Isaiah Spiller: 64 carries, 430 yards (6.7 YPC), 4 TD; 3 catches, 37 yards

Ainias Smith: 30 carries, 155 yards, 1 TD; 17 catches, 223 yards, 3 TD

Devon Achane: 4 carries, 20 yards

Vanderbilt:

Spiller, 8 carries, 117 yards

Smith, 10 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD

Alabama:

Smith, 5 carries, 29 yards

Spiller, 11 carries, 25 yards

Florida:

Spiller, 27 carries, 174 yards, 2 TD

Smith, 5 carries, 23 yards

Mississippi State:

Spiller, 18 carries, 114 yards, 2 TD

Smith, 10 carries, 52 yards

Achane: 4 carries, 20 yards

The Aggies entered 2020 hoping their rushing game would be a strength. At the bye week, the coaching staff should be delighted as the performance of the backs has exceeded any reasonable preseason expectations. Most teams hope to have a power/speed combination in the backfield; A&M has possibly the best 1-2 punch in the SEC.

Spiller, who had some big games last season, has been one of the nation's best backs so far. He was the difference in the opening win against Vanderbilt, then dominated both Florida and Mississippi State. He's second in the SEC in rushing behind only Najee Harris of Alabama is on pace to surpass 1,000 yards in just 10 games. Odds are he won't have a showing like the one in Tuscaloosa the rest of the way.

Two of Spiller's biggest problems in 2019 were indecisiveness and fumbling. This year, he's hitting holes quickly and getting upfield instead of dancing in the background. Once he does get moving up the field, he's proving to be a nightmare to bring down -- he leads the SEC in yards after contact. His average yards per carry is up 1.3 from last year, and has fumbled once in 64 carries (he recovered). Spiller is well on his way to an All-SEC season.

Smith has been a great change of pace with his speed and elusiveness out of the backfield. He's not a short-yardage back (and probably shouldn't be used as one from here on out), but he's proven to be a weapon -- especially when he gets outside. He's done well on sweeps and in the option game with quarterback Kellen Mond. When Smith gets to the edge, he's going to cause problems for opponents. Smith's biggest problem, unsurprisingly, has been grinding out yards between the tackles -- but he's also fumbled twice already this year. His carries have topped out at 10 a game and he probably won't get many more than that (he'll catch passes instead), but he's been a highly effective change of pace and is a natural with the football.

Achane emerged last Saturday and promptly averaged 5 yards a carry against a tough Mississippi State defense. He showed the burst we expected, but was also able to keep the pile moving between the tackles. Perhaps most impressively, he was very good as a pass blocker, picking up a blitz like a veteran.

The running game is the primary reason the Aggies are now a threat to run the table. With Spiller, Smith and now Achane, A&M can attack opponents with a variety of talented backs. Save for the flop against Alabama, the A&M rushing attack has been absolutely outstanding thus far.