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Photo by Brandon Jones, TexAgs
Texas A&M Football

Post-Game Review: Texas A&M 73, Lamar 3

September 7, 2014
9,987

Kenny Hill and Co. were worth the wait.

A record crowd of 104,728 endured a two-hour, five-minute delay to see the first football game at renovated Kyle Field.

The ninth-ranked Aggies rewarded their patience with an emphatic 73-3 victory over overmatched Lamar on Saturday night.

Hill threw touchdown passes to Ricky Seals-Jones, Sabian Holmes, Edward Pope and Malcome Kennedy, while Trey Williams, James White and Brice Dolezal rushed for TDs.

A trio of heralded true freshmen also got into the act. Myles Garrett sparked a consistent pass rush that harassed Lamar quarterback Caleb Berry most of the night. Speedy Noil came tantalizingly close to scoring touchdowns on long kickoff and punt returns, too.

Also, quarterback Kyle Allen replaced Hill and threw touchdown passes to Boone Niederhofer and LaQuvionte Gonzalez.

Lindsay Crouch, TexAgs Garrett looked virtually unblockable and has single-handedly changed the A&M pass rush. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Garrett looked virtually unblockable and has single-handedly changed the A\u0026M pass rush.","MediaItemID":45063}
Rising: Garrett’s sack totals. The celebrated freshman defensive end notched two sacks against Lamar, which increased his season total to three. That equals the Aggies’ individual high sack total from last season (Gavin Stansbury and Shaan Washington each had three in 2013). By the way, former South Carolina All-American defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the first pick in the NFL Draft last May, posted eight sacks as a true freshman.

Falling: The notion that the Aggies have an on-going quarterback competition can be put to rest. Hill followed up a 511-yard, three-touchdown passing performance in a season-opening victory over South Carolina with another exceptional showing. Hill completed 17 of 26 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns against Lamar. Meanwhile, Allen entered the game late in the second quarter. He completed 12 of 16 for 122 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

Not bad at all. But Hill is now firmly established as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Best hit: There is a reason quarterbacks are taught to slide. Deshazor Everett was one of the teachers. Late in the first half Lamar quarterback Caleb Berry scrambled out of the collapsing pocket for a 12-yard run to the Lamar 48-yard line. But at the end of that run he tried to leap over Everett. Instead, Everett hit Berry low and sent him somersaulting to a painful landing on the turf.

Best hands: Speedy Noil reached up high to snare a deep pass from Kenny Hill on A&M’s first play from scrimmage. The catch netted a 44-yard gain and set up a touchdown two plays later.

Turning point: Lamar trailed just 14-3 and had the football at the A&M 31-yard line after recovering a fumbled punt. However, Everett intercepted a Berry pass on the very next play. Four-plays later, the Aggies scored 10 points in three minutes and 33 seconds following the turnover.

Standing 'O': Credit the 12th Man — all 104,728 of them — for comprising the largest collegiate football crowd ever in the state of Texas. And they sat through a weather delay of more than two hours to do it.

Scoring summary

Andrew Cagle, TexAgs Several more of A&M's young talents, such as James White, saw extended snaps and showed incredible potential. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Several more of A\u0026M\u0027s young talents, such as James White, saw extended snaps and showed incredible potential.","MediaItemID":41954}
First quarter
A&M: Trey Williams 33-yard TD run. (Josh Lambo kick). Key play: Speedy Noil 44-yard pass from Kenny Hill. A&M 7, Lamar 0

Lamar: Josh Davis 20-yard FG. Key play: Michael Handy 30-yard pass from Caleb Berry. A&M 7, Lamar 3

A&M: Ricky Seals-Jones 24-yard pass from Kenny Hill (Lambo kick). A&M 14,  Lamar 3

A&M: Sabian Holmes 51-yard pass from Hill (Lambo kick). Key play: James White 13-yard run on third-and-one. A&M 21, Lamar 3

Second quarter
A&M: Lambo 20-yard FG. Key play: Speedy Noil 67-yard punt return. A&M 24, Lamar 3

A&M: Edward Pope 9-yard pass from Hill. (Lambo kick). Big play: Pope 27-yard pass from Hill. A&M 31, Lamar 3

Third quarter
A&M: Malcome Kennedy 18-yard pass from Hill (Lambo kick). Big play: Noil 53-yard kickoff return. A&M 38, Lamar 3

A&M: James White 1-yard run. (Lambo kick). Big play: Clay Honeycutt recovers fumbled punt at the Lamar 15. A&M 45, Lamar 3

Fourth quarter
A&M: White 3-yard run (Lambo kick). Big play: White 7-yard pass from Kyle Allen. A&M 52, Lamar 3

A&M: Boone Niederhofer 2-yard pass from Kyle Allen. (Lambo kick). Big play: Nick Harvey 30-yard punt return. A&M 59, Lamar 3

A&M: LaQuvionte Gonzalez 33-yard pass from Allen. (Lambo kick). Big play: A&M 66, Lamar 3

A&M: Brice Dolezal 41-yard run. (Lambo kick). A&M 73, Lamar 3
 
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