Momentum Shifts: Leon O'Neal's pick-six lit the fuse for Aggies in opener

Kicking off the 2021 season at Kyle Field on a Saturday night in September was something so many Aggies were looking forward to. The anticipation and excitement for this season after everything that went on last year (Covid, limited capacity games, etc.) felt a little bit different than previous years. After such an impactful 2020 season for the Aggie Football program, the team entered last Saturday with not only high expectations but a high preseason ranking as well.

We know all of this and have been talking about it since the Orange Bowl postgame interviews. This team returns significant experience and talent from the top defense in the SEC. Three All-American players on offense. The best tight end, offensive lineman and running back in the conference. A roster full of young and dynamic talent due to these coaches recruiting at a level we have not seen in a very long time, if ever. Combine all of that with the staff continuity that Texas A&M has had under Jimbo Fisher and you get yourself some HIGH EXPECTATIONS.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Anticipation was as high as ever as the Aggies returned to a full Kyle Field for the season opener on Saturday.

Like Nuño said on the Post Game Wrap Saturday night, throughout the first half of the game, most of us probably experienced a range of emotions: excitement, frustration, confusion, passion, joy and so on. There is a reason for that. The first half saw this team show some flashes of greatness — the opening drive on offense, multiple passes downfield, defense shutting down an offense known for explosive and high-scoring outputs — but at the same time, it also showed some things this staff and team will want to clean up...or should I say things they have to clean up in order to continue the path towards elite status for the long-term. Between the four turnovers (three inside the 30), drive-killing penalties at critical times and mental mistakes, there was enough to leave us all wanting more. 

Coming out of the half, the team needed some kind of spark. Texas A&M needed someone on the team to bring some juice and energy back to Kyle Field. We needed to get the Big Mo back on our side and wake the fans up under the lights.

We had just settled for a field goal to make it 13-3. Kent State was driving down the field on 2nd & 9 and we got a tackle for loss. It turned out to be another big play nullified by a penalty…a momentum killer.

The official called a ridiculous personal foul on DeMarvin Leal after the Kent State O-lineman flopped like a soccer player trying to draw a red card. Frustration was building on the field and in the stands. The Golden Flashes break a few long runs, and before you know it they are heading into Texas A&M territory. It seemed to me that we were falling asleep at the wheel and playing down to our competition. We needed someone to literally WAKE THE TEAM AND THE FANS UP.

Then it happened…

The officials made another error and called Leon O’Neal for targeting on the A&M sideline. After another long delay for a review process, they reversed the call. Two plays later, Texas A&M got the spark they would need.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Leon O’Neal made good on his trademark, “Wake ‘em up!” slogan and turned the tide of Saturday’s game with a pick-six.

With 7:40 left in the third quarter, Leon O’Neal, one of the experienced leaders on this team, WOKE ‘EM UP and intercepted Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum for the second time and returned it 85 yards to the house to give the Aggies a 20-3 lead.

After that turnover, the Aggie defense went back out and held Kent State to a three-and-out. After the punt, the offense came out and knocked out a first down, and then Devon Achane did what he did back in January: he broke a 60-plus yard TD run to put the game away. With 3:49 left in the third quarter, less than four minutes after Leon’s pick-six, A&M was up 27-3, and any hope the visitors had was all but gone.

The Aggies went on to put up almost 600 yards of offense and held what I think will be an explosive team again this year to 10 points.

I’ve heard it said from many coaches in my career that the outcome of every single game usually comes down to two or three plays that make the difference. As a player, you never know which play it is going to be.

Momentum is the exact same way. It can swing your way or the other team’s way in an instant. Leon O’Neal’s interception for a touchdown was the momentum-changing play this week. There will be a few of these each week that will determine the outcomes of the game. We will spend the rest of the season breaking those down together.

Now let’s clean some of these things up from Game One, head up to the Rocky Mountains and BTHOcu.