Texas A&M walked out of Week 1 with a 50-0 win over Missouri State, and the cleanest takeaway might be the simplest one: the defense looks every bit as nasty as advertised.
That side of the ball barely blinked, holding Missouri State to fewer than 80 yards in 60 minutes. Under Mike Elko, that kind of performance is becoming the standard rather than the exception.
The expectation inside the program is even bigger than that. When asked Tuesday about the group, Ray Coney said they aim to be the best unit in the country.
That does not sound absurd after what A&M put on tape Saturday.
The kicking game also looks a whole lot safer than it did a year ago. David Olano and Asher Murray both came through in Week 1, and Murray’s 46-yard field goal - with about 10 yards to spare - backed up what he showed in the preseason. The days of worrying every time the ball is put on the tee feel like they’re over, even if perfection is not the promise here.
And then there’s the receiver room, which still looks loaded even after Jerome Myles left the program ahead of Week 1 and freshman Madden Williams was set to undergo season-ending surgery. Mario Craver remains the pure speed threat.
Ashton Bethel-Roman should have a bigger role than he did Saturday. Terry Bussey keeps flashing.
But Isaiah Horton may be the piece that changes the whole shape of the passing game.
The 6-foot-4 target already looks like a favorite for Marcel Reed, and the connection is showing early. Horton’s work habits stand out, too.
Every Tuesday after practice, he’s on the juggs machine with an assistant coach for the full session, grinding with no cameras around and nobody watching. That kind of routine matters.
There are still questions, of course, and not all of them got answered in a 50-point shutout.
The running back room looks deep enough to handle whatever comes next, even if some people are already ready to crown KJ Edwards and Carysn Baker. Rueben Owens II is still very much part of the picture.
He showed enough in Week 1 to keep the conversation open, and the full group - including Jamarion Morrow - is going to be needed if this offense is going to reach its ceiling. Owens may still get the bulk of the carries early in the season, but this feels like a rotation that will require everyone.
The offensive line also looks like a unit that needs time, not panic. The first half included some obvious mistakes, but they read more like communication and cohesion issues than a lack of talent or technique.
That matters. There was enough quality film in the early struggles to believe the group will settle in.
The staff may keep mixing and matching combinations, but the best answer could be finding the five and letting them grow together once the games are live.
The one area that feels less certain is tight end involvement in the passing game. With Holmon Wiggins now running the offense, there was reason to wonder how often the tight ends would be featured.
Instead, Week 1 suggested something closer to what A&M has done before. Marcel Reed appears more comfortable attacking with slants and other in-breaking routes to the outside, while the tight ends are showing up later in the progression or on quick throws outside the numbers.
That may be enough for this offense. It does not need a star tight end to function. It would just be nice if the position became a bigger part of the passing game.
For now, Texas A&M has one week of evidence and a tougher challenge coming. Arizona State comes to Kyle Field next, and that should tell us a lot more.
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 🡒]