Texas A&M rose to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and US LBM Coaches Poll after defeating Florida 34-17, reaching 6-0 and 3-0 in SEC play, as head coach Mike Elko is the first Texas A&M coach to start SEC play with an undefeated record. Overall, this was a balanced win dominated by the Aggies’ elite defense, which produced three sacks and limited the Gators to 1-10 on third down.
In the first quarter, this game looked like a shootout after Florida QB DJ Lagway connected on two red zone touchdowns, followed by Texas A&M starting quarterback Marcel Reed running for his first score, and finding freshman running back Jamarion Morrow for a 22-yard touchdown. However, after senior running back Le’Veon Moss’s 22-yard touchdown, Florida’s defense, combined with several drops, led to a sluggish performance in the second half.
Strategically, amid the defenses’ dominance, Mike Elko and OC Collin Klein opted to drain as much time as possible late in the fourth quarter, going on an eight-minute, 12-play, 50-yard touchdown drive that essentially ended the game. Texas A&M’s outlook ahead of the next six games is unknown. The Aggies prove that they can compete and win at least two of the three next road games, starting with Arkansas on Saturday afternoon.
The Red River Rivalry headlined the Week 7 SEC schedule, as the unranked Texas Longhorns bulldozed No. 6 Oklahoma, 23-6 in one of the more surprising lopsided wins of the weekend. At the same time, Alabama, Georgia, and LSU all survived close victories to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff.
Ole Miss survived a scare against Washington State at home, escaping with the 24-21 win, and remains the only other undefeated team in the SEC alongside Texas A&M. After Week 7, here are the latest SEC standings heading into Week 8.
Updated SEC Standings:
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Updated SEC football standings after a chaotic Week 7 finish
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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