I for one didn't get to watch the Texas A&M game since it was on at the same time several other games were on TV that I cared about. You'd think, perhaps like I did, looking at the score that A&M dominated this game since they won 38-17.
Then you watch the tape.
Holy crap, this was a close game with 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter, and A&M only up by 3 points. Even worse, what I've come to know as a hallmark for an Aggie team (high powered quick offense) wasn't there at all. In fact, the starting Quarterback Kyle Allen was so bad in the first half that they replaced him in the second half with Kyler Murray, then went back to Allen after Murray apparently got injured.
Why did Kyle Allen have such a bad day? Well for starters, the offense was going nowhere in the first half. Yes, they were up 14 points, but much of that was coming off their defense giving them field position, and a huge punt return for a TD. Then, with a 14 point lead, Allen took a really bad sack fumbled inside his own 10 yard line, and that lead to the first Arizona state score. After that, he threw a horrible pick when the Aggies were finally starting to drive down the field in the second quarter.
What he got replaced with was even stranger. Kyler Murray is extremely fast. That's the one thing you notice immediately when he's on the screen. He's so fast that you wonder at times if anybody can catch him. He's tightroping lines, getting out of bad pockets, and juking guys out of their shoes. He looks like Deion Sanders running around out there with children. He's that fast. But he also has no arm to speak of. Every throw down the field was an adventure, and not in a good way. He finally threw a horrific interception right to a defender when nobody was standing around him. I have absolutely no idea who he was throwing to. It was shortly after that that Allen came back into the game in the fourth quarter to try and salvage it offensively.
Without Christian Kirk making an incredible running play on a simple WR screen pass that went 66 yards for a TD, Kyle Allen would have had 135 yards passing in the game on 25 attempts. For an A&M team that was used to tossing the ball around and scoring fast, this offense looked completely pedestrian for three quarters. If it wasn't for the punt return, they should have been losing this game by the time the 4th quarter rolled around. Even their running back Tra Carson kept getting bottled up over and over, despite his late score.
But oh sweet Moses what a defense! I never expected it. You've seen fast defenses, but I have the luxury of watching several plays in a row back to back to back when I review film. This defense is amazingly fast. This defense is like watching speed skaters hopped up on goofballs. The first guy to catch your eye will be #15 Myles Garrett, their defensive end. He's a sophomore, 6-5 and 262 pounds and lightning fast. This guy has NFL rusher written all over him, and it's a real thrill to watch him shed blockers and fly around to the quarterback.
It wasn't just Garrett though, the entire Aggie team forced FIVE fumbles and recovered two of them for turnovers. There were all over the place, making swarm tackles and plays in the backfield. If the play was slow to develop? Forget it, you're toast. They also held Arizona State to under 100 yards rushing, and this was a team that averaged 169 on the ground last year. All in all, I was really shocked at how good the defense looked for A&M, especially since the offense looked so bad. It wasn't until the fourth quarter when A&M broke through with 3 TDs, 2 of them late because Arizona State was pressing in 4-down territory.
I have to wonder though how this speedy defense will handle a power running attack that they will inevitably see in the SEC West. I also have to wonder how the offense will improve, or they will get demolished by some of the other strong SEC defenses. Kyle Allen better figure out something fast, because if that game was any indication, A&M's Quarterback situation is pretty dire.
So to recap, if you can put one word on what A&M is as a team this year, it's this: FAST!
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