After a 50-0 rout of Missouri State, No. 10 Texas A&M gets a much stiffer test in Week 2, and Arizona State arrives in College Station with plenty of momentum of its own after a 70-7 demolition of Morgan State.
This one has the feel of a matchup built around the sidelines as much as the field. Texas A&M’s Mike Elko and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham headline the coaching battle, and both programs come in having handled business in lopsided openers.
The quarterback spotlight also gets interesting fast. Arizona State quarterback Boley, the former Kentucky Wildcats signal-caller, comes to Kyle Field a week before Kentucky’s trip to face the Aggies.
He’ll be staring down a Texas A&M front led by Ryan Henderson, Anto Saka, and Marco Jones. Jones made his presence felt right away in the opener, strip sacking Skyler Locklear during the win.
Boley had little trouble against Morgan State, throwing for 387 yards and six touchdowns. That kind of production is exactly what Texas A&M’s defense is built to challenge, especially with Marcus Ratcliffe, Dalton Brooks, and Dezz Ricks in the secondary. If Arizona State can get that passing game rolling again, the Sun Devils would have a real shot at handing the Aggies just their third home loss under Elko.
The battle up front should be just as telling. Rueben Owens II opened with 17 carries for 77 yards, and Texas A&M finished with 236 rushing yards as a team, but the offensive line was shaky in the first half against Missouri State. That gives Arizona State defensive lineman CJ Fite a chance to make an early impact, even if he managed only two tackles in the opener.
Texas A&M will also need to keep an eye on what happens when Marcel Reed starts to push the ball through the air. His deep passing stood out in the opener, and that gives the Aggies another layer Arizona State has to account for if it wants to win the line-of-scrimmage fight.
The Sun Devils bring their own weapons on the outside. Reed Harris led the way with 137 yards and two touchdowns, while Omarion Miller, the Colorado transfer, posted a team-high eight catches for 102 yards and a score. Texas A&M’s secondary has experience, but takeaways weren’t a calling card for the Aggies last season, so limiting the damage becomes the priority there.
Texas A&M and Arizona State kick off at 11:00 AM from Kyle Field this Saturday.
In Other News...
Rival Coach Just Turned LSUs SEC Controversy Into A Bigger Story
Mike Elko did not need much prompting to weigh in on LSUs recent run-in with the SEC, and the Texas A&M coach used a pointed analogy to describe what happened around Baton Rouge. Speaking after LSUs dispute with the league over its attempt to roster former NFL players, Elko compared the episode to a child pushing limits before the consequences arrive, a sharp way to frame a controversy that briefly had the Tigers staring at possible expulsion.
The SEC ultimately backed off after LSU filled those roster spots with eligible student-athletes and severed ties with the former NFL rookies, defusing a situation that had threatened to become much bigger. Elko said he expects things to settle down and LSU to remain in the league, but his remarks added another layer to a strange little saga that already had the SEC office and one of Texas A&Ms biggest rivals in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Elko Just Turned Up Texas A&Ms LSU Tension Again
Mike Elko has a way of making the SECs biggest rivalries sound a little more personal, and his latest remarks only added to the edge around Texas A&Ms meeting with LSU. The Aggies coach drew a comparison between the conferences disciplinary response and a parent correcting a child, a blunt way of saying LSU is being kept in check as the league weighs the fallout from the Tigers offseason activity.
For Texas A&M, it is the kind of comment that keeps an old SEC tension simmering in public view rather than letting it fade into the background. With future games between the Aggies and LSU looming, Elkos framing only sharpens the sense that this is about more than one isolated conference issue, because the rivalry already has enough history without needing any extra fuel. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Is Bringing Back One Of Kyle Fields Most Meaningful Traditions
Texas A&M will add a familiar layer of meaning to its upcoming Red, White and Blue Game against Arizona State at Kyle Field, using the matchup to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The Aggies are planning to wear special red, white and blue helmets and gloves, reviving a tradition that stretches back to the years immediately after 2001 and has long tied the programs on-field presence to a larger moment of remembrance.
The game has also carried a charitable side in the past, with previous Red, White and Blue Games helping raise funds for organizations connected to 9/11 relief efforts. For a fan base that values the symbolism attached to Kyle Field traditions, this one will once again be about more than just the opponent across the field. [Read more 🡒]