Mario Craver, KC Concepcion spark Texas A&M
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José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- August 31, 2025
KC Concepcion sets tone with 80-yard punt return
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – As KC Concepcion fielded a punt at the 20-yard line’s right hashmarks and then darted to his left before veering right and toward the end zone relatively untouched Saturday night, the crowd of 107,521 at Kyle Field saw what the Aggies envisioned when the junior wide receiver transferred to Texas A&M this spring.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko expected Concepcion and fellow transfer Mario Craver to give the Aggies a spark offensively. That’s exactly what the speedy duo did in a dominant 42-24 victory over UT-San Antonio.
“Just watching KC on that punt, that gave us the spark we needed for the game,” Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed said while shaking his head as if in disbelief. “That dude’s crazy. That dude’s crazy.
“I haven’t seen a punt return like that since Ainias Smith was here (from 2019-2023). It was great watching him do that. Then, Rio (Craver), like I said, if you throw him the ball behind the line of scrimmage, he’s going to turn it into a 60-yard gain. I mean, you can’t ask for anything better.”
Pushing each other
Soon after arriving at Texas A&M as major additions from the transfer portal, Craver and KC Concepcion challenged each other. The speedy receivers developed a tight bond built on a willingness to critique each other in an effort to improve, even if that meant pointing out each other’s faults.
There wasn’t much to fault about Craver and Concepcion in the season opener. They combined for four touchdowns and 288 all-purpose yards.
Craver had a game-high eight catches for 122 yards and two touchdown catches. KC Concepcion, a junior transfer from North Carolina State, finished with three catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. He could have easily had two other touchdown catches, one of seven yards and one on a 47-yard bomb.
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He also added 94 yards on two punt returns, highlighted by the 80-yard return for a touchdown with 2:54 to play in the first quarter. A seven-yard touchdown catch was nullified by a penalty he drew for stepping out of the end zone and then catching the ball.
Concepcion was wide open near the end zone with no UTSA defender within 20 yards on another play. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Reed overthrew his pass by at least three yards.
Missed opportunities
“KC was wide open on one of those balls,” Reed said. “I think the wind kind of caught it. Also, I was a little bit juiced. I kind of let it fly. Kind of mad about that one, but I think I did pretty well overall.”
Reed completed 22 of 34 pass attempts for 289 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. He also rushed for 41 yards on eight carries. Reed completed passes to 11 different teammates. Bubble screens proved particularly effective. Craver had 108 yards after the catch. Concepcion had 44 of his 72 receiving yards after the catch.
“The relationship with KC, that’s my dog, bro,” said Craver, a sophomore transfer from Mississippi State. “Ever since Day 1, we’ve been (like) iron sharpens iron, like trying to make each other better.
“I’m pointing out his faults. He’s pointing out my faults. That’s my dog.”
On a night full of explosive plays for the Aggies, Concepcion sent the biggest charge through the crowd and his teammates with his electric, 80-yard punt return to give Texas A&M the early lead.
Impressive blocking
With a caravan of blockers clearing space, Concepcion made it look easy on his sprint to the end zone.
“I think it’s a huge momentum in the game,” Elko said of the punt return for a touchdown. “Obviously when you go out there everybody is very anxious. That’s the first game. No matter who you play, no matter how many times you played, you add Kyle Field at night for the first time, there’s a lot of anxiety.
“He goes out there. He gets a whole bunch of blocks, and off he goes. Right? That’s a huge credit. Certainly, he deserves a lot of it. But there weren’t very many people around him to tackle him. That’s a credit to the guys who were out there on that unit.”
UTSA cut the deficit to 7-4 with a 36-yard field goal with 1:53 to play in the first quarter. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Craver capped a 63-yard touchdown drive with a 24-yard touchdown reception to help give the Aggies a 14-3 lead with 13:13 to play in the second quarter.
UTSA’s Robert Henry Jr. countered with a 15-yard touchdown run with 8:33 to play in the first half. Reed hit the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Concepcion for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give the Aggies a 21-10 lead after the PAT with 5:38 to play in the first half.
The Road Runners countered with Henry’s 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of scrimmage in the second half. Craver’s 22-yard touchdown catch helped the Aggies take a 35-17 lead with 2:48 to play in the third quarter.
“As soon as you make an explosive play everybody, here comes the O line, here comes the running backs,” Craver said. “Like, that’s just what we do. We’re playmakers. We’re game-changers. That’s what we do.”
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer José de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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