No. 3 Texas A&M relying on unsung heroes in undefeated season with game vs. No. 20 LSU on tap
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — When redshirt freshman Ashton Bethel-Roman led No. 3 Texas A&M in receiving last weekend, it was a breakout performance that illustrated the depth of the Aggies.
As Texas A&M prepares to visit No. 20 LSU (5-2) on Saturday, the Aggies know that the contributions of role players will be important as they chase their first national title since 1939.
“We got a bunch of guys on offense that could do anything with the ball on any given day,” receiver Terry Bussey said. “Everybody is just ready to step up when their number is called.”
Bethel-Roman had catches in just three games this season with 86 yards receiving before Saturday’s performance in which he had 83 yards receiving and his first touchdown of the year. His work helped the Aggies to a 45-42 win at Arkansas that improved their record to 7-0 for the first time since 1994.
He said waiting for his turn was a bit tough, but he was glad to finally contribute in a big way.
“It feels great because everyone in that locker room over there can do anything,” he said. “That’s what we came here to do, play football at a high level. So, at first it can get a little frustrating, but it’s part of the game. It’s a team sport. When our number’s called, we just play up to our standard.”
Coach Mike Elko said he spoke to his team about the importance of this kind of attitude after Saturday’s game and again in a team meeting this week.
“When you talk about what a championship program looks like, that’s what it looks like,” he said. “It looks like a bunch of guys bought into being ready when it’s time.”
Elko must remind his players of this concept often, especially on offense where they’re always approaching him to tell him they’re not getting the ball enough.
He shared what he tells those players.
“There’s gonna come a time where when the game’s on the line, the ball’s gonna come to you, and your challenge is you have to be ready to make that play,” he said. “I don’t know when it’s gonna be. I don’t know how it’s gonna happen, but you have to be ready to make that play, because inevitably that play might be the difference between us winning and losing, and might be the difference between us going to the playoffs or not. That’s what football is.”
And it isn’t just younger players on the team that fit into the role player mold. Sixth-year senior running back EJ Smith, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, also came up big for the Aggies on Saturday in the first game since Le’Veon Moss sustained an ankle injury that has him out indefinitely.
Smith had seven carries for 52 yards — both season-highs — against Arkansas. After the Razorbacks cut the lead to three points early in the fourth quarter, Smith’s 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 kept a drive alive that led to Texas A&M’s final touchdown that secured the win.
“E.J. Smith’s not having all of the limelight he dreamed of having going into his senior year I’m sure,” Elko said. “I’m sure he wishes he was the feature back carrying the ball 20 times a game. But … here it is, fourth-and-1 at Arkansas, in our own territory, and he’s got to convert, and that’s a championship play. That play and that player will have as much to do with our success as anyone.”
Elko values players like that just as much as the stars of his team. He believes the unselfishness on his team has helped propel the Aggies to their undefeated start. And as Texas A&M heads to Baton Rouge on Saturday for the second of three straight road games and tries to win in Louisiana for the first time since 1994, Elko expects these unsung heroes to continue to help.
“Those things matter,” he said. “And in this world, where we try to identify every player to be selfish, and every player to only be out for himself, I think within this program right now, we have a lot of players that are breaking that, that are showing you that they really are here for Texas A&M. They are here for this team and they’re going to compete and they’re going to be ready when their number’s called.”
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