Texas A&M Defense Closing In on Impressive Team Record

With one of the most dynamic pass rushes in the country, the Texas A&M Aggies are one great game away from breaking an eight-year-old record.

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Solomon Williams celebrates after a tackle in the second half of a game agains the Samford Bulldogs at Kyle Field. | Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images

With the regular season at its end and the College Football Playoff on the horizon, Texas A&M football had been riding a superior pass rush to win its first 11 games in a row. It's been a journey that has focused on defensive end Cashius Howell, who leads with 11.5 sacks, but there are plenty more Aggies getting their share of quarterback tackles.

The grand total is 41 sacks this season, which puts the Maroon and White in a tie for the first-place spot in the national leaderboards with Oklahoma. It seems like every starter and rotational player has gotten their share of the action, as the sky is the limit for this pass-rushing unit.

With that said, A&M is breathing down the neck of the team record for sacks in a season, which was a whopping 43 set back in 2017. That means, with a solid first game in the College Football Playoff, the record could be broken or tied in the next contest.

A Maroon-Clad Sack Attack

Oct 18, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Dayon Hayes (50) sacks Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) during the fourth quarter as Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) closes in at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Howell gets a very reasonable amount of time under the spotlight thanks to his pass-rushing efficiency, but there are quite a bit of Aggies who are flying under the radar as prolific sacking machines. Fellow defensive end Dayon Hayes is a perfect example, as the Colorado transfer ranks second on the team in sacks with 4.5 this year.

Ten defenders have at least 1.5 sacks this season, as the combination of defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and head coach Mike Elko has created monsters out of a roster many thought would regress with the loss of three NFL Draft picks this past offseason.

In 13 games in 2024, the A&M defense got to the quarterback 24 times, whereas now the Aggies need just seven more sacks to double their total from last year. Seven sacks is no easy feat, especially as they cross into win-or-go-home territory, but great teams find ways to extend their seasons.

The 41 sacks boasted by the Maroon and White defense this year have resulted in a loss of 315 yards across their 12 regular-season games, and they will need to very best out of them as they prepare to face the country's top teams in the College Football Playoff.

There's a long road ahead if A&M wants to reach the national championship, but with a defense that has been making a living getting to the quarterback, all it needs to do is continue to use what has been working.