Learned, Loved, Loathed: Texas A&M 34, New Mexico 0

One realizes just how far the Aggies have come when they post a 34-0 victory and aren’t thrilled about it.

True, New Mexico was an overmatched opponent. Top-ten ranked football teams are supposed to dominate overmatched opponents.

The Aggies did that on Saturday. They just didn’t do it to the extreme that they wanted. We’ve learned that good teams have higher standards.

We learned a lot more from that victory over New Mexico, too. We loved and loathed some things, too.

What I learned

Demond Demas is what he was supposed to be: The wait for the once-highly recruited receiver to make an impact is over. His first collegiate catch resulted in a 70-yard touchdown. His second catch resulted in a 30-yard gain. That set up a field goal. Expect similar performances in the future.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Micheal Clemons dominated the New Mexico line on Saturday. 

Micheal Clemons is on the way to his best year: Yes, New Mexico’s offensive tackles were physically mismatched against the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Clemons. Still, give him credit for dominating in what was arguably the best game of his career. Although he’s had games with more sacks, Clemons was a pass-rushing nightmare for the Lobos. He did post a half-sack and was credited with three quarterback hurries. He was also strong against the run. Clemons finished with four tackles with 1.5 resulting in lost yardage.

The offensive line needs a lot of work: One of the biggest areas of concern entering the season has only gotten more worrisome. The Aggies could not consistently control the line of scrimmage against an inferior opponent. That does not bode well with SEC play beginning next week.

What I loved

In his post-game press conference, Jimbo Fisher did not resort to coach-speak in discussing the performance of his team, especially the offensive line. He was blunt and to the point. He said they needed to get “nasty” and show they like to “stick their nose in there.” It will be interesting to see how the linemen respond.

The defense was dominant again: The Aggies posted their first shutout in five seasons. They allowed just 122 yards of total offense in doing so. New Mexico quarterback Terry Wilson was constantly under pressure. He completed just 10 of 23 passes. The Lobos rushed for just 89 yards. Of those, 29 came on two runs by Aaron Dumas. Aside from those two plays, the Lobos averaged less than two yards per rush. A&M now has not allowed a point in seven consecutive quarters.

Moose Muhammad flashing his ability: The second-year receiver finally got a chance and showed he deserves more opportunities. He caught three passes for 24 yards, which doesn’t seem overly impressive on the surface. Look closer. He had a 14-yard catch for a first down on a drive for a field goal. Later, he made a spectacular one-handed grab in the back of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown. The kid is a chip off the old block (his dad was a successful NFL receiver, in case you didn’t know).

What I loathed

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The Texas A&M offensive line will need to improve in hopes of having success against Arkansas next week.

Punting: The Aggies punted four times, which was too many against an overmatched opponent. At least Nik Constantinou made it lemonade out of lemons. He averaged 45.5 yards on those punts and killed all four inside the 20-yard line. 

The offensive line allowed three sacks: A&M quarterback Zach Calzada was hurried on four other occasions. The run blocking was also erratic. The line did spring Isaiah Spiller for 117 rushing yards, but 71 of those came on four carries in one drive midway through the third quarter. Those 71 yards accounted for almost half of A&M’s rushing output.

Any harsh criticism of Zach Calzada is unwarranted: He wasn’t perfect. Sometimes he held the football too long. He needs to learn when to give up on a play and just throw the football away. But he completed 19 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start. He vastly improved on his inconsistent showing in last week’s 10-7 victory over Colorado.