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No. 12 Texas A&M vs Texas State ahead of No. 1 Clemson
Texas State (3-9 last season) vs. No. 12 Texas A&M (9-4), Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET (SECN).
Line: Texas A&M by 33 1/2.
Series record: Texas A&M leads 2-0.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
This should be a low-pressure tuneup for the Aggies to gauge where they're at and where they need to improve in their second season under coach Jimbo Fisher. Next up, a trip to face top-ranked defending national champion Clemson on Sept. 7.
KEY MATCHUP
Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond vs Texas State's passing defense. The junior returns after finishing fourth in the Southeastern Conference in total offense (3,581), fifth in touchdown passes (24) and sixth in yards passing (3,107) last season. He'll face a passing defense that allowed just 201.6 yards a game last season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Texas State: Senior LB Bryan London ranks seventh in school history with 341 tackles and 186 solo tackles. He needs 21 total tackles and 15 solo stops to move into fifth place in both categories.
Texas A&M: RB Jashaun Corbin will take over as the Aggies featured back after Trayveon Williams left for the NFL after running for 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Corbin appeared in 12 games as a freshman last year when he ran for 422 yards and a touchdown. He was also the team's primary kick returner last season when he ranked first in the SEC and third in the nation by averaging 30.1 yards a return.
FACTS & FIGURES
First-year Texas State coach Jake Spavital was an assistant at Texas A&M from 2013-15. At 34, Spavital is the second-youngest head coach in the FBS. ... The first meeting between these teams was a 28-0 win by the Aggies in 1919. ... The last meeting between these teams was moved up from Saturday to Thursday night in 2005 because of Hurricane Rita. ... This will be Texas State's third meeting against an SEC school after the Bobcats lost to Arkansas in 2017 and Kentucky in 2006. ... It's the first time Texas State has opened the season against a ranked team since meeting a Fisher-coached Florida State team in 2015. ... Braden Mann returns after becoming the first Texas A&M player to win the Ray Guy Award for the nation's best punter after setting an NCAA record by averaging 50.98 yards a punt last year.
