Last year was a forgettable one for the A&M offense, and the offensive line in particular. The offensive line gave up 34 sacks, and quarterback Kellen Mond led the nation in passing yards under pressure as he took frequent hits. So far in 2020, the Aggies have given up just two sacks, and both came when Mond had started scrambling.

"This year, we definitely realized the importance of protecting Kellen, keeping him upright when he’s passing the ball," senior right tackle Carson Green said. "We’ve been trying to limit as many pressures as possible."

In spite of facing off with a powerful Alabama defense, the Aggie offense has moved the ball at a considerably better clip than they did last year. During the first two games of 2019, which included a 41-7 blowout of Texas State in Week 1, A&M ran for 299 yards -- but only 53 against Clemson. This year, the Aggies have run for 40 yards more in spite of playing two SEC opponents to open the season, and outrushed Alabama 115-109 last weekend.

Against what was considered a defense that is inferior to the 2020 version, the Aggies had much less success when they played Alabama in 2019. A&M put up 450 yards of total offense last Saturday, compared to 389 last year. The Aggies averaged more per rush, per pass and per play in 2020, and gave up just one sack; in 2019, they gave up 5, which killed several scoring opportunities.

"Both years, they’ve had a great D-line. I think this year, we definitely kept the pocket better for Kellen," Green said.

The foursome of Carson Green, right guard Jared Hocker, left guard Kenyon Green and left tackle Dan Moore have played together in 15 straight games; senior center Ryan McCollum, the new starter of the group, has 15 career starts, so he's not exactly inexperienced. The rapport the group has may be showing, as A&M has moved the ball better so far in 2020 than they did in a pretty anemic 2019. They're averaging 17 yards a game more than they did last year, including 27 yards a game better through the air; on the ground, their average yards per carry has increased from 4.8 yards to 5.2.

"Running the ball is important for an O-line. That’s as important as anything," Green said.

Perhaps not coincidentally, A&M's three-top rated offensive players according to ProFootballFocus are all linemen -- Kenyon Green, Carson Green and Moore. But, while the play of the offensive line certainly looks superior in comparison to 2019, it remains a work in progress. Coach Jimbo Fisher said the line needs to provide an extra second or two for Mond to be able to throw the ball deep, and has missed a few key blocks which could have sprung backs Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith for big gains.

"Thats the thing he keeps harping on in practice — you never know which play will be the big one," Green said. "We need to be mentally and physically persistent with what we’re doing."

One area where the Aggies have not improved is putting points on the scoreboard. They have only put up 41 points through two games, leaving them in the lower levels of the SEC. If A&M is to stay near the top of the SEC West, that will have to change -- something Carson Green is well aware of.

"We need to finish drives. If that means holding a guy off for another second…we need to do our jobs," he said.

Green described the offensive line and the locker room as united as they attempt to move from a team with potential increasing talent to one that is a threat to the best in the conference. Taking that step will take still further growth from the offense's front five.

"We want to win. We’re here to win," he said.