By the Numbers: Mississippi State 42, Texas A&M 24

Here’s a statistical look, by the numbers, at the Aggies’ 42-24 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville...

-11 - A&M’s cumulative turnover margin in the Jimbo Fisher era (2018-present). The Aggies currently rank 97th in turnover margin on the season (-3). A&M was -7 in Jimbo Fisher’s first season in Aggieland in 2018, -6 in 2019, +6 in 2020, -1 in 2021 and is currently sitting at -3 in turnover margin.

-3 - Turnover margin for A&M on Saturday. The Aggies committed four turnovers compared to just one turnover for the Bulldogs. The first two turnovers for the A&M offense were fumbles inside the State red zone, which took points off the board and gave State huge swings in momentum. The final two turnovers were Haynes King's interceptions late in the game after coming in for an injured Max Johnson. This comes after the Aggies went back-to-back weeks without a turnover coming into this week’s game.

Even - The two teams were even on explosive plays of 20 or more yards in the game. The Aggies had five plays over 20 yards ... one run (20-yard run by Devon Achane) and four passes (24 yards, 26 yards and 36 yards from Max Johnson to Moose Muhammad and 26 yards to Evan Stewart). The Bulldogs also had five plays of 20-plus yards, one run (26-yard run by Jo’quavious Marks) and four passes (21 yards, 26 yards, and a 75-yard TD to Rara Thomas and 27 yards to Lideatrick Griffin).

.375 - A&M’s winning percentage vs. the Mississippi schools from 2014-present. After going 4-0 against Mississippi State and Ole Miss in the first two years in the SEC — with Johnny Manziel at quarterback — the Aggies have gone just 6-10 against the Bulldogs and Rebels since. That includes a 3-6 record against Mississippi State during that span.

1 - Interception for the A&M defense on the season. It came in the first game against Sam Houston State. That ranks tied for last in the country. Under Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies have never had more than 10 interceptions in a single season.

1.2 - Sacks per game for the A&M defense through five games this season. The Aggies did not manage to even whisper in the direction of MSU quarterback Will Rogers on Saturday. After a zero-sack performance, A&M has just six sacks in five games in 2022.

#3 - National ranking individually for Devon Achane in all-purpose yards. Achane averages 166.4 all-purpose yards per game (rushing, receiving, returning) through 5 games. That’s #1 among all Power Five players.

3 - Red-zone touchdowns allowed on Saturday by the Aggie defense. A&M came into the game having given up just three red zone TDs in 12 defensive possessions that crossed their own 20-yard line. Mississippi State entered the Aggie red zone three times and came away with a touchdown on all three occasions.

3.3 - Yards per play on plays that did not involve either Devon Achane or Moose Muhammad. The duo totaled 28 overall touches for 251 yards (8.96 yards per play) vs. State. The remaining 41 plays went for just 135 total yards (3.3 avg.).

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Ranked No. 18 last season in sacks (39), the Aggies have only managed six sacks through five games this year. 

#4 - Devon Achane’s national ranking in kick return average. Achane has eight returns this season for an average of 34.25 yards per return and one touchdown. That’s currently #2 in the SEC behind Kentucky’s Barion Brown, who leads the nation in kick return average at 47.7 yards per return.

6 - Number of times under Jimbo Fisher that the Aggies have lost as a ranked team to an unranked team. While A&M has beaten two top-15 opponents in 2022, both of its losses have come against unranked teams.

7 - Offensive categories in which A&M ranks 95th or worse nationally. The Aggies rank 105th in total offense, 108th in scoring offense, 97th in rushing offense, 101st in passing offense, 101st in first downs, 95th in third-down conversions and 95th in tackles for loss allowed. There isn’t a single offensive category (excluding subcategories such as “pass plays over 50 yards,” etc.) in which A&M is ranked inside the top 60 nationally.

14.5 - “Havoc Rate” for the A&M defense in the game. Havoc Rate is an advanced metric from longtime stat man Bill Connelly that is determined by calculating the total number of tackles-for-loss, passes defended (including INTs) and forced fumbles divided by the total number of plays. The Aggies had 0 interceptions, one forced fumble, five pass breakups and 4 TFL (0 sacks / 4 run TFL) vs. MSU. That’s 10 “Havoc points” divided by 69 defensive snaps for a game rating of 14.5, meaning that the Aggies created havoc on exactly 14.5% of the Bulldogs’ offensive snaps. On the season, A&M’s Havoc Rate is 13.8 (49 havoc plays / 354 total plays).

Last season, the Ags had a Havoc Rate of 17.8. It was 19.1 in ’20 and 18.6 in ’19. A&M ranked fifth in the nation in 2018 with a Havoc Rate of 20.4.

22 - Touches within the offense for Devon Achane on Saturday. This is the third consecutive game in which the junior speedster touched the ball exactly 22 times on offense. Achane ran it 16 times for 111 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. He also hauled in six catches for 21 yards and added 76 yards on three kickoff returns.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Converting just two of its nine third-down opportunities on Saturday, A&M currently ranks 95th in third-down conversions. 

22.2% - Third-down percentage for the Aggies on Saturday. A&M managed to go just 2-of-9 on third down. The Ags rank #95 nationally on third down, converting at just a 35.2% clip.

50% - MSU’s conversion rate on third and fourth vs. the A&M defense. The Bulldogs were 5-of-12 (41.7%%) on third down and 2-of-2 (100%) on fourth down in the game. The Aggies rank #60 nationally in third-down defense (36.1%).

#57 - A&M’s national ranking in total defense. Under the direction of D.J. Durkin, the Aggies allow an average of 358.6 yards per game. A&M ranked #9 and #14 in total defense the previous two seasons.

72% - Completion percentage for Max Johnson vs. the Bulldogs. The A&M junior went 18-25-1 for 201 yards and a touchdown under intense pressure on nearly every snap. He was sacked four times and officially hurried seven other times. Yet when given time, Johnson made plays in the passing game, including four passes of 24-plus yards.

#97 - A&M’s national ranking in run defense in 2022. The Aggies are allowing an average of 170.2 rushing yards per game. That’s 12th behind only South Carolina and Florida among SEC teams and 55th among the 65 Power Five teams. In the previous four seasons under Mike Elko, the Aggies never ranked below 35th nationally against the run and were in the top three in two of those seasons.

119 - Receiving yards for Moose Muhammad. The A&M playmaker caught six passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in the loss in Starkville. That includes 56 yards after the catch and four catches of 18-plus yards.

144 - Rushing yards for MSU in the win over the Aggies. State ran it 24 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. That’s an average of 6.0 yards per carry. The Bulldogs had gained just 120 rushing yards in their previous two games combined entering the game vs. A&M.

A&M in national stat rankings

Team
• Time of Possession = #117 (27:26)
• Turnover Margin = #97 (-3)
• Penalties = #46 with 6.0 penalties per game
   - #47 with 51.8 penalty yards per game

Offense
• Total O = #105 (335.6 YPG)
• Scoring O = #108 (21.8 PPG)
• Rushing O = #97 (130.2 YPG)
• Passing O = #101 (205.4 YPG)
• Yards Per Play = #63 (5.95 YPP)
• First Downs = #101 (18.2 PG)
• 3rd Down Conversions = #95 (35.2%)
• Red Zone TD% = #60 (66.7% - 4-of-6)
• Explosiveness = #86 (20 plays over 20 yards)
   - #92 with seven plays over 30 yards
   - #69 with four plays over 40 yards
   - #41 with three plays over 50 yards
   - #10 with three plays over 60 yards
•  Explosive Run Plays = #68 (6 plays over 20 yards)
   - #68 with two plays over 30 yards
   - #57 with one play over 40 yards
   - #30 with one play over 50 yards
   - #16 with one play over 60 yards
Explosive Pass Plays = #80 (14 plays over 20 yards)
   - #92 with five plays over 30 yards
   - #60 with three plays over 40 yards
   - #34 with two plays over 50 yards
   - #6 with two plays over 60 yards
•  Sacks Allowed = #88 (12)
•  Tackles For Loss Allowed = #95 (30)

Defense
• Total D = #57 (358.6 YPG)
• Scoring D = #24 (17.8 PPG)
• Rushing D = #97 (170.2 YPG)
• Passing D = #10 (153.3 YPG)
• Yards Per Play Allowed = #41 (5.04 YPP)
• First Downs Allowed = #82 (21 PG)
• Opponent 3rd Down Conversions = #60 (36.1%)
• Opponent Red Zone TD% = #13 (40% - 6-of-15)
• Explosiveness Against = #20 (15 plays allowed over 20 yards)
   - #7 with four plays allowed over 30 yards
   - #36 with three plays allowed over 40 yards
   - #55 with two plays allowed over 50 yards
   - #48 with one play allowed over 60 yards
   - #76 with one play allowed over 70 yards
• Explosive Run Plays Against = #36 (4 plays allowed over 20 yards)
   - #21 with one play allowed over 30 yards
   - #45 with one play allowed over 40 yards
• Explosive Pass Plays Against = #21 (11 plays allowed over 20 yards)
   - #9 with three plays allowed over 30 yards
   - #25 with two plays allowed over 40 yards
   - #74 with two plays allowed over 50 yards
   - #64 with two plays allowed over 60 yards
   - #89 with one play allowed over 70 yards
• Sacks = #112 (6)
• Tackles For Loss = #110 (21)
• Interceptions = #116 (1)
• Fumble Recoveries = #28 (4)

Special Teams
• Field Goal % = #113 (50% - 4-of-8)
• Punting = #54 (43.4 Avg.)
• Kick Returns = #4 (31.5 Avg.)
   - #1 in kick return TDs (1)
• Explosive Kick Returns = #11 (3 returns over 30 yards)
   - #4 with two returns over 40 yards
• Opponent Kick Returns = #2 (11.7 Avg.)
• Explosive Kick Returns Allowed = #1 (0 returns allowed over 30 yards)
• Punt Returns = #107 (4.9 yards per return)
• Explosive Punt Returns = #31 (1 return over 20 yards)
• Opponent Punt Returns = #13 (2.2 Avg.)
• Explosive Punt Returns Allowed = #1 (0 returns allowed over 20 yards)

Individual
• QB Max Johnson = #79 in completion percentage (60.6%); #75 in QB rating (135.67); #79 in QBR (50.8)

• RB Devon Achane = #23 in rushing yards (466); #26 in total yards from scrimmage (111.6 Avg.); #3 in all-purpose yards (166.4 Avg.); #4 in kick return average (34.3 Avg.)
   - #6 in runs over 10 yards (17); #17 in runs over 20 yards (5)

• DL Albert Regis = #6 in kicks/punts blocked (1)

• LB Andre White = #48 in forced fumbles (1)

• LB Edgerrin Cooper = #46 in PBUs (4)

• DB Antonio Johnson = #26 in tackles (46)

• DB Tyreek Chappell = #46 in PBUs (4); #78 in passes defended (4)

• DB Demani Richardson = #5 in forced fumbles (2)

• PK Randy Bond = #86 in field goal % (60% - 3-of-5)

• PK Caden Davis = #39 in kickoff average (63.7 Avg.); #4 in touchback % (89.4%)

• P Nik Constantinou = #39 in punting average (43.4 Avg.)