Aggies Opener: Reasons to be Concerned, Encouraged

Texas A&M opened its season with a dominant defensive performance and an uneven showing from Haynes King at times.

What do we take from the Texas A&M opener?

Should we be concerned that new (old) starting quarterback Haynes King looked uneven and somewhat ordinary, despite the final stat line?

Should we be encouraged that the defense pitched a shutout on a weird that included a long weather delay and near-empty stadium in the second half?

Perhaps a bit of both is fair, as the No. 6 Aggies broke the seal on the season with a 31-0 surgical strike of overmatched Sam Houston on Saturday morning/afternoon at Kyle Field.

The performance won’t earn any style points or likely extra votes when the next rankings are released. Those around the country not really interested in the goings on in College Station probably didn’t stick around after lightning delayed the proceedings for nearly three hours.

Those that do care, namely the highly-paid coaches roaming the sidelines, have reason to be both concerned and encouraged after the first dress rehearsal of 2022.

“Well, like I say, any win is a good win,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said.

King, back in the saddle after having his freshman season but short after five quarters, threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns. Good stuff, to be sure. He also offered up two picks against an FBS defense – albeit a good one at that level.

King did look somewhat shaky in the first half. He missed open receivers and tried to force the ball into coverage, including the interception near the goal line late in the first quarter.

Those plays can’t happen once the schedule inevitably toughens up. Still, Fisher seemed OK with King’s return.

“I thought he did a real nice job of and hit some big plays.” Fisher said. “It’s a solid performance. He can play better than that. He can play better than that.”

Ainias Smith did catch six balls for a career-high 164 yards and two scores. Young receivers Yulkeith Brown, Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall also had promising showings.

Texas A&M did struggle running the ball and winning the line of scrimmage. The bulk of the Aggies' 110 yards on the ground came in the second half.

“They got us in the run game.” Fisher admitted.

The Aggies allowed less than 200 yards, had three sacks and forced two turnovers. Nothing wrong there, especially if the defense carries the squad.

“The reasons they had success were for the right reasons,” Fisher said. “Sometimes you have success because the other team makes a mistake or does it wrong. I thought for the most part … the leverages and things they kept on the ball was really good.”

Not every team comes out of the gates full speed. But when considering what No. 2 Georgia did to Oregon and how No. 1 Alabama looked, it’s reasonable to expect more from the Aggies.

Appalachian State, next week’s foe, was a conversion away from possibly upsetting North Carolina. Sam Houston, no matter A&M’s performance, is now in the rear-view.

“We won this game. It’s a new week,” defensive back Demani Richardson said. “We just have to go out and practice well, prepare well, watch film and do all the little things. But I just feel like we played one game. It doesn’t matter anymore. We’ve got to move on, practice well, and take this week as it go.”

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You can find Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.

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