Texas A&M came away with another big victory, defeating Arizona State 48-20 in front of 107,523 fans at Kyle Field. On a day when the offense produced only 255 total yards, one Aggie made the most of his limited opportunities.
The running game struggled to get anything going for most of the afternoon, and when that happens, it makes the passing game that much harder to operate. With every yard at a premium, wide receiver Isaiah Horton came up big with his three receptions.
Horton finished with only 33 receiving yards, but two of his catches were red-zone touchdowns. That is especially important after A&M struggled to consistently turn red-zone opportunities into touchdowns last season.
His first score came with the game tied 7-7 during the second
quarter. An Arizona State miscommunication in the secondary left Horton wide open, and Marcel Reed found him in the back of the end zone from four yards out to retake the lead.
Horton’s only reception that did not result in a touchdown still played an important role. His 16-yard catch moved the chains late in the first half and helped A&M drive into scoring position. David Olano finished the possession with a 22-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Aggies into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
His second touchdown answered an Arizona State field goal that cut the advantage to 17-13 during the third quarter. From 13 yards out, Reed placed the ball where only Horton could get it, pushing the lead back to two possessions.
Through two games, Horton has recorded seven receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns. His overall volume has not been high, but he has quickly established himself as one of Reed’s most dependable targets when the Aggies need to finish a drive.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Who was Texas A&M's offensive player of the game vs. Arizona State?
