Each Monday during the 2023 Texas A&M football season, we’ll identify a first or second-year Aggie player who delivered an exceptional performance over the weekend and earned the distinction of being the week’s ‘Overnight Sensation.’
Something about a small-town kid wearing #2 just works.
In Texas A&M’s 38-10 victory over Abilene Christian on Saturday, Rueben Owens posted his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
A product of El Campo, Texas, Owens came to Aggieland with hopes of providing productivity to a stable running back room alongside Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss.
With a lingering injury keeping Moss limited, the freshman back saw his touches increase on Saturday and took full advantage of the opportunity.
Owens was the heartbeat of A&M’s ground game. He rushed for 106 yards on 18 attempts and one touchdown. The last Aggie running back to register a 100-yard game was Moss, who put up 107 against Arkansas this season.
#2 also recorded the longest rush of his career. In the second quarter, Owens slipped up the middle and sped away for a gain of 28, which set up a Randy Bond field goal to take the lead.
Another big carry came in the fourth quarter as the freshman powered through the Wildcats’ defense for 15 yards on third down.
Jamie Maury, TexAgs
Totaling 106 rushing yards, Rueben Owens averaged 5.9 yards per carry on Saturday.
Outside of earning the big chunks of yardage, Owens proved he could get it done in short yardage situations as well. In the first, he found his way into the end zone from seven yards out for his third touchdown of the season.
The freshman had no problem with the workload either, as he received back-to-back carries on several occasions with ease.
Owens even added contributions out of the backfield with two receptions for 18 yards.
“He’s talented,” interim head coach Elijah Robinson said. “He’s a guy that trusted the process. He has a great position coach (Marquel Blackwell) that constantly gets him better. And you see, as the weeks go on, he got better and better. He ran the ball really well today.”
Sitting at tenth in the Southeastern Conference in rushing offense, A&M’s offensive inefficiencies have become evident, and the lack of a consistent running game has been noticeable this year.
Yet, handing the rock to Owens could address some of those issues.
As a five-star prospect, Owens eclipsed 7,000 rushing yards and 100 rushing touchdowns during his high school career. The talent is there.
With time, Owens has the opportunity to live up to his star-studded status and blow past opposing defenses for years to come.
#2’s like to do so.
Owens' stats vs. ACU
Carries: 18
Yards: 106
Average: 5.9
Long: 28
Touchdowns: 1
Owens’ 2023 stats
Carries: 88
Yards: 338
Average: 3.84
Long: 28
Touchdowns: 3
