Defense leads second-half scoring surge in A&M's 28-point win

Click here to view Texas A&M’s postgame press conference.

Game #2: No. 10 Texas A&M 48, Arizona State 20
Records: Texas A&M (2-0, 0-0), Arizona State (1-1, 0-0)
Box Score

According to a well-known cliché, the ability to win without playing well is the mark of a good football team.

If that adage is indeed correct, Texas A&M may be destined for greatness.

On a patriotic Saturday afternoon, A&M celebrated USA and decimated ASU despite seeming AWOL much of the game.

The three decks of Kyle Field were splashed in the colors of Old Glory in remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy 25 years ago.

On the playing field, the 10th-ranked Aggies red-white-and-blew out visiting Arizona State, 48-20.

Quarterback Marcel Reed threw three touchdowns — two to Isaiah Horton — and two pick-sixes turned early frustration into elation.

Danny Grant, TexAgs

Isaiah Horton recorded three receptions and two touchdowns for 33 yards.

The four-touchdown victory was as ludicrous as it was lopsided.

A&M flourished despite floundering much of the game. The Aggies managed only 255 yards of offense to Arizona State’s 369. They struggled to run effectively. The defense frequently allowed big plays to Sun Devils quarterback Cutter Boley, who passed for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

A&M covered the 14.5-point spread but couldn’t cover Sun Devils receiver Reed Harris, who had nine catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

To fully understand the absurdity of this nonsensical non-conference win, consider this very accurate sentence:

A&M punter Tyler White bobbled the snap, which set up defensive end Marco Jones’ clinching touchdown on an interception return in the fourth quarter.

That’s right. The team that’s been starved for interceptions got a pick-six from Jones. That was just the first one. Julio Humphrey got another in a fourth-quarter scoring barrage.

Danny Grant, TexAgs

The Texas A&M defense recorded two pick-sixes for the first time since 1999 against Southern Miss.

With such an emphatic victory, surely A&M coach Mike Elko subscribes to the “good teams win despite bad games” theory.

Or maybe not.

“I don’t know that I ever want to say I subscribe to that theory because I always want to play at our best,” he said. “We did it today, and we won comfortably, right?

“I told the guys in the locker room there were times last year where we looked really pretty play-in-and-play-out. We threw and caught the ball better at times. We stopped people better at times.

“But we didn’t do winning things. Made too many penalties or turned the ball over and didn’t create turnovers.

“Today, at times, we played ugly, but we did the winning things right.”

By winning things, Elko means:

• Winning the turnover margin. A&M did, 4-1.

• Win on special teams. A&M recovered a muffed punt, stopped a fake punt and converted two field goals.

• Score touchdowns in the red zone. A&M got three.

• Minimize penalties. A&M committed only one for five yards.

• Win in the fourth quarter. The Aggies outscored Arizona State, 24-0, in the final frame.

“Between all of that, certainly, a lot that needs to get corrected. A lot that needs to get cleaned up and fixed,” Elko said. “But when you look at our markers for what winning football looks like, we were able to do that today.”

The Aggies got some help from the Sun Devils, too.

In fact, if not for a series of gifts and gaffes, the Aggies might have been in dire straits before halftime. Instead, they led 17-10.

Arizona State practically gifted A&M 10 points with a muffed punt that set up an A&M touchdown and a thwarted fake punt that led to a David Olano field goal.

The Aggies maintained a 31-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.

However, that’s when White fumbled the deep snap, and Arizona State took over at the A&M 34-yard line with a golden opportunity to cut into the margin.

Instead, opportunity knocked for Jones on the next play.

Boley dropped back to pass, but was hit by defensive end T.J. Searcy. The ball floated out of Boley’s hands and into Jones’.

Jones sprinted 55 yards for the clinching touchdown.

“When I was running, I was definitely looking back because I felt somebody running behind me,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘Alright, I just cannot let them catch me.’ So, I was just running as fast as I could.”

No one came close.

Sam M’Pemba recovered a fumble on Arizona State’s next play. That led to Olano’s second field goal.

Then, Humphrey ended the Sun Devils’ next series with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.

And just like that, A&M appeared to transform from a struggling team to a very good one.

“You’ve got to be able to overcome adversity if you want to be a really, really good football team,” Elko said. “I thought we were able to overcome some adversity today. That was really good to see.”