Kellen Mond: this was one of the best performances of his career, and against a team that had battered him in two previous outings. He completed 74% of his passes for 234 yards, ran for another 76 and played mistake free football. When the defense got the offense the ball back via turnover, he made sure Mississippi State pay for it. He responsible for five total touchdowns as the Aggie offense looked as good as they have in any SEC game that didn’t go to overtime in a half-decade.

Devin Morris: Three weeks ago, Morris seemed like a guy bound for the transfer portal. Now, it’s hard to fathom taking him off the field. In his role as the backup nickel, he has an interception, two tackles for loss and a sack. He’s also been solid in pass coverage. When he finally got an opportunity, he took full advantage of it.

Jalen Wydermyer: He leads the team in touchdown receptions and has the team’s longest pass reception after Saturday. He keeps getting better as a player and a nightmare to tackle. He may be the second best TE in the SEC already.

A&M’s running game: Ole Miss and Mississippi State aren’t the best rushing defenses out there, but that’s two straight weeks that the Aggies have handled the line of scrimmage. Kenyon Green and Dan Moore, in particular, beat up on people Saturday. The Aggies truly got rolling in the running game against Ole Miss and UAB last year, then had so much confidence they beat up on LSU on the ground too. Maybe history repeats.

DeMarvin Leal: thrust into the lineup with the injury to Micheal Clemons, Leal has responded with 11 tackles in two games. He was very impressive Saturday and may stay in the lineup no matter what happens to Clemons.

A&M’s run defense: Ole Miss and Mississippi State are run heavy teams. The Aggies did well in shutting down their passing games. But they’ve given up 490 yards rushing in the past two games. That has to be fixed before South Carolina and, certainly, Georgia.

Camron Buckley: Buckley started the season as the fourth receiver and got plenty of playing time, but has produced very little. With the emergence of Ainias Smith and Wydermyer, his snaps are diminishing. Saturday, he had one catch for 2 yards.

The safety unit: Demani Richardson has a fractured forearm, so he definitely won’t play against UTSA. It’s hard to imagine him playing against South Carolina. Derrick Tucker and Brian Johnson have decided to redshirt. That leaves A&M with the up and down duo of Keldrick Carper and Leon O’Neal and the untested Brian Williams. That’s not where this group was supposed to be.

The pass rush: Mississippi State had, and has, the worst offensive line in the SEC when it comes to pass protection. The Aggies managed just two sacks, one from a blitzing nickel. Leal applied some pressure, but there has been very little from Tyree Johnson and none from Jeremiah Martin. They’ve got to pick it up.

Jacob Kibodi: after playing a key role from week 2 on, Kibodi has no carries the past two weeks. Kibodi is averaging 4 yards a carry; Cordarrian Richardson is averaging 5.6. There’s no reason to think Richardson won’t stay as RB2 barring injury.