Press Box Roundup: Florida 20, Texas A&M 17

Press Box Roundup: Florida 20, Texas A&M 17

COLLEGE STATION - The stage was set and all-eyes were on Kyle Field Saturday for Texas A&M's first SEC football game. But the 2012 season, the Kevin Sumlin era and life in the SEC began with a disheartening 20-17 loss to Florida. Here are the highlights from my view inside the press box:

QUICK HITTER: Much like 2011, all was well in the first half. The Aggies racked up 17 points and 269 yards in the first half. But in the second half they managed just 65 yards and no points. The Florida defense put the clamps on quarterback Johnny Manziel and the Aggies could not find an answer. The defense played exceptionally well, particularly along the line, which posted eight sacks and nine tackles-for-loss.

TURNING POINT: The Aggies led by 10 points late in the first half when Florida kicker Caleb Sturgis clanked a 51-yard field goal attempt off the right upright. But Sumlin called timeout just prior to the snap in an effort to ice Sturgis, one of the nation's top kickers. He converted the second attempt to pull the score to 17-10 with 1:49 remaining in the second quarter. A&M had a chance to tack on more points, but needed that timeout to set up a field goal attempt. It was a possible six-point swing and gave Florida momentum heading into the locker room.

BEST HIT: The biggest hit of the night actually came from A&M running back Ben Malena. He barrelled over Florida's Josh Evans near the goal line midway through the second quarter. Evans, who had eight tackles in the first 20 minutes of action, left the game with an apparent shoulder injury and never returned.

BEST HANDS: Thomas Johnson. The true freshman's one-handed grab on a looping pass from Manziel in first quarter was a highlight reel play that he'll probably never forget. The leaping grab took place in heavy traffic along the A&M sideline. Johnson jumped between two defenders, plucked the ball out of thin air with his right hand, took a huge hit from both defenders, landed hard on the turf and held on to the football in bounds.

RISING: Defensive end Damontre Moore. While Moore has already become a well-above-average SEC defender, consistency has always been an issue. And with a change in scheme and having to face SEC offensive linemen, there were concerns as to how Moore will perform in 2012. In the opener, Moore dominated the line of scrimmage with 10 tackles (seven solo) and three sacks. He played like a man on a mission.

FALLING: Wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu. Nine players caught at least one pass for A&M, but it was a very quiet day for Nwachukw. In a game where A&M could have really used a proven playmaker to step to the forefront down the stretch, Nwachukwu did not have a catch.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: A&M outside linebacker Sean Porter: "It's embarrassing. You shouldn't lose games like that. You shouldn't lose games because of mental mistakes. We talked about that all summer. It's embarrassing. … I'm really tired of losing games and talking about what should have happened and what we should have done. Whatever it is, we have to figure it out and start getting it done."

STANDING O: Piped in music entering the second half was a nice touch. So long, stale feeling that causes everyone to get down entering the third quarter. Players were bobbing their head and feeling good. Kudos, marketing team. Kudos, Sumlin. Kudos. The Aggies still lost the game and went stale in the second half, but it was not due to lack of effort by the Kyle Field gameday crew. I also like the new entrance, with the team coming in from the northwest corner of Kyle Field like they did back in the good ole days. There was smoke. There was Kanye West. There was a newness and a "changing of the guard." But all the while, there was still that same old Aggie feeling that makes this place so unique. The drummers drummed. The War Hymn played. And the two sides - Old Army and New Army - meshed together well, in one man's opinion.