POST GAME THOUGHTS: A&M BEATS NEW MEXICO 52-10

Is this what football-related joy feels like? Is this what it feels like to feel nothing but good after a game?

For the first time in almost 2 years, A&M handled a lesser opponent with ease on the back of a 200-yard/28 pt second quarter and left no doubt about who was going to be the win. To top it all off we put up 50+ points which haven't done in that same time period (52-3 against Prarie View in 2021).

This team had a lot of question marks coming into this game and I’d say we answered a lot of them pretty emphatically. And maybe we’re just getting started?

Let’s break it down

CONNER

Forget about the Bobby/Jimbo dynamic, let’s talk about the Conner/Bobby dynamic. Conner was great tonight, going 18/23 for 236 yards with 5 TDs and grabbing 22 yards on 3 rushes in only about 3 quarters of work. And a key thing was that he was 4/6 on deep passing (15+ yards) giving this offense a dynamic we have never seen in the Jimbo Fisher era. He was poised, smooth, and just somehow managed to make stuff happen even when staring down pressure. Great night for the true sophomore.

FEED THE STUDS

Petrino mentioned it in his press conference that his philosophy was to feed the studs—get the elite players the ball. And man did we do that tonight. Stewart had 8 catches for 115, Thomas had 6 catches for 74, Smith had 3/40, Walker had 3/31, and Moose grabbed 3/12. 6 different guys caught balls and they weren't just quick outs. It’s clear that the offense is trying to be more aggressive and the players are pushing upfield. Man, that was fun to watch.

SOLID DEFENSIVE PLAY

It sure seems like our depth at DL is starting to show up. Thought that guys like Walter Nolen and both Shemars showed out pretty well. We also got some good work in from newcomer/Boston College transfer Josh DeBerry.

Credit to New Mexico, and especially their newly hired offensive coordinator (who showed up from UAB) for putting together a solid game plan. They logged 131 passing and 91 rushing.

THINGS TO CLEAN UP

Hard to nitpick after a 40+ point win but the best time to get yelled at is after a big win and before another big game. The motivation is there to improve because the team can see what we are capable of being.

The OL looked better than it has but we need to tighten stuff up. Running back by committee logged us 29 rushes for 134 yards (4.6 average) which should be higher given the talent disparity against New Mexico.

We still struggle coming out of the half to get our mojo back. We go into the half with a great 5 play 37 yard TD drive, and then come out of the half and go 3 plays for -6 yards. I don't know what we’re doing at halftime but it seems like a consistent issue for Jimbo’s teams.

Lastly, we had 9 penalties for 87 yards including 4 personal fouls/roughing the passer/unnecessary roughness penalties. I get that this team is out here to prove something but we’ve got to be smarter as we move towards tougher opponents.

OVERALL

Great night for your Fightin Texas Aggies. So many questions coming into this about dynamics and relationships and vibes and whatnot and it feels great to do what we were supposed to do and look good doing it.

The talent is there. This roster has it in spades. The question has always been coaching/coordination. And maybe we can feel a little better about that question after tonight.

BTHO miami