Texas A&M Football: 3 Takeaways from the New Mexico Game

The long-awaited first game of the year for Texas A&M Football has finally come and gone, and it gave the Maroon and White faithful a lot to chew on before next weekend’s matchup against Miami, especially when it comes to this new offense from OC Bobby Petrino. The defense showed marked improvement as well after a lackluster start, generating turnovers and stifling the UNM offense.

This was an all-around performance from the Aggies. After a slow first quarter where UNM did their best to pull an App State and control the pace, the Aggie offense broke out in earnest in the second period, scoring a whopping 28 points—and it could have been more, if not for a holding call against freshman Rueben Owens wiping out a long pass from Weigman to Thomas, leading to a field goal attempt that New Mexico blocked.

I’ll say that again: 28 points for Texas A&M football in the second quarter alone, and it could have been more. The Aggies’ average points per game from last year was 22.8. They exceeded their average points per game from last year in a single quarter.

Yes, it’s just New Mexico. I get it. But that’s no easy task.

The second half had fewer fireworks from the Aggie offense—the game was well in hand by that point, after all, and the backups entered for all of the fourth quarter—but we still got some eye-popping throws from Weigman. The defense locked down in the latter half of the game, allowing only a field goal to the Lobos, who got in range thanks in large part to penalties (more on that later). This was a team that looked hungry on both sides of the ball.

So let’s get to it. Here’s what we learned about the 2023 Aggies from game one.