Texas A&M closes its non-conference slate against an FCS opponent for the third straight year, and this time it's The Citadel making the trip to College Station.
Bush’s Picks
CITTA&M
CITTA&M
OverUnder
Best BetTexas A&M
Texas A&M is the overwhelming favorite here and for good reason — a Playoff-caliber roster hosting an FCS team replacing key pieces on defense isn't a spot to look for value on the underdog. The only real question is how fast Elko pulls his starters, not whether the Aggies win.
The Citadel
+Program embracing tough scheduling under Drayton
+Third straight year testing a Power Four foe
−Lost veteran production in the secondary
−Massive roster and talent gap vs A&M
Texas A&M
+Returning dual-threat captain QB Marcel Reed
+Deep receiver room even after losing Concepcion
−New OC and DC untested in live games
−Brutal SEC stretch looms right after this
This is exactly the kind of game Mike Elko circled as a breather before the schedule turns brutal. Marcel Reed returns as the starter and team captain after a season that put him among a small group of FBS quarterbacks with 5,000-plus career passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards, and he's spent the offseason working with Patrick Mahomes' personal QB coach. That's not a guy trying to survive a trap game — that's a guy using it to sharpen tools before Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma show up on the schedule.
The bigger story in College Station is who's calling plays. Collin Klein bolted for the Kansas State head job in December, bumping Holmon Wiggins up to offensive coordinator, while Jay Bateman left for Kentucky and handed the defense to Lyle Hemphill. New play-callers against overmatched competition is actually a decent proving ground — it lets Wiggins and Hemphill install their systems live without much risk of the scoreboard turning on them.
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CIT The Citadel
TA&M Texas A&M
The Citadel, meanwhile, is playing this fixture for a reason beyond the paycheck. Head coach Maurice Drayton has now scheduled a Power Four, CFP-caliber opponent three years running, and he's framed it as part of building a program that can hang tough against elite competition. The Bulldogs are working through some real questions in the secondary after losing veteran production there, which is a rough problem to bring into Kyle Field.
The Citadel Bulldogs
Sep 5?@ Charlotte—
Texas A&M Aggies
Oct 9?@ Missouri—
Oct 2?vs Arkansas—
Sep 25?@ LSU—
Sep 19?vs Kentucky—
Sep 12?vs Arizona State—
Sep 5?vs Missouri State—
Recent form.
On paper this isn't close, and it shouldn't be. Reed's top two targets from a year ago each topped 900 yards, and while KC Concepcion is off to the NFL, Isaiah Horton has already flashed in the receiver room this spring. Feed that group against an FCS secondary replacing multiple starters and the math gets ugly fast for the visitors.
The Citadel Bulldogs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Texas A&M Aggies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
The intrigue here isn't who wins — it's whether A&M treats this like a tune-up or uses it to get backups real reps ahead of the SEC gauntlet. Either way, Kyle Field crowds tend to show up for these games mostly to see the shiny new pieces on offense operate in space.
