Texas A&M Dominates McNeese State: Five Takeaways From The Game

The Aggies looked solid on both sides of the line of scrimmage Saturday, with a few more spots needing a tweak before they head to Florida next week.

Sep 7, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) hands the ball to running back Amari Daniels (5) during the first quarter against the McNeese State Cowboys at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images / Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies were able to redeem their season-opening loss to Notre Dame with a statement 52-10 victory over the McNeese State Cowboys Saturday.

Can the Aggies transfer the momentum from today to next week when they go on the road against the Gators to open SEC play?

We will know that answer in a week, but here are five takeaways from today's big win:

Weigman Improves After Woeful Opener

Conner Weigman showed a drastic improvement from last week's game today against McNeese. Against Notre Dame, the redshirt sophomore didn't complete half of his passes. Today, he was nearly perfect, completing 11 of 14 passes and finding Noah Thomas and Moose Muhammad III for his first two passing scores of the season. Even though he was subbed out in the second quarter due to the blowout, it was evident that Weigman had gotten some confidence back. It might've just taken a week longer than Aggie fans expected.

Run the Dang Ball

And run it they did. After only gathering 146 rushing yards in the first game, the Aggie backs exploded for 333 rushing yards and five rushing scores, with 159 yards and four of those scores coming from the 1-2 punch of Le'Veon Moss and Amari Daniels. The A&M quarterbacks also did their part in the run game, combining for 82 yards. In a conference like the SEC, toting the rock should be a team's No. 1 priority.

Bussey Breaks Out

Another big part of the rushing game? Freshman Terry Bussey. He may have only had one carry in the contest, but he took it 65 yards for a touchdown for the Maroon and White's final score of the afternoon. As player that the coaches are still trying to find a definitive role for, Texas A&M's Swiss-army-knife of a player surely seems like he'd mix in well in the back field or as a receiver.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲:
- Terry Bussey 65 yd TD#GigEm pic.twitter.com/rxHOGbGqpk

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) September 7, 2024

Rush Defense Issues Still Present

Despite the landslide victory, run defense was still a negative for the Aggies. They allowed 198 yards against Notre Dame and surrendered 180 rushing yards against Cowboys today. The run defense seemed to fall apart in the second half, similar to how things played out against the Fighting Irish. Texas A&M allowed Bryce Strong to run for 47 yards as the defense endured a 19-play, 75-yard drive that lasted well over 10 minutes. Thankfully, it was later in the game when the Aggies were ahead by multiple scores but allowing that kind of drive when you're supposed to be a premier defense in the SEC is certainly not going to make competition against Florida next week any easier.

A Lot Can Happen In A Week

When asked if his squad was ready for SEC play on the road, Mike Elko summed it up pretty well:

"I don't think we have much of a choice."

The Aggies have just one week to repair the run defense before they go to "The Swamp" and take on the Florida Gators in their first SEC game of the year. We've seen quick turnarounds from A&M before, so where the Aggies truly stand will become evident against Florida.