Aggies avoid worst-case scenario but still get bad news with latest injury update on top offensive playmaker
Texas A&M avoids the worst but doesn’t come out unscathed with latest injury news about Le’Veon Moss
While the Texas A&M Aggies made a convincing statement with their 34-17 win over the Florida Gators, they didn’t come out of their SEC heavyweight bout unscathed. Before halftime, starting running back Le’Veon Moss left the game with an injury after rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown. Moss did not return but was on the sidelines during the second half.
In his absence, the Aggies leaned on Rueben Owens II, Marcel Reed, and Jamarion Morrow to shoulder the load in the running game, and the trio combined for 96 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and helped A&M pull away in the second half of the game. After the game, head coach Mike Elko elected to wait until the team knew more about Moss’s injury to speculate on his future.
Speaking Monday on Moss’s injury, Elko confirmed that it was an ankle injury. While we don’t know an exact timeline for his return, Elko offered a silver lining by saying that they did not expect it to be season-ending. However, Moss will still “likely miss significant time”.
Moss Injury Could Be Trouble for Aggies
Any speculation on the duration of Moss’s injury will likely be premature at this stage of the news cycle, especially as ankle injuries are tricky for running backs to navigate. However, this injury could not have come at a worse time for A&M (although there is never a good time for injuries).
The Aggies have back-to-back must-win road games against Arkansas and the LSU Tigers before a bye week. After the bye, they go on the road once again to take on Missouri. Moss missing a rivalry game and two road games against ranked foes is a huge blow for the Aggies’ offense. That’s just in the next four weeks, which feels like the quickest timeline for what “significant time” means.
Luckily for the Aggies, their defense has been downright dominant and has been proven to be able to win them games. Additionally, their running back room still has plenty of talent and quarterback Marcel Reed can change games with his legs as well. Where this could potentially hurt Texas A&M is in their ability to wear down defenses, as Moss’s physical style of play grounded defenses and allowed the Aggies to control the clock well and play complementary football to their defense.
With Moss out, I would expect true freshman Jamarion Morrow to see a sharp uptick in snaps. He’s already proven his ability to generate explosives after a breakout game against Florida, and Mike Elko seems ready to lean on him moving forward.
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