Texas A&M football has now completed one of (at least) twelve games this season, winning big over the UTSA Roadrunners.
The defense was a bit boom or bust. As we talked about a lot headed into the game, UTSA has a very senior offensive unit, including their offensive line, and A&M struggled in the first half to create negative plays. There was a pretty high level of discontent among Aggie fans in the second quarter, as the Roadrunners kept finding purchase in the ground game.
The low point for the Aggies was allowing a 75-yard touchdown run to the Roadrunners to open the second half. From there, though, the defense locked in for the rest of the 3rd quarter, allowing only 18 yards on 3 drives to the Roadrunners in the rest of the period.
Later in the second half, there were some pretty legitimate plays being made by the defense. They looked a lot better— very noticeably so. But the bad run fits from the secondary earlier on were certainly concerning, and they had better get sewn up.
Texas A&M fans pleased with pass offense but upset with rush defense against UTSA
On the flip side, though, the pass game looked absolutely crisp for most of the first half. There were some miscues and miscommunications on routes, but Marcel was right on target, going 11-13 before the final drive of the half.
KC Concepcion electrified Aggie fans early on with a punt return, and he continued the excitement throughout the game with several long catches and runs. That connection will be something to track closely for Texas A&M fans as the year goes on.
Mario Craver looked electric as well all game. The upgrade at receiver has been well-discussed all year, and it really showed up in this game. He was getting open downfield, but he also caught some short balls and turned them into big games— as he did on both touchdowns he got.
The most surprising thing was the lack of a run game we saw out of the Aggies. They passed a lot more than they ran, and while they broke a few runs— including the longest of Rueben Owens's career— it was less of a share in the play calls than many expected.
Probably the most disgruntling thing for the Aggies was the penalties. A&M had a couple of drives stalled almost completely by holding penalties, which is far from what you want to see. You expect a little bit of messiness in execution for sure, but it's something they'll have to continue to work on against Utah State.
Overall, there was a big question answered here in this game: the passing offense and the receivers look far better than they did last year. It was crisp execution through the air— far crisper than we've seen in recent years. There's still a lot to improve on, but the Aggies have one more game before the rubber really meets the road here.