#6 Texas A&M started their 2022 campaign with a 31-0 shutout win over Sam Houston Saturday. The game started at 11 AM but was delayed two hours due to heavy rain and lightning. The few souls who stayed until 5:04 PM to watch the game to the end saw defensive dominance and a mixture of big plays on offense.
Texas A&M QB Haynes King performed well at times, finishing 20/31 passing for 364 yards and 3 TDs. King’s performance was marred by two interceptions. King showed a little too much faith in his arm, attempting to throw the ball into tight windows in double coverage. While King’s go-for-broke style resulted in multiple big plays, including two 50+ yard TDs, it also resulted in two turnovers.
Ainias Smith led all receivers with 6 receptions for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns. True freshmen Evan Stewart (5 catches, 57 yards) and Chris Marshall (4 catches, 41 yards) were also frequent targets. Yulkeith Brown hauled in two receptions for 68 yards. Brown 66 yard TD reception at the 3:39 mark of the first quarter was A&M’s first score of the 2022 season.
A Caden Davis field goal and Ainias Smith’s 66 yard TD reception gave the Aggies a 17-0 halftime lead. After the delay ended, Devon Achane finished a 71 yard drive with a 1 yard TD run. Smith added a 43 yard TD reception at the 11:10 mark of the fourth quarter to end the scoring.
A&M’s offense struggled to find a groove early on, mainly due to a lackluster running game. Sam Houston was content to load the box and force A&M to prove they could beat the Bearkats through the air. A&M’s offensive line struggled, especially the interior line. A&M finished the day with only 110 yards rushing on 32 carries, a paltry 3.4 ypc average. King and backup Max Johnson were a combined 23-25 for 387 yards. A&M put up 497 yards of total offense for the game but they were anything but dominant on that side of the ball.
Defensive Dominance
A&M’s defense, however, was dominant. Under new defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, the Aggies held the Bearkats to 91 yards passing and forced two turnovers. Time and again, the Bearkats tried to run the ball, only to run into a brick wall of defenders. Sam Houston finished with 107 rushing yards, but 18 of them came on a fake punt in the fourth quarter. Sam totaled 198 yards of offense and struggled to move the ball all day against a swarming defense.
Shemar Stewart and Isaiah Raikes combined for a sack, along with tackle Lebbeus Overton, who had 2 tackles and a sack. Stewart had another sack taken off his stat sheet when A&M accepted a holding call. The defensive line combined to make 17 of A&M’s 52 tackles today, or roughly one-third of the defensive stops. When your front line is making a third of the plays, you’re playing dominant defense.
Who Is Next?
A&M plays Appalachian State at 2:30 PM on September 10. The game will be televised on ESPN 2.
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