Accountability is mandatory for a football player at every position and at any level of the game, not just to improve, but to reach the level of maturity needed to continue playing at a high level for years to come. On Wednesday, after Texas A&M’s first preseason practice, redshirt junior running back Rueben Owens spoke to the media for the first time in months after rushing for a career-high 639 yards and five touchdowns last season.
After former starting running back Le’Veon Moss was lost for the season during the Aggies’ home win over Florida, Rueben Owens stepped up in his place, just a week after his career-high 142 yards during the Aggies’ 31-9 win over Mississippi State. After the former five-star prospect’s 102 yards and two touchdowns during A&M’s road win over Missouri, a combination of run-blocking issues and Owens’ struggles keeping his feet made the run game a major liability.
With Moss sidelined until making a brief appearance against Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Rueben Owens became unreliable, rushing for just 48 yards in A&M’s road loss to Texas, while dropping a handful of passes that would have resulted in first downs and likely a momentum boost for the Aggies.
Owens, who took full responsibility for the Aggies’ ground game issues, said on Wednesday that if it weren’t for his mistakes and poor post-snap vision and footwork, he could have reached 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
Rueben Owens will compete with rising sophomore running back Jamarion Morrow over the next two to three weeks for the starting running back job, and if he fixes his footwork and, most importantly, keeps his feet after catches, Owens won’t just earn the starting role, but finally live up to his blue-chip prospect billing, similar to former five-star and senior defensive tackle DJ Hicks.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ‘That’s on me’: Texas A&M RB takes accountability for 2025 struggles
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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By Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire | USA TODAY Network
