Texas A&M’s first victory of the year was extremely emphatic, as Texas A&M triumphed 54-0 over the Missouri State Bears. It looked for quite a while in the first part of the game like this could suddenly turn into an unforeseen dogfight, as the Aggies only led 9-0 late in the second quarter, but a quick run put them up 19-0 at halftime.
There were some worrying signs for the Aggies in that first half, especially when it comes to the offensive line. But before we get into the questions, let’s talk about the biggest piece of things that was encouraging for the Aggies: Marcel Reed’s clear improvement throwing the ball.
With very limited exceptions throughout the night, no. 10 was on time and on target over and over throwing the ball tonight. That includes some pretty difficult throws to the opposite hash— NFL-type throws, in other words— and even some throws that were dropped by receivers.
Instant reaction: Causes for worry drowned out by Texas A&M’s massive win over Missouri State
But no matter the level of difficulty on the throw, the placement on the ball by Marcel was notably better. The one issue was that there was not as much success over the middle of the field, but when you think about the things that Reed needed to improve upon from last season to this one, that is far down the list.
Marcel was dealing all night, and he was checking the ball down when he needed to. Even when he was struggling thanks to a spotty performance from the offensive line, he was doing a great job of being decisive in pulling the ball down and running.
That offensive line struggle manifested in back to back drives in the first half that began to get Aggie fans pretty worried. There was a segment of two sacks allowed back to back, followed by two back to back holding calls on the next drive. But later on, things really settled down.
The defense is really the biggest story here, though. Even against some pretty terrible opponents, we have not seen a performance this dominating by a Texas A&M defensive unit in Mike Elko’s time in College Station.
It didn’t quite come from pressure up front, either— it came from a defense that was simply suffocating in all facets, from front to back. That success wasn’t limited to the starting unit, either— it was still extremely effective down the roster, and all without a guy that figures to be an extremely big piece of the safety rotation in Tawfiq Byard.
This is a great way to start things off for Texas A&M this season. It would be tough to feel better about this team heading forward into the Arizona State game next week. It looks like Mike Elko may have another special squad on his hands— and fans can’t wait to see what’s in store.
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