Aggies' Running Back Trio Shines in Win Over Auburn
The Texas A&M Aggies running back trio of Le'Veon Moss, Amari Daniels, and Reuben Owens commanded the ground game on Saturday, combining for 203 yards and a touchdown.
This comes as a surprise to most, because through three games, the Aggies had largely relied on the passing game. But with Connor Weigman out with an injury, the trio of backs were able to play a supporting role for backup Max Johnson as A&M pulled away in the second half.
Early on, it was freshman Reuben Owens who would give the Aggies a spark, catching a pass on second down and taking it 26 yards into Auburn territory.
The drive would stall out three plays later, ending in a long Randy Bond field goal to give A&M a 3-0 lead.
On the following Texas A&M drive, it would be sophomore Le'Veon Moss who would provide the highlight run, taking it 36 yards on the second play of the drive. This gave the Aggies a first down from the Tigers' 23-yard line, in another drive that would end in a Bond field goal, making it 6-0.
To start the second half, backup quarterback Max Johnson marched the Aggies down the field and threw for two touchdowns as the lead ballooned to 17 points.
However, after the first few drives of the second half, the offense would go cold. Auburn would force a punt, return a fumble 67 yards for a touchdown, and then force another Aggie punt.
With five minutes to go in the game, Texas A&M looked to shut the door on the Tigers as they got the ball at their own 17-yard line. It was then that junior Amari Daniels would nearly take it the distance, juking out defenders and going 79 yards to the Auburn 4-yard line.
Le'Veon Moss would score a play later to make it 27-10, all but ending the game for the Aggies.
Amari Daniels (4) runs behind Aggie blockers.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher had high praise for each of his running backs following the game, saying, "Le'Veon is powerful, he's got burst, he's got size, he's a really good player. Amari has a great ability to hit, and of course, Reuben can hit too. And I'm going to tell you this about Reuben, we're going to get him the ball a thousand more times, he is a phenomenal player."
The outstanding run game from the trio of backs is hopefully a sign of things to come as the Aggies go deeper into SEC play.
If Texas A&M can continue to have success moving the ball through the air while also picking up chunks of yards on the ground from any of the three backs, the sky is the limit for this Bobby Petrino-led offense.
