Texas A&M's Toughness, Balance Have Aggies Emerging as Unheralded SEC Contenders

Saturday was another day of headline-making performances in the SEC.

Alabama reignited its playoff push by smashing Georgia on the road. Florida throttled early SEC favorite Ole Miss to establish its own contender status in the East. Leonard Fournette had yet another 200-yard rushing performance for undefeated LSU.

But over in College Station, Texas A&M somewhat quietly took care of business on a night when several ranked teams failed to impress.

After all, the Aggies' 30-17 win over No. 21 Mississippi State was televised on the SEC Network and not one of the main ESPN channels.

Texas A&M jumped out to a two-touchdown lead in the second quarter and held off a pesky Mississippi State comeback effort after halftime.

The performance showcased the all-around balance and strength that make the Aggies a top contender in the brutal SEC—even if the rest of the conference isn't paying enough attention.

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Quarterback Kyle Allen got Texas A&M's high-powered offense off to a quick start with a pair of touchdown passes on its first two drives of the game.

After the attack cooled off somewhat in the second quarter, Allen pieced together another touchdown drive just before halftime in less than a minute. His long passes to Christian Kirk and Josh Reynolds paved the way for a short Tra Carson touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the half. 

"Our whole game plan was working really well, and [offensive coordinator Jake Spavital] was calling the right plays at the right times," Allen told Maria Taylor of the SEC Network after the game. "Our receivers were getting open, and the offensive line did a great job of stepping up today and blocking well."

As drops hurt the passing game in the second half, Texas A&M's revitalized rushing attack then played a huge role, grinding out some tough yards to set up a couple of big field goals for the Aggies.

Texas A&M gained 194 rushing yards against Mississippi State for its biggest night on the ground against an SEC opponent since its win over Ole Miss in 2013.

"We put in a lot of work in the offseason, and we wanted to make sure that we could be physical when we played the bigger teams up front," running back Tra Carson said in a postgame interview posted by Texas A&M.

While Allen and the Aggies' star-studded receiving corps will get most of the attention on this Texas A&M offense, the commitment to running the ball more with first-year assistant Dave Christensen is already paying dividends this season.

Texas A&M is now able to move the ball well enough on the ground to work the clock more effectively against teams such as Mississippi State.

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As the Texas A&M offense put up more than 500 yards Saturday night, the defense consistently frustrated the Mississippi State attack and held it to just 17 points.

"We got embarrassed last year at their field," A&M linebacker A.J. Hilliard said, per Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle. "We made an emphasis to come in our house and throw down."

The Aggies saved their best for the second half, forcing a pair of fumbles—including one inside their own red zone—and a trio of three-and-outs from the Bulldogs. Mississippi State's final drive of the game went for four plays and just three yards.

The Aggies also continued their excellent work on third downs by limiting the Bulldogs to just five conversions on 14 attempts.

"No. 1, we want to win," head coach Kevin Sumlin told Taylor. "We closed out the game the way we needed to. Our defense hung in there and created some turnovers. We didn't really capitalize the way I wanted to offensively…but that's what we needed to get to the bye week."

While the Mississippi State offense isn't at the same level as it was last season, bottling up Dak Prescott and the rest of the Bulldogs for just 17 points is quite an accomplishment.

Now armed with a 5-0 record and back-to-back wins in the division, Texas A&M is undoubtedly the hottest team in the SEC West.

"[The 2015 season is] the second straight season they've begun the year with five consecutive wins," Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com wrote. "Will this year be different? It's starting to look like it, thanks in large part to an improved defense and the maturity of Allen, who made just his 10th start on Saturday."

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The only other undefeated team in the division, LSU, has struggled to fully impress in its last two games against overmatched nonconference competition. The Tigers had to hold onto a nail-biting win against Mississippi State, but the Aggies slammed the door on Dan Mullen's team Saturday night.

And Texas A&M's resume received a boost Saturday night when Arizona State knocked off previously undefeated UCLA away from home. The Aggies smashed the Sun Devils, 38-17, in a neutral-site season opener.

Though they might not get the full attention they may deserve this weekend, these Aggies are in a perfect spot heading into an all-important off week and a revenge-minded matchup with Alabama at Kyle Field.

They showed Saturday night they're more than ready to step into the SEC spotlight when their time comes.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. 

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.