, including one on a 16-play drive that took up eight minutes off the clock.
Running back Devon Achane has been the one constant for the Aggies' offense in their road game. Five of A&M's eight first downs have come on the ground. With 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Achane broke free for a gain of 12, but MSU linebacker Collin Duncan forced a fumble at the Bulldogs 6-yard line.
Rogers marched MSU down the field for an 11-play drive capped off with the 5-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Ducking. On the ensuing drive, Rogers connected with finished the first half 21-of-30 passing for 170 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt.
Surprisingly, the Bulldogs have committed to the run game after entering Saturday with a conference-low 89 rush attempts. MSU running back Dillon Johnson totaled 56 yards while Jo'Quavious Marks and Simeon Price have combined for 46 yards.
Achane has totaled 70 yards off seven carries. Quarterback Max Johnson has found little-to-no success moving the football through the air, going 5-of-8 passing for 50 yards.
On the Aggies' final drive, MSU registered three sacks against Johnson. On first-and-10, Johnson would be stripped-sacked by Nathaniel Watson for a loss of 16 yards, marking the second turnover of the afternoon.
Texas A&M's secondary lost a key piece in the first quarter. Cornerback Jaylon Jones suffered a head injury on the Bulldogs' second drive and did not return. In his place, freshman Denver Harris and senior Brian George have split reps.
A&M has run 23 offensive plays compared to MSU's 45. The Aggies will receive the ball to begin the third quarter.
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