At long last, Texas A&M has played a football, and boy does it feel good. Was it perfect? Far from it. But no game it. The Aggies absolutely got off to a sluggish start offensively that frustrated many in maroon (our maroon, not Missouri State’s). But they found their groove and the final result was a 50-0 victory to start the season off on the right foot. Let’s break down the big takeaways.
Let’s talk offensive line
The big talk coming out of this game will be the offensive line, which candidly, looked atrocious in the first
half. Whether it was giving up consecutive sacks, committing consecutive holding penalties or allowing consecutive red zone runes to get stuffed, the new-look Maroon Goons had a ROUGH first half. Raising a lot of alarm bells. But A&M made several personnel changes to that unit at halftime, and I gotta, say, it looked like a different unit. Suddently A&M mauled the Missouri State DL the way we thought they should have from the start.
Certainly there’s an immense amount of football to go, all of which is likely against better competition, so it’s hard to glean TOO much from what this means long-term. But the second half improvement at least gives some optimism that the early problems may not be a lingering issue.
How about that defense?
Flat-out, this defense was dominant all night. The starters were pulled early in the 4th quarter after giving up only 56 yards and three first downs, and the backups held their own to maintain the shutout. The Bears crossed midfield just one time, and really had no explosive plays. There’s a lot more to learn in future weeks, but it’s hard to walk way from this game with any critiques of the defense (though I’m sure Mike Elko will find some). The DL looked stout, especially against the run. The secondary was suffocating. The linebackers were QUICK to close gaps. Mission accomplished for the defense in Week 1.
I think we have a RB controversy
Rueben Owens looked fine, but whether it was Jamarrion Morrow, K.J. Edwards or Carsyn Baker, the players behind him looked ELECTRIC. Owens is the veteran leader, and still an excellent pass-catcher, but it sure feels like the guys behind him are quickly earning a larger share of the backfield workload. It will be interesting how that breakdown of touches looks a week from now against Arizona State.
Quick passing game notes
Marcel Reed overall looked solid, completing passes to 10 different pass-cathers en route to 236 yards and two passing touchdowns. There were a couple errant throws, as well as a couple drops, in the first half that kept them from really having a great day, but nothing that sets off any alarm bells on a day where they really dind’t need to do a ton.
We have kickers!
Both David Olano and Asher Murray (the backup) made field goals, nobody missed a PAT, and every kickoff went out of the back of the end zone. That’s an admittedly low bar, but it’s a bar A&M quite often did not clear in 2025. At least for not, A&M’s kicking issues appear solved, much to the delight of A&M fans’ cardiac conditions.
Farmers Fight, call it a night.
With that, the Aggies are 1-0, as well all expected, and seem to have escaped without any major injuries. Mission accomplished. Now we move on to the first real test of the season as A&M hosts the Arizona State Sun Devils next Saturday at Kyle Field. IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK!
