Defense rolls & lightning strikes as No. 6 Aggies blank Sam Houston, 31-0

More than 90,000 Texas A&M football fans twiddled their thumbs for nearly three hours on Saturday, waiting for lightning to pass.

They did the same thing in the first half, waiting for lightning to strike.

A flash finally arrived late in the first quarter in the form of a 66-yard Yulkeith Brown touchdown catch. A second strike occurred a minute before halftime with quarterback Haynes King hitting Ainias Smith with a 63-yard scoring pass.

Soon afterward, Kyle Field emptied as the crowd sought shelter from the inclement weather which interrupted a 31-0 season-opening victory over Sam Houston.

But lighting strikes and heavy rain may not have been as worrisome to Aggies as the dearth of thunder in the running game.

A&M’s running game was like car with a malfunctioning alternator.

They had trouble starting. They stalled. Growling and whining noises were made  — though those were coming from the 97,946 fans in attendance.

The sixth-ranked Aggies gained just a paltry 25 rushing yards in the first half and just 110 overall. Running back Devon Achane, who averaged 7.3 yards per carry against SEC defenses last season, finished with only 42 yards on 18 carries. 

Sam Houston defenders routinely crashed into the Aggie backfield. Four times Achane was thrown for lost yardage. Even on a third-quarter touchdown drive, the Aggies needed three plays to score from the 1-yard line.

This against a Sam Houston defense which last year allowed 190 rushing yards in a season-ending loss to Montana State last year.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher’s diagnosis of the problem? Sam Houston’s scheme of criss-crossing linemen and linebackers.

“Stunts up front. The twists game up front. Multiple twists and stunts and looping,” Fisher said. “They have a really nice scheme. We knew it going in. We were over-chasing the down guy. Not playing on the loop. It takes timing. We got the rhythm the second half and got back into it. 

“We’ve just got to be patient. It’s tough. It can be a pain. We’ve got to do a much better job. That’s my fault. We have to prepare them better.”

Fisher taking responsibility was noble. It was also not completely accurate. 

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The Aggie defense limited the Bearkats to 198 totals and forced two turnovers and three sacks. 

A&M’s rebuilt offensive line — Trey Zuhn and Matthew Wykoff made their first collegiate starts, and star guard Layden Robinson rotated in and out of the lineup — definitely needs a reboot.

Fisher acknowledged as much. 

“The first half, we didn’t play well at all,” he said. “Then, I thought, in the second half, we did a nice job. Established the ground game. Able to run the football. We’ve got to get better. There’s no doubt.”

Actually, there is plenty of doubt coming out of this game.

Though three Sam Houston defensive starters are transfers from FBS programs, the Bearkats defense pales in comparison to those A&M will face in the SEC west division. If Achane cannot be sprung against Sam Houston, will he find room to run against Alabama, Mississippi State and LSU?

The answer might be receivers. If A&M can throw deep with success, opposing defenses may be forced to play looser against the run.

Throughout the offseason, Fisher promised the Aggies would throw deep more often. Consider that a promise kept.

King threw deep downfield seven times. Three resulted in touchdowns — Smith had another 43-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. Two ended with interceptions. Three fell incomplete.

“I know, earlier in (August) camp, I said we were going to have more explosive plays,” Smith said, who caught six passes for a career-high 164 yards. “I know people were wondering how that was going to happen. It was all really just running our base stuff.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Making just his third career start, Haynes King recorded 364 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.  

“Haynes was on point. He was pretty comfortable, delivering the way he’s supposed to. We delivered.”

King passed for 364 yards — the most by an Aggie since Kellen Mond lit up Clemson for 430 yards in 2018. But he also threw two interceptions.

“That’s a solid performance,” Fisher said. “He can play better than that, but I thought he threw the ball accurately downfield. He hit guys in stride. Made plays. Sometimes we’ll check it down a little more. That’s part of the growth.”

A&M will desperately need to see growth. The Aggies are already seeing it in the defense, which might grow into a raging beast. 

Sam Houston managed just 198 total yards. Safety Jardin Gilbert got an interception. Linebacker Andre White deflected two passes and forced a fumble. The Aggies got three sacks. Sam Houston’s longest play gained just 18 yards. It was on a faked punt.

“Our main points was to affect the quarterback and play good on the edges,” senior safety Demani Richardson said. “I feel like, as a defense, we did those jobs.”

They accomplished it while liberally rotating in freshmen from their celebrated No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.

“I saw young guys and older guys making plays on the football,” Fisher said. “We tackled well. We swarmed well. Hopefully, we can build on that.”

Building on that defensive effort is vital. Building up a running game is even more important.