Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell forces punt with three straight sacks

Texas A&M had little issue securing its second victory of the young college football season. The No. 19 Aggies cruised to a 20-point win over the Utah State Aggies in College Station, Texas.

Defensive lineman Cashius Howell played a key role in the win and accomplished a rare feat in the process. In the second quarter, Howell sacked Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes on three consecutive plays.

When Utah State held the ball on the 25-yard line, the pass rusher powered past left tackle Jake Eichorn and dropped Barnes for a loss of six yards.

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Cashius Howell #9 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs past Jake Eichorn #56 of the Utah State Aggies in the first half of a game at Kyle Field on Sept. 06, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Joe Buvid/Getty Images)

On the next play, Howell got past Eichorn again to take Barnes down for another sack. Bullying past Eichorn one more time, Howell took down Barnes for a loss of 8 yards to bring up fourth down and single-handedly force a punt.

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Howell admitted he was left a bit stunned after he took Barnes down for the third time.

“I don’t wanna say I didn’t believe it, but it was like dang, like, I really just did that,” he said. “It was definitely a good feeling for sure though.”

Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Cashius Howell (18) reacts during a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Kyle Field on Aug. 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Maria Lysaker/USA TODAY Sports)

When asked to pick his favorite of the three, Howell didn’t hesitate.

“The second one,” he said. “I feel like I just fried him.”

Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell (9) reacts after sacking Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) during the second quarter of a college football game on Sept. 6, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said he’d never seen anything like what Howell did Saturday and lauded his team’s pass rush. “That will be something that will be hard to beat,” he said.

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Howell, a fifth-year senior, entered the game with 15.5 career sacks. He finished  he 2024 season with just four sacks. His career-high came in 2023 when he had 9.5 for Bowling Green.

Howell became the first player to record sacks on three straight plays since Jack Cichy did it for the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2015 Holiday Bowl against the USC Trojans, according to research provided by the Texas A&M communications staff.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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