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Texas A&M Football: Kellen Mond makes his case for the Heisman Trophy

By Matthew Bartlett

COLLEGE STATION, TX - AUGUST 30: Kellen Mond #11 of the Texas A&M Aggies drops back to pass against the Northwestern State Demons during the first half of a football game at Kyle Field on August 30, 2018 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TX - AUGUST 30: Kellen Mond #11 of the Texas A&M Aggies drops back to pass against the Northwestern State Demons during the first half of a football game at Kyle Field on August 30, 2018 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /
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Trevor Lawrence was the quarterback receiving accolades entering Texas A&M football‘s Week 2 game with Clemson, but Kellen Mond stole the show.

Days before Texas A&M’s Week 1 game against Northwestern State, Kellen Mond was named the starter. The move, which came as a surprise to some, spoke volumes about the progress that Mond had made during the offseason. Nick Starkel did well last season; was it possible that Mond was even better?

Mond put all doubts to bed on Saturday night in front of a packed house at Kyle Field. The sophomore quarterback shredded a Clemson defense packed with future first round NFL draft selections.

Mond threw for 430 yards, three touchdowns, and rushed 10 times for 33 yards. That kind of performance against Dabo Swinney‘s Tigers isn’t just uncommon, it’s hardly ever been done. The last quarterback to throw for 400 yards or more against Clemson? Jameis Winston in 2013 — a team led by Jimbo Fisher that went on to win the National Championship.

Mond has earned the right to be mentioned in the same breathe as Winston, a former Heisman Trophy winner himself. It wasn’t a stat-stuffing performance against Northwestern State. It was a near-perfect night when his team needed every single pass and every single yard.

Heavy underdogs entering a game against a team that had been to the College Football Playoff in three consecutive years, Mond put his team in position to win this game – and then he did it again, and again, and again.

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Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, West Virginia’s Will Grier and UCF’s McKenzie Milton entered the season as Heisman Trophy favorites. They’re all great players, but Mond has already done enough to bring himself even with those passers. For some, he deserves to be at the front of the pack.