Though Jhamon Ausbon had surgery on his foot and will miss some extended time, Texas A&M football will be just fine thanks to depth at receiver.
Through five games this season, Jhamon Ausbon hasn’t quite been what people had expected following the departure of Christian Kirk.
Sure, he’s third on the team in receiving with 15 catches for 221 yards but he hasn’t yet reached the end zone and he’s behind last year’s pace. He had 50 receptions for 571 yards and three touchdowns last year but has been a bit of a disappointment through the first month.
When expectations on a receiver are as high as they were on Ausbon, being dubbed a ‘disappointment’ through a month isn’t all that shocking. There’s still plenty of season to go and Ausbon is incredibly talented.
However, if he’s going to reach the numbers he put up last year, he’ll have to do it in less than a month’s time as he’s likely to miss the next 3-4 weeks after foot surgery.
Jimbo says Jhamon Ausbon has had surgery on a small outside bone in his foot and will be out at least 3-4 weeks.
— Mark Passwaters (@mbpRivals) October 1, 2018
Fortunately for Texas A&M, the depth at receiver is strong and the rise of tight end Jace Sternberger has made almost all the difference in the passing game. The Aggies will be fine without Ausbon for a few weeks as they’ve had to deal with him being a sporadic pass-catcher through the first month anyway.
The depth will be tested, but this will be a great opportunity for guys like Kendrick Rogers, Quartney Davis, Hezekiah Jones and Roshauud Paul. This group of young guys has been solid this season but they’ll each get a shot to run with the starters now that Ausbon is out.
Not many teams have this type of depth at receiver and Kellen Mond has shown the ability to spread the ball around, not relying too much on one guy which will also help matters without Ausbon.
Losing a receiver like this hurts, but the Aggies’ offense will be just fine.