Sponsored by Brent Campbell, Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1998. Brent is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, serving all of Central Texas and specializing in sales, leasing & development. He leads a retail acquisition and sales team and was recognized by the Austin Business Journal as a Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2023.

In the last 22 years, he has closed deals with a total transactional value of over $375 million and has leased more than 4.5 million square feet. Brent currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Habitat Homes, Inc. and Pathways Youth and Family Services. He is a former president of the Heart of Round Rock Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Round Rock Zoning Advisory Committee, the Round Rock Business and Retention Committee, and the City of Round Rock Ethics Commission, which has led him to begin developing in Williamson and Travis County.

An Austin native, Brent lives in Round Rock where he and his wife have raised four boys. Brent works for Don Quick and Associates, Inc. in Round Rock, TX and can be reached at brent@donquick.com.

Mississippi State’s defense is ranked 124th in the nation and their run defense is ranked 119th. That’s even after Georgia basically said the heck with it and threw all game — Carson Beck ended up throwing 48 times (their pass defense is 114th). That’s Georgia’s offense; it’s not A&M’s. I have got to think Le’Veon Moss will be a much more important piece of the puzzle for the Aggies when they go to Starkville.

I'm really baffled by Georgia’s defensive playcalling last week. Against an offensive line that had give up 19 sacks already, they rarely blitzed but still played man coverage on the outside. That just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They played really soft in the middle and allowed State to get off some deep shots. I don’t see A&M doing that.

What I do see is A&M coming after Michael Van Buren, because that’s what they do. He’s a true freshman making his first home start, and the Aggies have ratcheted up the pressure each week. They had 21 hurries against Brady Cook in the Missouri game to go with the six sacks. If left tackle Makylan Pounders, who missed the Georgia game, can’t go, they’ll have true freshman Luke Work — who was called for three penalties Saturday — going against Nic Scourton. If that’s the case, Scourton needs to take full advantage.

Van Buren is not an accurate quarterback and pressure should rattle him. But one thing he does have is a huge arm, and he showed that off against Georgia. He hit on passes of 72, 42 and 35 yards, and the 72 yard to Mario Craver was a thing of beauty. If Mississippi State has a puncher’s chance in this game, the deep ball is the punch.

I’ve seen some borderline panic over this game, and one thing needs to be made clear: this is not a Mississippi State team like the ones that gave A&M nightmares. It doesn’t have Mike Leach calling the plays and, more importantly, it does not have a running game. Dak and Nick Fitzgerald absolutely killed A&M in the past with quarterback runs, but Van Buren is a pocket passer. Their leading rusher, Johnnie Daniels, is averaging 44 yards a game and their backs have a long run of 19 yards this year.

Conner Weigman said yesterday he’s 100% healthy. If that’s the case, maybe the Aggies take a few more deep shots this week. State has given up a few big plays in recent weeks to Texas and Georgia, and A&M needs to get more aggressive down the field with LSU coming up. Maybe this is Cyrus Allen, Jahdae Walker or even Terry Bussey territory.

I read that Mississippi State has blitzed about 40% of the time in conference play. On first watch against Georgia, I didn’t think they blitzed at all. But they did; they just started with a three- or four-man front, brought one guy or a couple of guys late and didn’t get anywhere. That will still be something the Aggie offensive line will have to watch for, but it may also leave the middle of the field wide open like it did against Georgia. UGA picked it apart, and I could see A&M running a lot of crossers and getting the tight ends open in the seam if State takes a similar approach.

This could be a really important stretch of football for defensive end Shemar Stewart. He is only six tackles away from tying his career high, and he's already equaled it in sacks. Mississippi State, as mentioned, does not pass block well. South Carolina is even worse. But LSU is elite against the pass rush, and Stewart and Scourton have to pressure Garrett Nussmeier for A&M to win that game. If Stewart goes off in these three games — especially against LSU — the Aggies will not only remain in the CFP hunt, but he’ll likely make himself a whole lot of money starting next spring.

It’s been a decade since A&M went an laid a huge egg in Starkville as the #5 team in the nation. It’s been eight years since they did the same as #4. But one thing has stuck with me from those games — actually, before those games. Fear.

I remember being on the field before the game watching the Aggies warm up and saw genuine fear in the eyes of players who ended up having good careers in the NFL (not Myles Garrett; I’m not sure he fears any man). The cockiness I felt going into those games evaporated fast, because I realized they didn’t think they could win. They weren’t tough enough. From what I’ve seen, this team is not soft. But Starkville has been a hellhole for A&M, and if they want to prove their 2020 or 2012 caliber, it starts here. Or there. You get the idea. Win and you’re in business. Win big and suddenly things look very different indeed.

I know the A&M-Mississippi State game won’t be over by 6, but I am really intrigued by the Arkansas-LSU game. Arkansas isn’t great, but they are tough. If you want to beat them, you do it the way A&M did and punch them in the mouth on both lines of scrimmage. If you aren’t ready for a rock fight, that game is going to be difficult for you. LSU can’t run. Will they be able to buck the trend, like Oklahoma State did, and win being one-dimensional? Don’t forget, Arkansas turned the ball over three times in that game, including one for a pick-six. The Hogs are at home. They just knocked off Tennessee. It’s shaping up to be a fascinating contest.

In case you were interested, LSU opened as a 4.5-point favorite. That number is down to 2.5.