Texas A&M Football: 5 bold predictions vs. Nicholls State
3. Kellen Mond looks sharp
When high school stars dream about their collegiate debut it probably doesn’t go like Kellen Mond’s first game at Texas A&M. The true freshman was under siege all evening by a UCLA defense that crowded the box and overwhelmed the Aggie offensive line with numbers. Forget making adequate reads, Mond was in survival mode and it showed.
Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will likely look to bring a tight end or some other form of blocking help for his young passer and limit the number of reads in his progression. Expect the game to start out with a conservative offense until Mond proves he’s ready to take the next step.
Mond’s next step is going to be big. The 5-star recruit is tired of being told that he stunk it up and can’t throw. He’ll light up the Colonels to the tune of 300 total yards and three touchdowns. That affords some time and room for other quarterback Jake Hubenak to have his turn with the starting offense.
That stat line isn’t going to turn any heads around the nation. There are plenty of bigger games happening on Saturday night including Auburn against Clemson and Ohio State taking on Oklahoma. But 300 yards and three scores is a good day at the office, especially after a 3-for-17 for 27 yard performance last weekend against UCLA. It will be enough to earn him the start in Week 3.