In their second game of the season, the Texas A&M Aggies defeated the Utah State Aggies 44-22. There were some improvements from week one (like the run game and run defense), but still plenty of things to work on.
Monitoring injuries
Both Trey Zuhn and Marcel Reed left the game, but SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang reported that both were available to return, but unlikely to do so due to A&M having a decent lead in the game. This sounds super positive, but still something to monitor.
Aggie defense bounces back
After giving up 373 yards to UTSA last week, A&M held Utah State to just 250 total yards (and only 72 rushing). The pass rush got going as well, as the Aggies dropped Bryson Barnes six times. Cashius Howell had one of the most remarkable sequences you’ll ever see, sacking Barnes on three straight plays.
The defense also forced its first turnover of the season as Sam M’Pemba had a sack, forced fumble, and recovery late in the 4th quarter.
The run game returns
A&M running backs only received 13 total carries in week one, but running the football was definitely a point of emphasis this week. The backs received 30 carries against Utah State and racked up 183 yards. Le’veon Moss looked like his old self, toting the rock 10 times for 68 yards and a touchdown.
It was good to see Moss get more carries and the run game be more of a focus, but there were some instances where A&M was stifled in short yardage. A&M will need to convert those next week in what is sure to be a physical game against the Fighting Irish.
Inconsistent effort
Probably the most frustrating part of the game was the complete lapse of focus on certain drives, especially at the start of the second half. When the Aggies were on, they were flat out dominant today. But for whatever reason, there were just way too many drives where they appeared to be just going through the motions. Maybe it’s due to the opponent and the players have their eyes on next week. Regardless, Coach Elko was not happy with it and A&M will need to play hard for all four quarters if they want to win next weekend and reach their goals this season. The road trip to Notre Dame next week is going to answer a lot of questions about this football team.
