Every Saturday in College Station, TX is essentially a national holiday — one the college town waited nine months to celebrate again. 107,521 fans decked in maroon, with specks of orange sprinkled in, flocked in to witness the in-state showdown between Texas A&M and UTSA. And those fans were treated to offensive fireworks and explosive playmaking.
The Aggies bested the Roadrunners in a 42-24 contest dictated heavily by the skill position players. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed diced up the UTSA
defense with 289 passing yards and four touchdowns, quickly acquainting himself with his new weapons from the transfer portal. NC State transfer KC Concepcion corralled three receptions for 72 yards, while Mario Craver from Mississippi State added 122 yards on eight catches in a stellar showing for the Aggie aerial attack.
However, UTSA countered with its own star in running back Robert Henry Jr. Returning as the Roadrunners’ feature back, the senior consistently tore up the Aggies’ refurbished defensive front. Henry manufactured a career-high 177 rushing yards, hitting five separate runs of 10+ yards or greater in his 2025 debut.
Defenses had their way in the early moments of the game, as the Aggies and Roadrunners traded punts on each of their first two series. But that second punt was the tone-setter as Concepcion weaved through an obstacle course of UTSA tacklers en route to an 80-yard house call, providing Texas A&M a 7-0 first quarter advantage. Special teams proved to be a major advantage for the Aggies, which returned two kickoffs north of 30 yards and three punts eclipsing 10 yards, completely dismissing UTSA’s coverage efforts.
Texas A&M secured a double-digit lead in the early second quarter on a swing pass to Craver, which produced a 25-yard touchdown. But even in the SEC’s largest atmosphere trailing 14-3, the Roadrunners were unfazed by their early adversity. Quarterback Owen McCown guided his troops right down the grass in College Station, and Henry put on the finishing touches with a 15-yard score to the left corner of the end zone.
Texas A&M responded by targeting one of its transfer receivers, as Reed fired a slant to Concepcion who utilized his field navigation skills to find a pathway to the end zone. The NC State transfer’s second touchdown of the night catapulted the Aggies to a 21-10 halftime advantage, but the early third quarter is where the Roadrunners provided the ultimate scare. On the first offensive snap following the halftime theatrics, Henry read his blockers, made a cut, and flew down the field for a 75-yard touchdown, surviving a footrace against a pair of speedy Aggie defenders. At that point, with 14:47 remaining in the third quarter, Henry amassed 170 rushing yards on 12 attempts.
The next sequence only concocted more nervous energy at Kyle Field as cornerback Jakevian Rodgers nearly jumped a screen for a pick-six. With only a 4-point advantage in the third quarter, the Aggies then punted to UTSA, but the Roadrunners’ golden opportunity to continue the upset scare never materialized. Texas A&M’s defense held Henry to seven yards on four carries after his 75-yard scurry, handcuffing the Roadrunner offense from scoring until the final 15 seconds.
Texas A&M took full control in the latter portion of the third quarter, converting a 4th and goal to Theo Melin Öhrström from the 1-yard line to secure a two-score lead. Then Craver raced in another screen for his second touchdown of the night to escalate the difference to 35-17. Finally, the Aggies reached the end zone by means of the ground game as EJ Smith did the best impression of his father Emmitt, lowering his shoulder to power through UTSA’s defense to cap off a 21-0 scoring run.
The Aggies start year two of the Elko era at 1-0, improving to 4-0 against the Roadrunners in their brief series history. With its talented receivers leading the way, Texas A&M hopes to continue the offensive surge at its home base when Utah State visits Kyle Field on Sept. 6.
Meanwhile, UTSA dropped its eighth-straight matchup on the road (excluding the 2024 Myrtle Beach Bowl coincidentally played at Coastal Carolina), a skid dating back to November 2023. After losing steam in the middle of the third quarter, Traylor hopes to build on the positives from the early portions of the game as the Roadrunners eye revenge on rival Texas State at the Alamodome next Saturday.
