Coming into the 2024 season, Texas A&M had enviable depth at nearly every position. One area they didn't have that level of depth was running back and -- of course -- that's where they've been hit hard.
First, the Aggies lost Rueben Owens, who was fighting for the starting job, during training camp. Le'Veon Moss stepped up and performed brilliantly, rushing for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
But Moss's season is now over after suffering a leg injury against South Carolina. Coach Mike Elko did not go into detail on what type of injury Moss sustained, but made it clear it will not be one he can recover from in the immediate future.
So that leaves Amari Daniels (476 yards, 5 touchdowns) as the lead back in a run-heavy offense. That's obvious. But what do the Aggies do after that? Here are a few possibilities.
1. Hope EJ Smith plays better
This is what is going to happen, because Elko has already said Smith will be the primary backup to Daniels. So far, Smith has endured a disappointing 2024, rushing for just 3.2 yards per carry with a long of 14 yards. Still, this is his fourth collegiate season and, while he hasn't carried the ball more than 53 times in a season, he has averaged 5.1, 6.9 and 4.1 yards per carry in past seasons. He has 33 carries this year, so that personal record may be in jeopardy now that he's entered the two-deep.
2. Put Terry Bussey in the backfield more
Elko and offensive coordinator Collin Klein probably don't want to move Bussey to running full-time, and probably won't have to -- but they're also looking for ways to get the ball in his hands more. Putting him in the backfield may not fit Elko's idea of getting Bussey the ball "in a way that the whole world doesn't know what's coming", but they're running him anyway.
Bussey has 9 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown on the season, so he can definitely do some running. But he's not an every-down back and they still want him at receiver, so he could play the Ainias Smith role from 2020 and take a couple of series a game at the position. Honestly, the only negative to the idea is whether or not he can adjust to his third position in his true freshman season effectively.
3. Run, Ben, run
Another option available among current offensive players is walk-on AJ DiNota, who carried 6 times for 28 yards against McNeese. But that's McNeese; NMSU is probably the closest thing on the schedule to the FCS Cowboys, but Auburn and Texas are very different animals. If the Aggies get to the point where they're using a walk-on for significant carries in SEC play, things are dire.
4. Move someone from defense
This is a tough one, because whoever makes the switch will have to learn the offense in a hurry and will have to be ready to play whether he knows it or not. Safety Dalton Brooks was an effective running back at Shiner, but he's also an effective SEC safety, and you don't take a starter (36 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 passes broken up) and move to the other side of the ball as a third-stringer. That's robbing Peter to pay Paul.
More likely, it would be a player who isn't getting much playing time right now and has a history playing running back. That immediately turns attention to cornerback Jayvon Thomas, who played running back almost exclusively at South Oak Cliff and has only played 11 snaps over the past two games.
5. Hope for a return from Owens
This one is a non-starter. Elko said Monday that Owens is just now starting to test his leg and hasn't done anything serious in terms of practice or football-related activities. He may be able to return if the Aggies make it deep into the College Football Playoff; otherwise, his season will be over before it starts.
