Kyler Murray Named Texas A&M Starting QB over Kyle Allen vs. South Carolina

After two consecutive losses saw the team drop out of the Top 25 rankings, Texas A&M benched quarterback Kyle Allen and named freshman Kyler Murray the starter Friday for its upcoming game against South Carolina, according to Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle. 

Allen, who started the first seven games for the 5-2 Aggies, threw one touchdown and four interceptions over the past two games, both double-digit losses to No. 7 Alabama and No. 19 Ole Miss. 

Head coach Kevin Sumlin has played Murray at times this season, with the freshman taking snaps in five of seven games. He's a combined 17-of-31 for 167 yards through the air to go with 92 rushing yards. 

For Sports Radio 1150's Gabe Bock, everything is falling into place for Murray:

A player who possesses plenty of speed to complement a solid arm, Murray will take on a South Carolina defense that has allowed 414 yards per game this season, which could make for a nice debut as a starter. 

He did not see any time during the 23-3 Week 8 loss against Ole Miss after an incident on the sideline with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. Sumlin spoke with ESPN.com's Sam Khan Jr. about his decision to start Murray and how he responded to not playing:

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Kyler has done the things necessary that we've asked him to do based on what happened on the sideline....Since that time, I think it has been a learning experience for him, he's come back, he's practiced, he's doing the right things.

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It's been quite a whirlwind for Murray. Just three-and-a-half months ago, he was fresh off his Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year award, having recently wrapped up his senior year at Allen High School in Texas, per Zwerneman. 

Now, he has an opportunity to turn Texas A&M's season around, as there is plenty more football to be played. The Aggies will need some help if they want to climb out of their fourth-place hole in the SEC West.

But if A&M runs the table with Murray under center, which would include a win over No. 4 LSU at the end of November, the Aggies will have found their starter for next year's pursuit of a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com