Texas A&M’s Nick Starkel, Donovan Wilson might miss year due to injury

After a tough loss to the UCLA Bruins, the Texas A&M Aggies may be without quarterback Nick Starkel and safety Donovan Wilson for the season due to injury.

Somehow, the Texas A&M Aggies blew a 44-10 lead over the UCLA Bruins to lose their Week 1 opener on Sunday night. UCLA rattled off four straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull off this monumental comeback. It was also a costly loss for the Aggies, as they lost two important players in the process.

Quarterback Nick Starkel and safety Donovan Wilson suffered what seems to be season-ending leg injuries. Wilson is a good player in the Aggies secondary, but the injury to Starkel could be potentially devastating.

Once Starkel had to exit the game, that meant Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin had to call true freshman Kellen Mond’s number. Mond might have been a five-star, dual-threat signal caller, but he looked like a freshman going against the UCLA front-seven in the Rose Bowl.

Texas A&M could not pass the football on Sunday night. That was odd since this is a program known for the Air Raid attack Sumlin runs in College Station. Instead, the Aggies pounded the rock with conviction in the first half with Trayveon Williams leading the way.

It was all Aggies in the first half and then everything changed. This was about as bad of a Week 1 loss as a Power 5 team could experience. It was one of those games that was on national television that almost everybody saw.

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Texas A&M struggles to close teams out late in games, especially November on. Having to play a tough SEC West slate, this could be a trying year for the Aggies with Starkel’s injury. For now, it looks like Mond will have to grow up in a hurry or Sumlin will have to hand over the reigns to upperclassmen Jake Hubenak.