1. A new leader emerges in the secondary
The Aggies are going to find an answer in the secondary this week. The injury of Donovan Wilson crippled the Aggies in the second half against UCLA. It forced a lot of young players to make big plays on the road in one of the most legendary venues in college football. By and large, it didn’t end well.
On the positive side, two members of the Texas A&M secondary stuck out on Sunday. Each man should take the next step forward against Nicholls State and someone is going to emerge alongside Armani Watts‘ as a leader for a unit that needs answers.
True freshman Myles Jones drew a start at nickel against UCLA and played with intensity and focus. He picked up three tackles (one for a loss), knocked down two passes and recovered a Bruins’ fumble early on in the game. Jones took over the nickel spot vacated by Wilson when he moved back in the secondary to play safety. It’s only fitting that Jones would take the next step as a leader on the field in his place.
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The other man to make significant strides as a leader and playmaker on Saturday will be Larry Pryor. A safety who saw emergency action down the stretch last season, Pryor should be the next man up behind Wilson at the safety spot. He picked off Shea Patterson a year ago when he was forced into the Ole Miss game after an Armani Watts injury. After six tackles and a pass defended last week he’s ready to continue his upward trajectory up the defensive depth chart this weekend.