No way… I was told by a couple professional analyst mainly Maroon Dork that our defensive line was terrible..
Photo by Will Huffman, TexAgs
Bad things come in threes.
Just ask Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes.
With about 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Barnes was hit by Maroon wave after Maroon wave after Maroon wave...except it was a one-man tsunami.
For perhaps the most incredible individual defensive series in Texas A&M’s illustrious history of dominant defense, Cashius Howell was named the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week.
“I haven’t (seen that before),” A&M head coach Mike Elko said postgame. “I think that’s a first for me. Obviously, six sacks on the quarterback. I thought we did a good job pressuring him most of the day.
“Obviously, that will be something that’s hard to beat.”
As Barnes can attest, Howell is a bad, bad, bad man who displayed his game-wrecking abilities by accumulating three sacks on three consecutive plays. It marked the first time a college football player has done so since Wisconsin’s Jack Cichy in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
Further, the redshirt senior defensive end became the first Aggie to have three sacks in a game since Edgerrin Cooper’s trio vs. Alabama in 2023.
With A&M up 17-6, the Kansas City kid immaculately completed the trifecta.
“It was definitely a rewarding feeling for sure,” Howell said postgame. “Just after not getting a sack in the first game, and just honestly just the whole offseason, my whole journey that I’ve taken up to this point. So it just felt really good to have some of that hard work, some of those trials and tribulations, be able to pay off.”
On first down, Barnes was dropped for a loss of 6. On second, Howell dumped him for a loss of 7. Facing third-and-23, No. 9 got home again for a loss of 8.
Howell single-handedly forced a punt...and a much-deserved, much-needed rest on the sidelines.
“I was tired, for real,” he said. “Dayon [Hayes] came pressing on my chest. I was like, ‘Hold on, let me get up.’ I was really just tired. Yeah, I was definitely happy at the plays I made, for sure.”
“It was definitely a rewarding feeling for sure. Just after not getting a sack in the first game, and just honestly just the whole offseason, my whole journey that I’ve taken up to this point. So it just felt really good to have some of that hard work, some of those trials and tribulations, be able to pay off.”
As a defensive unit, A&M tallied a half dozen sacks and nine total TFLs.
As an individual, Howell made four tackles and four solo stops — his sack trick accounting for 75 percent of his tackle total.
This is the first SEC weekly honor of his career, and Howell becomes the first A&M defender to receive a weekly award since Cooper on Oct. 30, 2023.
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