Texas A&M Football: Freshmen shine in Week 1 blowout vs. SHSU
A win is in the books for Texas A&M football, and now it’s time to reflect. One thing that stood out is how much of an impact the freshmen had in this game. It will be interesting to see if the amount of snaps they get remains similar when conference play starts, but for now, there’s a lot to digest.
On the offensive side of the ball, all of the freshmen play came from the receivers, and they did not disappoint. To start, let’s get the big one out of the way. Five-star phenom Evan Stewart looked as advertised. We kept hearing all camp how good he was, and he was everything Aggie fans could’ve hoped right out of the gate.
Stewart finished the game with five receptions for 57 yards. His first catch, a sweet toe-drag sideline catch, was a very fitting way to start out his collegiate career. His possession skills, ability to secure balls with strong hands and the amount of control he plays with was on full display yesterday.
Chris Marshall was the other freshman receiver who was given significant snaps, and he surprised. People weren’t expecting a whole lot from the other two freshman receivers (Marshall and Noah Thomas), but Marshall was impressive, reeling in four catches for 41 yards. Marshall, another five-star recruit, could be seeing a way to more snaps come SEC play.
Ainias Smith on Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall: "I thought they played pretty well. Coming in as a freshman, I know they had some jitters walking out of the tunnel, but I thought that went away as soon as the game started."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 3, 2022
"They didn't play like freshmen."
On the defensive side, the freshmen stole the show, to say the least. Eight freshmen recorded at least one tackle, and several of them played significant snaps. On the defensive line, the standout was Walter Nolen, which isn’t much of a surprise. He played defensive tackle, primarily in the b-gap, for 17 snaps, and made the most of them, recording three tackles, one QB hit, and an 87.7 PFF defense grade, which was second on the team behind Fadil Diggs.
Other defensive linemen who showed out was Shemar Stewart, Lebbeus Overton, Anthony Lucas. Stewart looked good, recording one tackle, 0.5 tackle for loss, and a 78 defense grade, which ranked third on the team.
Overton enjoyed a solid outing as well. In 16 snaps, he recorded two tackles, one tackle for loss, and a 74.5 defense grade, good for fourth on the defense. Lucas spent a lot of time in the backfield, pressuring the quarterback three times and receiving a 70.5 defense grade.
Jimbo Fisher said he may have played as many freshmen as he's ever played today.
— Aggie Sports (@Aggie_Sports) September 3, 2022
For the linebackers, Enai White and Martrell Harris Jr. both recorded a tackle, while White also had a pressure. In the defensive back room, Denver Harris played a great game, making two tackles and was the sixth-highest graded defensive player (71.2). Bryce Anderson was solid, having two tackles in just seven snaps and Jacoby Mathews recovered a fumble.
Overall, this freshmen class had a very busy day on Saturday. There were great flashes on both sides, but it was notable the inconsistency when they were on the field. This should get better as they see more game time, but for now, they proved again that there is a lot to be excited about with this 2022 class.
