Some A&M vs. ULaLa Postgame Thoughts

This past Saturday I attended my second game at Kyle Field. My bike didn't get two flat tires this week like it last week so I arrived at the stadium with much more time to spare. Our seat were also much better, right on the fifty, in the last row of the lower deck. I love A&M's policy of not sticking the students in the least desirable seats. The game was an absolute blowout, but I was impressed with the intensity of the 12th man nonetheless. Early in the game ULaLa's QB decided to audible at the line and the students took the noise to a whole new level. I can't wait for Texas Tech to come to town, I have a feeling that its going to be a special experience.

As for the game itself, Ryan over at TAMABINPO has a pretty good wrap up already up. What jumped out at me from the game was Jorvorskie who was positively Bettisian with 4 touchdowns on only 12 carries. He scored his third TD on his ninth carry causing me to comment to a friend that he was averaging a TD every three rushes, quite a feat. Just before he scored his fourth TD I commented to the same friend that with a TD run here (it was about 10 yards out) Lane would keep on the TD every three carries pace. Jorvorskie then burst through the line and kindly caused me to look prophetic.

Speaking of statistical oddities, throughout much of the first half A&M had as many points as ULaLa had total yards. For the game, A&M had exactly three times as many points as the Ragin' Cajuns had passing yards (51 to 17).

After the game I was searching my memory for a game that I had viewed in person where one team had so totally dominated another one. I could only come up with four examples. Michigan beat Notre Dame 38-0 in 2003, Michigan beat Michigan State 49-3 in 2002 and when I was I kid I went to Michigan State games with my Spartan alumnus father. I remember one MSU-Northwestern game in the bad old days for the Wildcats when the Spartans won something like 42-0. The final game I would compare this to would be the time that Nebraska came into Spartan Stadium and just destroyed the home team. I think that this was sometime around 1996, but it might have been a couple of years earlier. Nebraska was still very much a national power at the time.

So, in summary, the Aggie defense was everything I had hoped for and more. The running game was grindingly effective and the passing game got the job done when it needed to. A&M didn't utilize punter Justin Brantly until the closing moments of the game. Apparently frustrated by his inactivity, Brantly attempted to commit a homicide on the ball with his foot, unleashing a 58 yarder that went all the way in the air.

I have to admit that after the Citadel game I had subtly tuned down my expectations to, "I would be happy with 8-4 but 7-5 is probably more realistic." After seeing what A&M did Saturday, I'm back up to "9-3 would be good, but 10-2 is distinctly possible." Great game for A&M, I can't wait to see how they stack up against Army.