How Vast Texas A&M's Run Game Improvement Was Against Utah State

In a showdown between two Aggie football teams Saturday, Texas A&M put a sound beating on Utah State with a 44-22 victory in front of the home crowd at Kyle Field.

Quarterback Marcel Reed showed another great passing performance under center, throwing for 220 passing yards and three touchdowns, and defensive lineman Cashius Howell had what some people dubbed the "Immaculate Possession," where he sacked Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes three times on three consecutive plays, singlehandedly forcing the team to punt.

Both were phenomenal and made the early Saturday game a fun one to watch, but what really stood out from the Texas A&M offense was the running game, which was eerily quiet on the field in the season opener last week.

A&M Put Up Over 200 Yards on the Ground

After the team barely passed the triple-digit mark on the ground last week with 108 rushing yards and no touchdowns, the unit was a well-oiled machine against Utah State, with the team's 45 carries going for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the football. — Sep 6, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the football during the first quarter against the Utah State Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images | Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

The rushing corps was led by halfback Le'Veon Moss with 68 yards, and who found the end zone for the first time since his two-touchdown night in the thriller against the LSU Tigers last year at Kyle Field.

Reed added 66 yards and a scoring scamper of his own, and Rueben Owens and freshman Jamarion Marrow combined for 72 yards on 11 carries, a testament as to how many heads the monster that is the Aggie running game has.

Head coach Mike Elko was very pleased with how the run game turned out as opposed to last week, and he saw what he expected to out of his main backs.

"It was good to see Jamarion (Morrow) get out there," Elko said in his postgame press conference. "I thought you saw a glimpse of what we're excited about with him, which was great. I thought Le'Veon (Moss)and Rueben (Owens) looked healthy and fresh, which was good. That's what we wanted to see from them."

Elko then focused exclusively on his best back in Moss, and highlighted his excitement of where he was at skill-wise at this point in time, especially after the devastating injury he suffered last year.

"It was good to get him (Le'Veon) out there again. I think he got him 10 carries. It was good to get him hit. Every one of those just builds confidence in him. It was good. I think he came out of the game in a really, really good head space," the head coach said. "Obviously, as we move forward here, we're going to need him to be a big staple of what we're trying to do on offense. So excited to have him where he's at, headed into next week."

Next week will very much require Moss' best play, as well as the rest of the Aggie rushing game, as the team heads to South Bend for their first road game of the season this upcoming Saturday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.