Kyler Murray vs. Kyle Allen: Latest Updates on Texas A&M QB Battle

The quarterback battle at Texas A&M between opening day starter Kyle Allen and freshman Kyler Murray appears to be heating up.

Continue for updates.

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Sumlin Re-Opens QB Competition

Tuesday, Nov. 17

Murray’s subpar outings vs. Auburn and Western Carolina the past two weeks—a combined 296 passing yards, 87 rushing yards, three total touchdowns and five interceptions—have prompted head coach Kevin Sumlin to re-evaluate his decision to name Murray the starter over Allen following Week 9.    

Per Knox Bardeen of SEC Country, Sumlin’s supposition is that continued competition will breed the best:

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Some have had good moments and some have had some not so good moments. We’re looking for consistency out of the position, and that’s what this week of practice will be about. We’ll name a starter as we get closer to game time.

It’s something that we’ve put an emphasis on, our turnover margin. We’re minus-3 for the year. … There’s no secret, with the exception of Saturday, the games that we’ve won we’ve been in the plus category in turnover ratio. The games that we’ve lost, we’ve been on the bottom end of that. That has a lot to do with people who touch the ball.

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Murray, the blue chip in the Aggies’ 10th-ranked signing class, per 247Sports, supplanted Allen following a remarkable performance vs. South Carolina in Week 9 in which he posted 379 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns with a 71.4 completion percentage. 

As touted as Murray was, Allen led the team to a 5-0 start, during which he averaged 254.8 yards and 2.6 touchdowns per game with a 64 percent completion rate. 

The saga of seeking sustainability under center is an issue the Aggies have faced since former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel departed for the NFL. 

Kenny Hill surged to Heisman speculation early in 2014 before fading and eventually transferring to TCU. Allen was 247Sports' No. 1-rated pro passer in last year’s class, but he hasn’t been able to maintain starter status. And Murray has now had his share of struggles. 

Texas A&M ranks fourth in the SEC in total offense (434 yards per game) but couldn’t muster momentum toward a run at the conference crown in a rugged SEC West.  

The Aggies' final two games against Vanderbilt and AP No. 9 LSU will likely play a pivotal factor on who takes first-team reps next August.