Aggies vs. UL Monroe Notebook: 3 Takeaways From Win

Coming off of a loss to Miami on the road, the Aggies returned to Kyle Field needing a win, and even without one of their top receivers, that proved to be easy. Here are three takeaways from Texas A&M's rout of UL Monroe.

For the Texas A&M Aggies, Week 3’s home meeting against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks was all too familiar. 

Last season, a win against a non-Power 5 school gave coach Jimbo Fisher's squad momentum heading into the second week of the regular season, and then in the span of a 60-minute game, it was gone. 

The Aggies needed a win against Appalachian State in order to make a case for being a contender because without it, they wouldn't be taken seriously, though at the end of the day, they weren't. A 5-7 record certainly does that to a team, after all. 

This season, a similar story has begun to unfold — but for different reasons. The Aggies lost to a much more established program in Miami last week, but still, didn't capitalize on the momentum that they gained on opening night. 

Both seasons saw Texas A&M bouncing back in Week 3, but the difference this season is that the Aggies weren't trying to follow their previous seasons' blueprint. Not at all. 

The good news for them, however, is that diverting from a season that ended in a missed bowl game is still on the table, and their matchup against UL Monroe proved that. That being said, here are three takeaways from Texas A&M's 47-3 rout of the Warhawks: 

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1) Bobby Petrino's Offense is Performing As It's Expected To

Texas A&M is now 2-1 on its 2023-24 campaign, and despite taking a loss in Week 2, its offense was not the issue. On three combined games, the Aggies have put up 132 points — enough for a top-20 mark in the country on points per game. 

Between Noah Thomas, Ainias Smith, Evan Stewart and Moose Muhammad III, the Aggies have no shortage of weapons through the air, and it's shown. Even during the Aggies' loss to Miami, Weigman found two different receivers for touchdowns and took one in himself. 

On the rushing front, Amari Daniels has seemingly began to separate himself amongst the Aggies' rushing trio of him, Rueben Owens and Le'Veon Moss. He's ran for 100 yards and a touchdown, which is significantly lower than Texas A&M's receiving leaders, but given how well the pass game has worked so far, it makes sense. 

Saturday's victory over the Warhawks only further proved that the Aggies have an elite offense full of weapons. Last season, games against non-Power 5 schools didn't necessarily seem like guaranteed wins. That's changed this season, and for the better. 

2) Conner Weigman's Consistency Makes Any Receiver a Top Target 

As mentioned before, Weigman has found a groove and has yet to lose it. 

Since being named the Aggies' full-time starter, Weigman has completed 64 percent of his passes and found the end zone seven times — a mark just shy of his entire seasons' touchdown total a year a go. 

Fisher has been vocal about the importance of consistency for a successful program, and Weigman has shown that he not only has talent, but he's a mature passer at the same time. His presence in the pocket this season is noticeably well-composed, with his arm strength only compounding his impact.

Despite Evan Stewart's absence and Noah Thomas' mid-game exit, the Aggies still found the end zone through the air, which does bode well for bigger matchups against top-tier SEC defenses. And Weigman will be the base for that success.

3) Texas A&M's Defense Is Its Own Worst Enemy

When a team's offense is averaging 42.5 points per game, losing a game certainly raises questions: Is the other team averaging 50? Was it just an off day for them? Was it the defense's fault?

For the Aggies, last week's loss to Miami revealed that the latter was the most true. Yes, Miami's offense has proven to be elite, but the loss still fell on Texas A&M's defense. Against the Warhawks, that wasn't the case, but it's worth noting that Miami's offense was significantly more loaded than UL Monroe's. 

Either way, Bobby Petrino and company proved to be consistent on offense, as was the case for all three of the Aggies' games this season. But there's also one loss, and it came against the only Power 5 team that Texas A&M has faced, which also happened to score 48 points.

The Warhawks and Lobos combined for just 13 points, but the Aggies' defense won't be facing non Power 5 schools the rest of the way, minus Abilene Christian.

If the Aggies want to be among teams contending for a spot in the CFP, having a balanced offense and defense will be needed. Texas A&M’s upcoming SEC stretch will be crucial in experimenting with that theory, 

UL Monroe was a good start, though.