Texas A&M Football: 5 bold predictions for 2018 Gator Bowl vs. NC State
By Shelbie Warr
3. NC State will be major challenge for A&M line, Kellen Mond
It is no secret that Kellen Mond has had an up and down season. We saw great things against Clemson, Alabama and LSU. However, he had us scratching our heads against the likes of Mississippi State, Arkansas and in the closing minutes of the Auburn matchup. Some of those teams had great defenses, others just seemed to stump the true sophomore quarterback.
His offensive line didn’t seem to fare much better. The extremely young group has had moments of triumph over adversity and moments that leave fans wanting to pull their hair out. It was a mixed back of results from a key group within the Aggie offensive unit.
Now, both Mond and his offensive line are up against the NC State defense and — by extension — quarterback Ryan Finley and Co. He owns a 51 percent conversion rate on 3rd down. His defense only allows a 32 percent conversion rate on third down — a situation that Mond and the Aggies find themselves in a lot.
Oh yeah, let’s not forget about that NC State pass rush. They average three sacks and seven tackles for loss per game. It will be up to the Aggie offensive line to keep Mond on his feet and not 10 or 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Winning the time of possession battle, like they have so much this season, would be a good thing for the Aggies in this one for sure. The more they can stay on the field and put up points, the better they will fare overall. However, NC State ranks 12th in the nation in terms of that possession time, so that in itself will be a battle as well.