No. 19 Texas A&M will look to improve to 2-0 on the season when it welcomes Utah State in to College Station for an all-Aggie battle in Week 2.
Quarterback Marcel Reed and the Aggies offense got off to a strong start, piling up 42 points in an opening win over UTSA, while Utah State is coming off a win over UTEP in its opener to begin Bronco Mendenhall’s coaching tenure.
This week is the final tune-up game on the schedule for Texas A&M, which will travel to South Bend to face No. 9 Notre Dame in Week 3 for its last nonconference game before the SEC slate arrives. That means the Aggies will be looking to clean up some of their mistakes from the opener, build some more confidence and continuity and get through this week with a comfortable win while keeping their key players healthy before a top 25 showdown.
Utah State, meanwhile, is looking to build some confidence with hopes of getting back to bowl eligibility this year after a 4-8 season in 2024. Mendenhall was brought in from New Mexico to raise the Aggies’ floor back to being a a perennial bowl team; they’ve made it to college football’s postseason in 11 of the last 14 years. This week, they’d love to pull off a shocking upset, but they will be focused largely on staying in the fight for all four quarters against a talented top 25 opponent.
Where to watch Texas A&M vs. Utah State live
Date: Saturday, September 6 | Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
Location: Kyle Field — College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Texas A&M vs. Utah State: Need to know
Can Texas A&M’s run defense shake off a poor start? The Aggies gave up 203 yards on the ground in the opener to UTSA, which was a tight game up until the mid-third quarter when they finally created some cushion on the Roadrunners. Now, while 75 yards of that came on one long touchdown run, the Aggies defense had more trouble with UTSA than most felt they should have. They’ll be looking to clean up their run fits and tackling heading into Week 2, because they certainly can’t play like that once they get into the SEC schedule and expect to succeed.
Marcel Reed, Heisman sleeper? Reed is 35-1 currently at FanDuel for the Heisman, but after a 289-yard, four-touchdown day passing in the opener, he could add another big stat line this week and pad the numbers a bit before Texas A&M hits the meat of the schedule. Reed will have a chance to announce his presence on a national stage at Notre Dame in two weeks, and a strong showing in a win in South Bend would thrust him firmly into the conversation. Reed’s candidacy will really come down to whether Texas A&M becomes a playoff team or not, but that’s not out of the question and he will have opportunities to build an impressive résumé this year.
Bronco’s Big Bad Boys: Mendenhall is looking to pull off another quick turnaround after doing so at New Mexico last year. He’s off to a strong start with the Aggies after beating UTEP handily in the opener, and his teams tend to play with an edge and toughness that makes them a challenge for any opponent. I don’t expect them to win this game, or even threaten to, but this is a chance for the Aggies to show just how much they’re willing to fight and battle with some of the big boys from the SEC. The defense will try to limit big plays and see if it can’t steal a possession with a turnover, while the offense will look at what UTSA was able to do last week and feel there are opportunities to put points on the board. Quarterback Bryson Barnes had a nice opener, and running back Miles Davis will be looking to create some smooth jazz in the ground game, hoping to find similar holes in the Aggies defense that UTSA did.
Texas A&M vs. Utah State prediction, pick
The Aggies from Logan will be overmatched by the Aggies from College Station in this one, but I do expect Utah State to fight for all 60 minutes. Texas A&M, meanwhile, will be looking to get off to a much better start and put this one to bed early so it can pull starters and turn its attention to a huge matchup on the road with No. 9 Notre Dame next week. For that reason, I think Utah State will be able to kick down the backdoor late Saturday afternoon and get this one inside the number (like UTSA did) while Texas A&M is thinking about South Bend. Pick: Utah State +31.5
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