Week 10's Overnight Sensation: Jabre Barber, Wide Receiver
On a night when the offense sputtered tremendously, Troy transfer receiver Jabre Barber served as Marcel Reed's primary target in Texas A&M's 44-20 loss at South Carolina.
Hauling in seven receptions, Barber registered 80 yards and a touchdown in an effort to keep the Aggies afloat on Saturday. Yet, late offensive inefficiencies ultimately doomed the visiting squad.
Let's be honest: Moments where the Aggies clicked offensively were few and far between. However, of those bright spots, Barber was involved.
Texas A&M only recorded ten passing plays over 11 or more yards, and Barber caught five of them.
Down 14-3 early and looking to put points on the board, back-to-back completions of 12 and 15, respectively, from #1 helped the Aggies eventually find their way in field goal range, with Randy Bond nailing a 55-yarder.
Eyeing the endzone with 5:28 left in the half, Reed hit his trusty target early in the march to gain 11, and later on, from two yards out to score six and give the Aggies their only lead.
Barber's touchdown with 1:13 to go in the second quarter was A&M's final score of the night as a lackluster half of football commenced for the Aggies.
However, the Dothan, Ala. native continued to do his job.
Despite hauling in a pair of 16-yard receptions in two crucial drives late, the offensive miscues swarmed.
Forty of A&M's 103 passing yards in the second half were Barber's, and the ground game failed to find momentum. Without Barber's efforts, the Aggies' attack through the air would have been nearly nonexistent.
Injured earlier in the year, Barber has grown into a first-down machine with a team-leading 25 catches. Averaging 10.6 yards a catch this season, getting Barber the ball moving forward will be paramount with three weeks left in the regular season.
Barber's stats vs. South Carolina
Receptions: 7
Targets: 9
Yards: 80
Touchdowns: 1
Average yards per catch: 11.4
Barber’s 2024 stats
Receptions: 25
Targets: 33
Yards: 265
Touchdowns: 1
Average yards per catch: 10.6
