TEXAS A&M VS APP STATE
Aggies raise major questions ahead of matchup with Mountaineers
Sep 7, 2022, 10:19 am
The Aggies are off to a 1-0 start on the season. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.
Texas A&M kicked off their 2022 campaign against the Sam Houston Bearkats last Saturday with a commanding 31-0 victory. Kickoff was at 11:03 A.M. The final whistle was not blown until 5:04 P.M. An almost three-hour halftime due to inclement weather at Kyle Field made the matchup feel like two different games.
The two halves saw two different Texas A&M teams. The first half team answered questions that were pondered during the offseason and raised some somewhat concerning questions as well. The second-half team eased the minds of some Aggie faithful but still was not particularly convincing. Let's examine what we saw from the Maroon and White in week 1.
Something that surprised the 90,000 plus that were in attendance at Kyle Field was how many true freshmen played for Head Coach Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies. Most notably, two wide receivers who seem to have what the Aggies have been lacking for a long time, big play capability. Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall got the starting nod in Fisher's offense and did not disappoint. They combined for 9 catches and 98 yards, which on paper does not look like a lot, but watching them play felt like a lot. Outside of Ainias Smith, Texas A&M has severely missed a big play threat on the outside. These two true freshmen seem to be exactly what Jimbo was looking for as he wasn't afraid to target them early and often.
On the defensive side of the ball, plenty of true freshmen saw meaningful snaps, and not in garbage time either. The #1 recruit in the nation DT Walter Nolen collected 3 tackles, defensive back Denver Harris, safety Bryce Anderson and defense lineman LT Overton combined for 6 tackles. Adding these freshmen in with an already salty group of veteran defenders put to bed any concerns of a possible regression in the defense under new Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkin. Granted it was against an FCS opponent, but the unit looked as dominant as ever, holding the Bearkats to under 200 yards of total offense and keeping them off the scoreboard completely.
Now on to the more concerning questions that were raised on Saturday, quarterback play and offensive line struggles. Statistically, Haynes King had one of the best passing days by an A&M QB since the 2020 season. King threw for 300+ yards for the first time since October 10th, 2020, when Mond threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns in an upset win over #4 Florida. Despite this accomplishment, King’s performance left many Aggie faithfuls uneasy. Haynes looked uncomfortable in the pocket and hesitant to run. He also threw 2 more interceptions, which gives him 5 in 5 quarters of play. These concerns are fair, but it could be argued that it is due to inexperience, and a little more time under center for the maroon and white will bode well for King.
The offensive line was also dealing with a fair bit of inexperience. Outside of Duece Fatheree and Aki Ogunbiyi, three Aggie offensive linemen saw their first full game of action. The unit pass protected well but was very ineffective when it came to run blocking. The explosive Devon Achane was held to only 42 yards on 18 carries. Jimbo Fisher credited Sam Houston’s Defensive Line for mixing things up against the inexperienced line, but the group needs to make a big stride from week 1 to week 2 as the Appalachian State Mountaineers come to College Station.
App State comes off of a heartbreaking loss against the North Carolina Tar Heels and will look to shock the college football world by upsetting another top 10 team on their home turf. I think the Mountaineers will make things uncomfortably close throughout this one but look for the Ags’ defense to smother App State and allow for the home team to pull away. The Aggies win 41-21 to improve to 2-0.
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Justin Verlander picked up his first win since returning from a neck injury and Yordan Alvarez hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning as the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 on Saturday night.
Kyle Tucker added a pinch-hit homer, Jose Altuve had two hits and two runs scored, and the Astros won their third straight to remain 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Seattle in the AL West.
Tucker's home run was his first in seven games since returning from a shin fracture. He has yet to play the outfield in consecutive games since coming back Sept. 6.
“To have a guy like that on the bench, you'd rather have him on the field, but when you have him on the bench, you can't wait to throw him out there,” Astros manager Joe Espada said.
Verlander (4-6) gave up two runs and four hits over five innings after he was 0-4 with a 9.69 ERA in four starts since returning Aug. 21 following a 2 1/2-month absence due to neck stiffness. He had two walks and two strikeouts while earning his first win since May 24 against Oakland.
Ryan Pressly pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for his fourth save.
Despite the win, the 41-year-old Verlander is still looking for more from his outings as October approaches.
“It's start to start at this point, trying to play catchup,” the three-time Cy Young Award winner said. “Unfortunately, before I got hurt, I got on a little bit of a good run there, kind of found my mechanics and then the neck injury, and I kind of lost it. Obviously, I lost a lot of time. I'm trying as quickly as I can to get back to that version where I'm tougher to hit than I am right now.”
Los Angeles starter Tyler Anderson (10-13) gave up four runs and seven hits over five innings. Eric Wagaman delivered the first hit and RBI of his career in his fifth game for the Angels on a double in the fourth.
“That's awesome; now he can relax a little bit,” manager Ron Washington said.
Wagaman began his major league career 0 for 9 with two strikeouts.
Altuve got the Astros going by leading off the game with a bunt single and stealing second base. He went to third on a groundout and scored on Anderson's wild pitch.
Verlander walked his first two batters before Nolan Schanuel gave the Angels their first run on an RBI single.
Houston's defense picked up Verlander from there, starting with a diving catch in center field from Jake Meyers. That began a run in which Verlander retired nine of the next 10 Angels batters.
Astros right fielder Ben Gamel slammed into the short wall in right field in the fourth to take away a potential RBI from Mickey Moniak, although Wagaman followed with his RBI double for a 2-1 Angels lead.
“There's been some starts now when the ball hasn't gone my way, so it was nice to have some of those (defensive plays)," Verlander said. “It felt great.”
Verlander is lined up for at least two more starts before the regular season ends and the Astros put together potential roles for the postseason.
“We'll evaluate this one over the next few days and just continually try to add brick by brick in the right direction,” Verlander said. “Continue to try to improve.”
The Astros moved in front in the fifth when Alvarez followed a leadoff single from Altuve with a home run to right field, his 34th. With two outs, Jeremy Peña singled, stole second and scored on Victor Caratini's single.
The Angels nearly tied it in the eighth but Schanuel was thrown out at home plate by Meyers while trying to score from second base on Logan O’Hoppe’s RBI single that cut Los Angeles' deficit to 4-3.
Tucker connected for his 20th homer in the ninth, his first since June 1 before a long injury layoff.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: Meyers appeared to injure his left leg while tracking down a flyball on the warning track from Wagaman in the ninth, but remained in the game after a visit from the athletic training staff. ... OF Chas McCormick is optimistic he can return from a broken right hand before the regular season ends Sept. 29.
Angels: RHP Carson Fulmer (elbow inflammation) is optimistic he can return to a bullpen role by Tuesday after spending the past two weeks on the injured list. ... Angels infielders Michael Stefanic (calf) and Brandon Drury (hamstring) were out of the lineup.
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Ronel Blanco (10-6, 2.99 ERA) has not given up more than two earned runs in any of his last three road starts.
Angels: RHP Caden Dana (1-1, 9.00) lasted just one inning in his second career start last Sunday against the Rangers.