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Texas A&M Football: Grades after Week 1 win over Sam Houston State

By Brandon Martinez

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 03: Haynes King #13 of the Texas A&M Aggies hands the ball off to Devon Achane #6 of the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field on September 03, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 03: Haynes King #13 of the Texas A&M Aggies hands the ball off to Devon Achane #6 of the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field on September 03, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Sep 3, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher speaks during a half time interview of the game against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher speaks during a half time interview of the game against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /

Special teams

This is a day to forget for the special teams unit, a unit widely regarded as one of the best in the conference. Kicker Caden Davis didn’t had a great day, but he had an okay one. There’s one thing for sure, he is automatic on extra points, finishing 4-4 on his opportunities. Kicking from distance was an issue for him as he missed a 52-yarder and kicked a kickoff out of bounds.

Punter Nik Constantinou had a pretty good game, where he averaged 42.5 yards per punt. He also landed two punts within the opponents’ 20-yard line. The return game was okay. There was nothing great to come out of it, but the special teams defense did allow a fake punt to convert on fourth down.

Grade: D+

Coaching

The coaching overall had a pretty solid day. The offense had some fairly vanilla playcalling, but I enjoyed seeing the offense take some deep shots. Penalties weren’t bad, but the offensive line accounted for most of them. Four penalties were on the o-line, which was a bit of a discipline issue, however their first-unit wasn’t all out there, including Bryce Foster and only some of Layden Robinson.

The defense was run phenomenally. D.J Durkin had an outstanding debut. The defense played very fast and they had little to no trouble in terms of reading the offense. The defensive IQ seemed to look really good and they played within their boundaries, only committing one penalty all game.

Grade: B+

Overall

The team as a whole has taken a step forward. There were still many key starters missing, including Foster, Jaylon Jones, McKinnley Jackson and others, but the team looked a lot more explosive than it has in years’ past.

The passing game looks great, the defense looks like the strength of the team, the coaching staff even looks improved. If the offensive line can get healthy, the special teams can bounce back, and the playcalling can get a bit more creative, this team could be dangerous come conference play.

Overall grade: B+