As the centerpiece of the Texas A&M Aggies defense, high expectations are placed on sophomore linebacker Taurean York every single game.

Against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, he absolutely lived up to those expectations. The Temple, Texas native recorded a career-high 12 total tackles, along with 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack, helping the Aggies to their sixth straight win.

“Every day we’re just trying to move the needle for this program,” York told SEC Network after the game. “We’re trying to make this program what it should have been a long time ago. So it's a culmination of efforts between the players, the coaches and the support staff. It takes the entire program to achieve this.” That’s why I’m so proud of this team.

But despite the impressive stats, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for York or the Aggies' defense. The Bulldogs came out on top on offense in the first half, racking up 273 total yards and 17 points to keep the Aggies on their toes. The second half was much better, however, as A&M's defense only allowed 94 yards and seven points.

York, who had five of his 12 tackles in the second half, recognized the defense's early performance wasn't good enough but was proud of his unit's recovery.

“We just played sloppy, we didn’t play our football. In the first half we definitely prided ourselves on coming out quick and we just didn’t do that,” York said. “But I’m happy with how my defense reacted in the second half. We did our job and that’s all that matters.”

In Mike Elko's first year at the helm, the Aggies are 6-1 on the season (4-0 in SEC play) and are on track for their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance if they keep winning. For York, the team's performance this season can be attributed to players playing for each other more often than in the past.

York and the Aggies will look to win their seventh straight game when they host the No. 8 LSU Tigers next Saturday at Kyle Field.