Texas A&M Football: 3 reasons Nick Starkel is the answer for the Aggies

COLLEGE STATION, TX - OCTOBER 28: Nick Starkel #17 of the Texas A&M Aggies throws a pass in the fourth quarter pursued by Kobe Jones #52 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field on October 28, 2017 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TX - OCTOBER 28: Nick Starkel #17 of the Texas A&M Aggies throws a pass in the fourth quarter pursued by Kobe Jones #52 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field on October 28, 2017 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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The Texas A&M Aggies had a letdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a 35-14 loss with Nick Starkel being one of the few bright spots.

Texas A&M football suffered a major setback in Week 9 between the loss against the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the loss of freshman quarterback Kellen Mond to injury. Mond had been steadily progressing over the passing weeks since taking the starting reigns in the season opener against the UCLA Bruins, after an injury to redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Starkel.

Entering the matchup with Mississippi State, Mond had led the Aggies to a 5-2 record and kept them very competitive in the SEC West. The loss to Mississippi State takes them out of the top three in the division for sure. Texas A&M still has contests with the No. 16 ranked Auburn Tigers and No. 19 ranked LSU Tigers down the stretch.

After the injury to Mond against the Bulldogs, Starkel got the nod behind center. Starkel gave the Aggies a spark that Mond was not able to during the course of the first half. Mond only completed 8 of his 26 passing attempts for no touchdowns and two interceptions. It was not enough to keep up with Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.

Starkel came in and immediately gave the Aggies a spark. He tossed one touchdown and one interception while completing more than half of his passes for 133 yards. Starkel more than doubled Mond’s total number of passing yards. This should give Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin some clarity as to the quarterback situation moving forward.

Just a few weeks ago after Starkel returned from his ankle injury, it was announced that the Aggies would stick with Mond, according to SEC Country. That could change now.

Now, let’s take a look at three reasons that Nick Starkel is the answer for the Texas A&M Aggies.