Miami vs. Texas A&M injury updates: Thursday availability report revealed for College Football Playoff opener

On Saturday, 10-seed Miami will square off against 7-seed Texas A&M inside Kyle Field. The game is a first-round showdown of the College Football Playoff. The winner will advance to face off against Ohio State.

Texas A&M and Miami have only met five times in college football history. Miami boasts a narrow 3-2 lead in the all-time series. The two storied programs last met in 2023, when the Hurricanes defeated the Aggies in convincing 48-33 fashion.

Unfortunately, neither team is expected to be at full-strength for the matchup. Look below to see each team’s latest availability report.

Miami Hurricanes

LB Malik Bryant — Out
WR Daylyn Upshaw — Out
DB Damari Brown — Questionable
DB Keionte Scott — Probable

Texas A&M Aggies

RB Le’Veon Moss — Questionable

All eyes are on Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss, who missed the final six games of the Aggies’ regular season due to an ankle injury. Before his injury, Moss was Texas A&M’s leading running back.

He’s recorded 70 carries for 389 yards and six touchdowns this season. Sophomore RB Rueben Owens II stepped up in Moss’ absence, finishing the regular season with 618 yards and five scores in the ground game.

Nonetheless, Moss’ return would be a massive addition to the Aggies’ powerhouse offense. Of course, Miami will hope to shut down Texas A&M’s offense, no matter who is in the Aggies’ backfield.

The Hurricanes’ defense is only allowing 283.3 total yards of offense per game this season, the 11th-least in the country. Ultimately, Miami is focusing on being at its personal best before looking at its opponent.

“You make sure practices are really competitive,” Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said Wednesday. “We do a lot of ones on ones, twos on twos. (That) keeps you on edge.

“Teams that get distracted, that don’t focus on the main thing are really teams that don’t perform well. That’s not us. We stay focused on task. We have a process, stay adhered to it.”

Texas A&M’s defense will face a tall task as well. The Hurricanes average an impressive 34.1 points per game. Earlier this week, Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman discussed the challenge of preparing for Miami’s offense.

“I think there’s some similarities to Auburn, with the physical run nature of how they want to run the football. I think maybe a little more skilled,” Bateman said. “But, I think this is the best offense we’ve played. It’s the most complete offense. I think they’ve got a number of kids on their team that are going to get drafted really high. I think it’s gonna be a real challenge. I think they do a really good job.”

Miami and Texas A&M will clash at noon ET on Saturday. The game will air live on ABC and ESPN.