Aggies CB Tyreek Chappell Out vs. Louisiana-Monroe
COLLEGE STATION -- Texas A&M will be without star receiver Evan Stewart on offense Saturday against Louisana-Monore. On defense, the Aggies will be down one of their better players in coverage.
Junior cornerback Tyreek Chappell is out for Saturday's matchup at Kyle Field against the Warhawks. He was not seen working out during pregame drills with the defensive backs.
Redshirt sophomore Deuce Harmon started opposite Josh DeBerry on the opening drive. Louisana-Monore went three-and-out to begin the game following an hour lightning delay.
One of the more seasoned defensive players for second-year coordinator D.J. Durkin, Chappell has started 22 games since 2021. This season, he's registered four tackles and two pass breakups through two games.
Secondary play struggled in last week's 48-33 loss to Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw for 374 yards, 246 of which came after the catch, and five touchdowns. Miami averaged 12.3 yards per catch compared to 3.2 yards per run.
“We did not tackle well,” head coach Jimbo Fisher said last week. “We had guys we could tackle and we tackled poor in space. That’s one thing we did last week and they had yards after the catch and we had some guys with arms around them, but we just didn’t make the plays and get them on the ground.”
Last season, A&M (1-1) led the FBS in pass defense, holding opponents to 156.2 yards per game. The Aggies' secondary ranked fourth in yards allowed per pass attempt (5.3).
The Aggies, who won the toss but deferred, scored on their opening drive with a 30-yard field goal from Randy Bond. Conner Weigman went 4-of-5 passing for 45 yards and converted two first downs.
A&M will receive to begin the second half.
