Texas A&M Aggies

Despite turning the ball over six times, Texas A&M escaped Oxford, Miss., with a thrilling 30-27 win over Mississippi on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Let's break it down:

It was over when: Texas A&M junior defensive back Toney Hurd stepped in front of a Bo Wallace pass and intercepted it with 1:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. On a night when the Aggies turned it over so many times, it was Hurd who snagged an Ole Miss turnover to seal the deal and allow the Aggies to secure the victory.

Game ball goes to: The Aggies' front seven. Despite being put in some tough positions, the Aggies defense made some big plays and key stops. One was a 37-yard interception return by linebacker Steven Jenkins, as Sean Porter forced Bo Wallace to rush the throw, that tied the ballgame 17-17 in the second quarter. Porter came up with a huge stop in the fourth quarter to keep Jeff Scott from getting a first down on third-and-2 and Jonathan Stewart came up with perhaps the biggest stop of the night, halting Scott on fourth-and-inches at the Ole Miss 39 with 3:02 remaining. That gave Texas A&M possession for its game-winning scoring drive. Damontre Moore was once again in the backfield, registering his seventh sack of the year and defensive tackle Spencer Nealy was a constant force.

Game ball, Part 2: The Aggies' offensive line. They paved the way for Ben Malena to post a season-high 142 rushing yards and they gave redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel all kinds of time in the pocket. The unit has been solid in pass protection all season long and Saturday was no exception. It was probably their best effort in the running game.

Rising star: Hurd. He's been coming on as of late and he came up with the huge play at a critical time, intercepting Wallace on the Rebels' final drive. Without the turnover, the Rebels were at least in game-tying field goal range. Hurd had six tackles in addition to the pick.

What it means: The fact that the Aggies could have so many things go wrong -- six turnovers, Manziel looking like a freshman, missed tackles on defense -- and still come up with a road win in the Southeastern Conference says a lot. Texas A&M is now 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the conference and it's becoming more and more clear by the week that they're going to be a factor in the SEC West.

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin has heard an awful lot about his offense in the past few weeks. But he's turned some of his focus to the offense he'll face this weekend in Oxford, Miss.

Ole Miss might be coming off of a 19-point loss to No. 1 Alabama, but Sumlin isn't overlooking the ability the Rebels have in their offensive arsenal, saying the defensive preparation for this week has been "pretty tedious" with all the formations, shifts and movements he expects to see from the Rebels.

Currently, Ole Miss has the SEC's No. 4 offense (434 yards per game).

While the Rebels are dealing with yet another quarterback battle on their hands, Sumlin said there's potential for a lot of firepower out of Ole Miss' running game. The Rebels own the SEC's No. 4 rushing offense (224.2) and it is ranked 21st nationally.

Bo Wallace and Barry Brunetti might be fighting for the starting spot at quarterback, but both can be very dangerous with their legs. Wallace has rushed for 165 yard this season, and Brunetti has rushed for 154.

Sumlin has also paid a lot of attention to running backs Jeff Scott and Randall Mackey, who have run for 317 and 204 yards, respectively.

"Randall Mackey and Jeff Scott back there can really fly," Sumlin said.

One thing that will help the Aggies is that Ole Miss' up-tempo, no-huddle offense is very similar to the one the Aggies run. Having to face that sort of offense every day in practice should prepare A&M for most of what they'll see from Ole Miss on Saturday.

"Fortunately, we're a no-huddle team, too," Sumlin said. "So the ability to adjust on the fly shouldn't be as difficult for us as it is for some."

Sumlin also expects his defense to continue its current run of keeping teams away from the end zone. In the past three games (all wins), the Aggies have allowed just 27 points. The Rebels might have some flash to their offense, but Sumlin is hoping his defense will help take some shine off the Rebels this weekend.

"Our defense has been pretty sound this year, and I don't expect that to change very much this week," he said.

Now that Edward has unveiled his freshmen of influence in the East this season, I’ll take my shot at those first-year players who will make the biggest impacts in the West.

Remember, we’re picking only true freshmen.

Here goes:

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama: One of the key questions for Alabama heading into the season was who would emerge as the big-play threat in the Crimson Tide’s passing game. Enter Cooper, who’s drawn rave reviews from coach Nick Saban and several of Cooper’s veteran teammates. Even though a foot injury has hampered the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Cooper in recent days, he’s given the defending national champions confidence that they won’t be lacking when they decide to throw the football in 2012.

De’Vante Harris, CB, Texas A&M: The Aggies were able to pry Harris away from Oklahoma during the recruiting process, and it’s a good thing. He might very well be starting in the Texas A&M defensive backfield from Day 1. In fact, one of the first players Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin mentioned following last weekend’s scrimmage was Harris, who’s been hard to miss this preseason. He’s played like a veteran, challenges the receivers and has kept his mistakes to a minimum.

I'Tavius Mathers, RB, Ole Miss: Nagging injuries have limited junior running back Jeff Scott this preseason, which has provided a big opportunity for Mathers. Needless to say, he’s taken that opportunity and run with it. So has fellow freshman running back Jaylen Walton. Mathers, who’s right around 200 pounds, has shown the power and strength to get the tough yards, but he also has breakaway speed. He ripped off a 58-yard touchdown run in last weekend’s scrimmage.

Jalen Mills, CB, LSU: He’s not the biggest guy or the fastest guy, but Mills is a fierce competitor and an excellent tackler. Sound familiar? OK, it’s way too premature to compare him to Tyrann Mathieu, but Mills has been mighty impressive during preseason camp with his instincts and nose for the ball. With Mathieu gone, Mills worked with the first-team defense last Saturday during the scrimmage and is pushing to be a fixture in the Tigers’ secondary rotation this season.

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama: After enrolling early, Yeldon burst onto the scene this spring and had 91 yards receiving and 88 yards rushing in the A-Day spring game. He had the play of the game on a 50-yard touchdown reception and has picked up where he left off this preseason. The Crimson Tide aren’t short on talent at running back, but Yeldon is the kind of playmaker that demands touches. He’s explosive as a runner and also makes things happen after the catch. Saban will see to it that Yeldon is a big part of the offense.