Without Le'Veon Moss, Aggies Face Toughest Stretch of Season with 1 Fewer Star

The Texas A&M Aggies now approach November with their top running back out for the year. It makes the challenge of being perfect the rest of the season much more difficult, but internally, they're remaining positive.

Sep 21, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Le'Veon Moss (8) looks on prior to the game against the Bowling Green Falcons at Kyle Field. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

In another brutal hit for a team now needing to be perfect for the remainder of the college football season, Mike Elko had to walk back his words on Le'Veon Moss' injury status.

The Texas A&M Aggies' leading back was brought down on a low tackle during the first quarter of their road contest against the South Carolina Gamecocks after just two carries. And instead of hopping back up to hopefully perform some more of the magic that's boosted the Aggies thus far, he remained down.

Moss shifted positions, called for trainers and was later carted off the field while the Gamecocks took full advantage of his absence — a catalyst of the Aggies' stagnant offense the rest of the night.

"It doesn't look as bad as it did on the field," Elko said following the game, which brought a slight bit of positive news to an otherwise disappointing night.

Monday, that tune changed. Elko announced that the Aggies will be without Moss for the rest of the season after further evaluation. That could mean three games, or expand to five or more.

Either way, the road through November just got much harder for Texas A&M.

"You hate for anyone to see adversity," Elko said, "but you hate to see it for those kids. You would like to reward them with a clear path. It's extremely unfortunate for him. He was having a great year."

After losing Reuben Owens during preseason, the Aggies' running back room was already slimmer than expected. Moss stepped up in his place, proving to be a welcome surprise for Collin Klein's offense as he quickly climbed the ranks of SEC backs.

Behind him, Amari Daniels and E.J. Smith made for some nice auxiliary.

Now, the room is down to two, and while the effect of Moss' absence is largely centralized, it ranges beyond just the pair. Marcel Reed, who was named the new starter by Elko after the Aggies' loss to South Carolina, will need to find a rhythm with Daniels and Smith.

Reed and Daniels lost a handoff Saturday evening, and while the back did break out a 56-yard touchdown sprint, the run game was largely ineffective for Texas A&M. Down the stretch, which includes another conference road game and a renewed rivalry with the Texas Longhorns, more production will be necessary.

"It'll be a shared effort through the room," Klein explained. " I think there's different ways that we can spread the ball and get it into different people's hands."

An internal reset seemed to be in the cards for the Aggies after joining the ranks of SEC teams with a loss on their conference record. Without Moss, that proved to be challenging, but both Elko and his coordinators remained positive about their team's new season outlook.

They'll have to be perfect from here on out. Without Moss, that becomes much easier said than done, especially with no margin for error, but the Aggies have defied the odds this season before. They just hope they'll be able to do so once more as November hits full swing.

Though, historically, that's a rough time of year for Texas A&M football.

"I think that's been a testament to our unit all year: guys (have been) able to step up when their number is called, Klein said. "I have great faith in the guys around (Moss) to step up and make plays."

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