Marcel Reed and Texas A&M Aggies offensive playmakers confirm what many fans began to believe with massive win over Notre Dame
Texas A&M wide receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion prove they can beat the best
The Texas A&M Aggies have done it. They defeated Notre Dame in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, 41-40. Mike Elko finally got perennial mediocre monkey off of Texas A&M’s back and the Aggies look like they’re here to compete for it all now.
Three weeks. Three wins. But now what? And what does a win like this actually prove if Notre Dame is now just 0-2 to start the year? It confirms exactly what many fans were beginning to believe after two dominant showings from their offense. Marcel Reed and his offensive weapons can take on the best defenses in the country.
Mario Craver and KC Concepcion prove they can take on the best secondaries in college football
Heading into Week 3, Texas A&M’s elite wide receiver duo of Mario Craver and KC Concepcion had already done something last year’s Aggies failed to do, snagging three touchdowns apiece in just two weeks. The problem was that the production came against weaker opponents. Could that actually translate against real defenses?
The answer to that question as it turns out was a resounding, obvious, emphatic, “Yes!”
Quarterback Marcel Reed did not hesitate. He connected with and targeted his two favorite weapons from start to finish against Notre Dame, finding Mario Craver for seven receptions, 207 yards, and a touchdown. KC Concepcion for four receptions and 82 yards. All in all those two wide receivers alone accounted for 80% of Texas A&M’s receiving yards as they absolutely shredded Notre Dame’s alleged elite defensive secondary.
Craver kicked things off, torching the entire Notre Dame secondary for 86 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter (as you can see in post below).
Then later on in the game KC Concepcion started to find his stride as well. Concepcion’s precise, fast, explosive route running was too much for the Fighting Irish throughout the night. Even when he wasn’t targeted, Concepcion was often burning defenders, creating separation with ease.
One of the best examples came on his longest reception of the game on an out-and-up route. The defender bit horribly to the outside. Concepcion was easily headed for the end zone and a touchdown, but quarterback Marcel Reed just barely under-threw him, leading to an impressive contested catch.
Through three games, Mario Craver is now seriously averaging 6.24 yards per route run, more than 13 yards after the catch, more than 22 yards per reception, hauling in 71% of his targets, and is on pace for well over 1700 receiving yards in Texas A&M’s first 12 games.
KC Concepcion isn’t quite as ridiculous, but is still averaging almost 18 yards per reception, seven yards after the catch, and consistently wins from any pre-snap alignment and role he’s asked to play on offense.
On top of the elite wide receiver production, Marcel Reed is proving more and more every week that he has officially arrived, looking ready to take on the best defensive secondaries in the country. Texas A&M still has a tough road, but the offense should give Aggies fans hope for a very bright immediate future.
We’ll be back with more Texas A&M Aggies coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
