Texas A&M Aggies

The sweepstakes for the nation's No. 1 wide receiver is down to LSU and Texas A&M. Sealy (Texas) senior Ricky Seals-Jones talks with Sam Khan about the Tigers and Aggies.

Texas A&M started fast and never looked back, leaving the result of the game in virtually no doubt from start to finish, dominating Auburn 63-21 on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Let's take a look at how the Aggies got it done:

It was over when: Johnny Manziel strolled into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown run with 12:03 remaining in the third quarter to give the Aggies a 49-7 lead. It was the last drive of the night for Manziel and the first-team offense and capped what was a near-perfect night for that group.

Game ball goes to: Manziel. You could give it to a lot of folks, but once again, Manziel was a big-time playmaker, going 16-of-26 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns while running for 90 yards and another three touchdowns on nine carries. That's 350 total offensive yards and five touchdowns in little more than a half of work. If the game wasn't out of reach, Manziel might have flirted with the SEC single-game total offense record, which he has already set twice this season.

Game ball, Part 2: The Texas A&M defense. It shut down the Tigers in the first quarter, making Auburn go three-and-out on its first three drives and forcing five three-and-outs for the night. The unit didn't get a turnover, but that's nitpicking in a win like this. They tackled well, kept the running game in check and pressured the Auburn quarterbacks.

Rising star: Trey Williams. The true freshman running back, who handles kick return duty, got some touches in the first half then got plenty in the second half once the game got out of hand. He finished with a team-high 109 yards, a career high, on 19 carries plus a 1-yard touchdown. He also caught three passes for 24 yards and added 45 kick return yards for 178 all-purpose yards.

What it means: Winning in this fashion was really good for the Aggies, as they have two tough SEC road games ahead against Mississippi State and Alabama in the next two weeks. They were able to rest several starters and key players for much of the second half. The Aggies are now over .500 in SEC play (3-2), and at 6-2 overall, the Aggies are now bowl-eligible. And while the Tigers are down and looked very much out, it's still worthwhile for the Aggies to win an SEC road game in this fashion. They continue to show that the indeed belong in the conference.

GigEmNation writer Sam Khan Jr. chatted with readers on Friday about Texas A&M football and recruiting. Here's the full transcript of the chat. The Aggies begin a three-game SEC road stretch on Saturday night when they take on Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

GJ (West Houston): It seems to me like DaMontre Moore is getting a bit overlooked by some of the media. I've seen some lists for SEC DPOY that didn't even have him in the top three. Seems absurd considering he has been the most productive DL in the country so far.
Sam Khan Jr.: GJ, there's a lot of talent in the SEC, but if Moore is not in the top three of someone's vote for SEC Defensive Player of the Year, it's my opinion that they aren't paying close attention. You could argue competition level for some of his production, but two of his best games this year came against the Aggies' two toughest opponents: Florida and LSU. I don't see how he can't be considered a frontrunner for that award. He has played at an extremely high level and honestly, right now, he's playing like an early round NFL draft pick. I know that our draft experts at ESPN have certainly kept their eyes on him because of the way he has played.

Evan (CS): It seems like A&M has about four remaining HS guys (Manning, Mitchell, RSJ, and Savaiinaea) that they are still going after to wrap up this 2013 class. Is there anyone else that has been kept under wraps that they're still pursuing and do you think they land any of these four?
Sam Khan Jr.: Of the high school 2013 guys there are some others besides those four that they're still pursuing. Mackensie Alexander, a five-star cornerback from Florida, is one of them. He was at the LSU game last week and still has other visits to take but he's one they're chasing. Also, Oklahoma LB commit Jordan Mastrogiovanni is one they're still recruiting. He also attended the LSU game. Another name of someone who will visit later in the year is Upland (California) DE Joe Mathis. As for the four you mentioned, I do think they land one or two of those. I'd guess Ricky Seals-Jones is one of the ones they land and if I had to guess another, I'd flip a coin between Manning and Savaiinaea (I'll say Manning).

Rene (College Station): Chances A&M puts three guys in top 15 in this year's draft? (Moore, Joeckel, Matthews)
Sam Khan Jr.: I'd say it's unlikely all three happen to go that high. First, I'm not sure that all three will declare for the draft. But if we are to assume that all three declare, I think it's possible all three are first-round picks, but not necessarily top 15. I think the two tackles are in good shape to go high. I would like to see more draft experts evaluate Moore, because it's kind of difficult to gauge where scouts sit with him right now. Clearly, he's winning a lot of supporters because of his play. How that's balanced out with last year's performance, size, then whatever he would do at things like the combine are all things that would factor into whether he could vault that high. But I don't see why, if the season ended today, he couldn't be someone picked in the top couple of rounds.

Pitt doesn't want WR Robert Foster to leave the Keystone State and USC hopes to keep CB Max Redfield in Cali. The local programs' bid to keep those two stars in-state highlights this week's #BlueChipBattles .

#BlueChipBattles is the Twitter hashtag to use if you want to voice your opinion on our list or to view other fans' reactions as the commitments begin to roll in. Get recruiting updates on the players above as well as the nation's other top football prospects here: @RecruitingESPN.

Heading into the season, all the attention paid toward Texas A&M's ground game went directly to running back Christine Michael.

If the Aggies were going to run the ball, Michael was going to be the guy to do it. He had been tremendously efficient in Texas A&M's two-back system last season with Cyrus Gray before his season-ending knee injury late in the year, and was one of the team's top overall players.

Michael even came back near full strength this spring, so most just assumed that he'd be the workhorse in the Aggies' offensive attack.

However, it's been a bit of a process for Michael's knee and he's still trying to adjust to the Aggies' new offensive scheme. With Michael inching along at times, junior Ben Malena has been what coach Kevin Sumlin called "a light in the storm" when it comes to being a steady player in Texas A&M's backfield.

"What Ben has given us is a steady guy who understands everything, who is a potent threat with the ball in his hand and also a pass-catcher and a protector," Sumlin said.

Malena is second behind quarterback Johnny Manziel on the team in rushing, with 462 yards and has four touchdowns. He also has 11 receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Freshman Trey Williams received a lot of hype coming into the season, and the thought was that he would be the one helping Michael the most. But with Williams still struggling with pass protection, Malena's emergence has been huge. He's really done a good job of helping Manziel out this season.

While this might have come as a surprise to some, Sumlin said he saw this way back in spring and tried to tell people about Malena's potential, but it's OK if people are just now catching on.

"I don't think he's gotten better," Sumlin said. "I think people weren't listening to me when I said he was playing well in the spring.

"He's having a great year, plays with great energy, and is really, really solid."

Malena might not have the flashiest numbers, but he's been able to help this team in many different ways. He's also on the front line for the Aggies on kick returns, so he's been a very unselfish player. His play will only continue to boost A&M going forward.

Each week across our RecruitingNation sites, we'll highlight which high school football games the Midlands recruiting staff will be attending:

Thursday, Oct. 25

• Houston Spring Woods vs. Missouri City (Texas) Thurgood Marshall - Sam Khan Jr., GigEmNation
Players to watch: 2013 DE Deon Hollins, Thurgood Marshall (UCLA commit); 2013 OT Maurice Porter, Thurgood Marshall (Texas Tech commit); 2013 OG Darius Moore, Thurgood Marshall (Baylor commit).

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