Kyle Allen Is Clearly Texas A&M's Best QB, but Is He Ready for SEC Play?

Throughout Kyle Allen’s short Texas A&M career, “certain” has never been a word associated with his hold on the Aggies’ starting quarterback role.

The former 5-star prospect had to wait behind Kenny Hill to claim the starting job midway through last season following Hill’s suspension (and eventual transfer to TCU), and this fall, he’s had to hold off highly touted 5-star freshman Kyler Murray to keep the job.

Following a poor first half in the season opener against Arizona State, Murray started the second half, although Allen returned to salt away a 38-17 win with a trio of fourth-quarter drives.

He had his best game of the season Saturday against Nevada, completing 18 of 31 passes for 270 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in a 44-27 win over the Wolf Pack.

“I thought that Kyle, other than the interception, really operated well,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin told SEC Network’s Laura Rutledge on the air following the victory.

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Allen has answered the challenges and is firmly ensconced as Texas A&M’s starter, but is he ready to lead the Aggies to SEC contention? That remains to be seen.

The Aggies are clearly improved from 2014, thanks to the hiring of John Chavis as defensive coordinator. Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall have established themselves as one of the best young pass-rush tandems in America, and it appears that the offense will no longer be involved in shootouts week after week.

That will take pressure off Allen, but the SEC will be unforgiving as usual.

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An AT&T Stadium faceoff with Arkansas won’t be easy: The Razorbacks boast a stingy defense and took the Aggies to overtime last year before falling 35-28. Mississippi State isn’t a Top 10 team this fall, but Dak Prescott and Co. remain dangerous, and they defeated A&M 48-31 a year ago.

Then, following an off-week, Alabama comes to town. The No. 2 Crimson Tide are as imposing as ever defensively, which A&M found out all too well last fall in an embarrassing 59-0 defeat that spelled the end of the short Hill era and the beginning of Allen’s run.

Allen was 1-2 with eight touchdowns against three interceptions last fall against SEC foes, throwing for 277 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-38 win over Auburn but managing only 144 yards and a touchdown in a 23-17 loss to LSU.

To succeed against SEC defenses, he must be able to consistently make downfield throws. He did so against Nevada Saturday, with completions of 42 and 48 yards to Damion Ratley and Christian Kirk, respectively. Allen can lean on a talented group of receivers that includes Kirk, Ratley, Speedy Noil and Josh Reynolds (who had a pair of touchdown catches Saturday).

Allen is on the right track, clearly, in A&M’s offense. But there’s reason to be apprehensive as SEC play looms. The next three weeks will be highly telling for the trajectory of his and the Aggies’ season as a whole.