​Accountability is mandatory for a football player at every position and at any level of the game, not just to improve, but to reach the level of maturity needed to continue playing at a high level for years to come. On Wednesday, after Texas A&M’s first preseason practice, redshirt junior running back Rueben Owens spoke to the media for the first time in months after rushing for a career-high 639 yards and five touchdowns last season.After former starting running back Le’Veon Moss was lost for the season during the Aggies’ home win over Florida, Rueben Owens stepped up in his place, just a week after his career-high 142 yards during the Aggies’ 31-9 win over Mississippi State. After the former five-star prospect’s 102 yards and two touchdowns during A&M’s road win over Missouri, a combination of run-blocking issues and Owens’ struggles keeping his feet made the run game a major liability. With Moss sidelined until making a brief appearance against Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Rueben Owens became unreliable, rushing for just 48 yards in A&M’s road loss to Texas, while dropping a handful of passes that would have resulted in first downs and likely a momentum boost for the Aggies.Owens, who took full responsibility for the Aggies’ ground game issues, said on Wednesday that if it weren’t for his mistakes and poor post-snap vision and footwork, he could have reached 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.Really mature moment of veteran accountability from Rueben Owens II when asked what he needed to improve on this year. Said it had to be stumbling on breakaways. “I could have been a 1,000-yard rusher last year if I didn’t fall so many times. That’s on me and I’m going to pick… pic.twitter.com/FOZYM6tLL0— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) August 6, 2026Rueben Owens will compete with rising sophomore running back Jamarion Morrow over the next two to three weeks for the starting running back job, and if he fixes his footwork and, most importantly, keeps his feet after catches, Owens won’t just earn the starting role, but finally live up to his blue-chip prospect billing, similar to former five-star and senior defensive tackle DJ Hicks.Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ‘That’s on me’: Texas A&M RB takes accountability for 2025 struggles