Texas A&M Playing Short-Handed Vs. Mississippi State

The Aggies will gain one offensive lineman, but lose another before Mississippi State

COLLEGE STATION -- Texas A&M needs a win to remain ahead in the SEC West standings. They'll be doing so short-handed on the offensive line and several other positions. 

Offensive lineman Aki Ogunbiyi did not suit up for the Aggies (3-1, 0-1 SEC) during warmups prior to Saturday's game against Mississippi State and is not expected to play. A&M will, however, see the return of offensive guard Layden Robinson, who missed the past two games with an ankle injury. 

Several other A&M players also were seen on the sideline and are not expected to play. Freshman defensive tackle Shemar Turner, cornerback Myles Jones, cornerback Brian George and wide receiver Chase Lane all are expected to be out with injuries. 

READ MORE: Staff Predictions: Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State

Wide receiver Caleb Chapman, who is recovering from a torn ACL in 2020, is also not expected to play. The vertical threat for A&M has been inactive since Week 2 against Colorado. 

Offensively, the Aggies will rely on wide receivers Demond Demas, Moose Muhammad and Jalen Preston to pick up the slack without Lane and Chapman. Last week, Preston recorded three catches for 33 yards in his first start of the new season. 

"There's a young man I have a ton of respect for," A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said of Preston. "He hasn't seen a lot of reps, but he works his tail off every day, comes to work every day."

On the offensive line, A&M will have several options. The first would be to keep Robinson at right guard and move All-American junior tackle Kenyon Green to left guard. This would mean freshman Reuben Fatheree or redshirt sophomore Blake Trainor likely would play right tackle in Green's place. 

READ MORE: What Changes Will Texas A&M's Offense Make Against Mississippi State?

The second option could be to move Trainor inside to guard as they did last week. Against Arkansas, Trainor played right guard for the second half after early struggles on the edge in the team's 20-10 loss. 

At cornerback, freshmen Tyreek Chappell and Deuce Harmon are expected to see reps in place of Jones and George. Both have played with the first-team defense in 2021 through four games.