Run, Kellen Run: Key to Mond's progression may be his legs

Run, Kellen, run.

Run out for pizza. Run for public office. Intern with Stewade and run the numbers. Just run.

Don’t run incessantly, foolishly or unproductively. You know, like some Longhorns fans run their mouths after wins over Maryland and Kansas. Oh wait…

The point is Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond doesn’t need to run often, he just needs to be opportunistic. In the long run he can produce some … well, long runs. Mond is big. He’s fast. He’s agile. He’s run for 255 yards this season. Take away sack yardage and his production spikes to 431 yards.

Yet, it could be more. A&M’s offensive line has allowed 31 sacks. Only seven teams in college football have allowed more. A partial reason for those high sack totals is that Mond sometimes holds the football too long as he looks for receivers to break open.

That’s a good thing. Except that even coach Jimbo Fisher has lamented the Aggies receivers’ ability to gain separation against defensive backs. Therefore, sometimes Mond is still looking for receivers when he could be running for clutch yardage.

Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs

Kellen's legs may be the key to keeping the drive alive as young receivers battle to get seperation against SEC DBs. 

Such was the case near the end of last week’s 28-24 loss to Auburn. Leading 24-14 with about eight minutes remaining, the Aggies faced third-and-9 from the Auburn 43-yard line.

As the rush converged, a gaping hole developed on the right side. Mond looked left. He passed. He was intercepted. Auburn rallied to win.

Sure, it’s easy to criticize from the press box or from the living room couch. There’s a delicate balance between continuing through progressions and opting to run.

“It’s a feeling,” said former A&M quarterback Trevor Knight, who was an exceptional runner. “You have to have a clock in your head that tells you when to go.”

Nobody operated that clock better than another former A&M quarterback — Johnny Manziel. He seemingly always sensed exactly when to tuck-and-run and usually left defenses tuckered out.

One of the most memorable was against Ole Miss, the team that Mond and the Aggies face on Saturday at Kyle Field. A&M badly needs a win to break out of a two-game skid and launch a strong finish to this season.

Back in 2013, A&M trailed Ole Miss 38-31 late in the fourth quarter and faced fourth-and-seven at the Rebels' 45-yard line. Manziel dropped back, saw an opening and ran 13 yards for a first down. Two plays later, A&M scored the game tying touchdown. The Aggies eventually won 41-38 on a last second field goal.

It’s unfair to compare Mond to Manziel, who was one of the most exciting and elusive running quarterbacks ever. However, he could learn from him. He could be more aggressive to go get that clutch first down himself.

“If somebody’s not open downfield then you kind of get through second and third progression.  You’ve kind of got to take off and run or make a play or check it down to a back,” Mond said. “It’s something I have to get a little more consistent on."

Yet, to some degree Fisher might discourage scrambling.

“If you look to run you’ll never play quarterback,” Fisher said. “Because you can’t read coverage if your eyes ever go down. He (Mond) scrambles probably as much as anybody anywhere.”

Maybe. Maybe not. Besides, this is a discussion about quality over quantity. 

Mond is credited with 83 carries, but he’s been sacked 30 times. That leaves 53 carries, which averages to about 6 a game. Many of those are designed runs. Some are scrambles in which he hesitated and didn’t maximize the potential gain.

Whether by design or on impromptu scrambles, there is great potential for big gains when Mond runs. He had a 54-yard run against Alabama. He had 23-yard gains against Clemson and ULM. Last season he had a 79-yard run against Arkansas and a 33-yard run against Mississippi State.

A running quarterback stresses defenses. It’s so frustrating to have a play covered only to see a quarterback elude the rush and run for a first down.

If that becomes a frequent occurrence, defenses often designate a player as a “spy.” His job is to hover around the line of scrimmage in hopes of preventing a scramble for big gains. That subtracts a defender from coverage, which in turn can create better passing opportunities.

So run, Kellen, run.

Unless Fisher says otherwise, of course.

“Running is a reaction,” Fisher said. “You don’t plan to run. You’ve got to read coverage, feel rush and react.

Ok. React, Kellen, react.