With No. 7 Texas A&M having the week off, AggieYell.com will review and grade each position group through four games. First up, the quarterback position, played so far by senior Kellen Mond and freshman Haynes King.
Season stats
Mond: 80-130 (61.5%), 984 yards, 9 TD, 2 INT; 22 carries, 46 yards
King: 1-3, 17 yards, 1 INT; 5 carries, 43 yards
Game by game stats
Vanderbilt:
Mond, 17-28, 189 yards, 1 TD; 2 lost fumbles
Alabama:
Mond, 25-44, 316 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
King, 1-3, 17 yards, 1 INT
Florida:
Mond, 25-35, 338 yards, 3 TD
Mississippi State:
Mond, 13-22, 139 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Overall evaluation
As he has his entire career, Mond has been up and down through the first four games of the season. But he put together a pretty good showing against Alabama and a the game of his career against Florida, leading the Aggies back against the then-No. 4 Gators. He was unimpressive against Mississippi State, but wasn't asked to do a lot either.
Mond does seem like a different player this year. He's more poised, doesn't get rattled as easily and hasn't disappeared for quarters at a time. His passes have more zip and he's actually thrown a few good deep passes -- which is a testament to his offensive line. A prime example of his maturation came against Mississippi State, after a fluke ricochet became an interception and a touchdown for the Bulldogs. Instead of losing his confidence, Mond came right back, threw his best pass of the day -- a 19-yard completion to Chase Lane -- and threw a good pass to Lane two plays later that became a 51-yard touchdown. A drive later, he threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Ainias Smith.
Spread out of a full 10-game season, Mond would throw for 2,460 yards, 23 TD and 5 INT. I think most people would take that against the 2020 schedule, but it doesn't deny the fact that those numbers could (and probably should) be better. It was Mond's two lost fumbles and a botched 4th down that kept Vanderbilt in the game; missing on a couple of passes he should have hit negated drives against Mississippi State.
Mond has been very good throwing to the middle of the field this year, both in the short and long game. His passes to the outside have been less effective and those will have to improve or defenses will dare him to throw outside of the hashmarks. There's no doubt that he would have benefitted from having Jhamon Ausbon, Cam Buckley and Baylor Cupp to throw to this fall, and Caleb Chapman's loss was huge. Mond is still getting used to his receivers, but senior quarterbacks with his talent are expected to be more consistent.
King has only played in one game, and showed a lot of guts and good field vision as a runner. His arm strength and accuracy weren't great, and some of that was almost certainly due to nerves. His interception was on a very poor decision. But he commanded the huddle, didn't back down from Alabama and displayed decisiveness that should have A&M fans excited for the future.
King may be the future, but Mond is the present. The opportunity to go 9-1 is real, but only if Mond plays at a consistently high level. Alabama and (especially) Florida Mond will get it done; last weekend's version may not. Mond can be a game manager, but there are going to be games that he's going to have to be a game winner.
