Aggies' win a team effort, but Manziel shines brightest

DALLAS — The Civil War song “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” is often played at A&M football games, but the Fighting Texas Aggie Band should consider brushing up on a few more old tunes, too.

Like maybe Johnny Angel, Big Bad John and definitely Johnny B. Good.

That’s because after Johnny Manziel’s jaw-dropping, spectacular performance in Texas A&M’s 48-3 blowout of SMU, jubilant Aggies will be enthusiastically singing his praises.

Manziel, the redshirt freshman from Kerrville Tivy, was as slippery as a wet bar of soap and routinely squirted away from defenders to turn tackles into touchdowns. He set A&M freshman records with 294 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 124 yards to account for 418 yards of total offense — another freshman record.

Johnny B. Good? Heck, Johnny be great.

But Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin attempted to tone down any postgame euphoria by maintaining — quite accurately — that this was very much a “team” victory.

“The story of the game was how our defense played,” Sumlin said. “Early, they kept us not only in the game, but gave us some energy, too.”

No question, the Aggie defense was excellent in shutting down the Mustangs, who had scored 76 points in two previous games.

The Aggies held SMU’s bulldozing running back Zach Line in check most of the day, sacked quarterback Garrett Gilbert four times and didn’t allow the Mustangs on the scoreboard until late in the third quarter.

It was the second consecutive strong outing for the Aggie defense, which last week allowed just 20 points to Florida.

So what does that say about a defensive unit that some thought might be a liability this season?

“Not too much yet,” answered linebacker Sean Porter. “Once we get into SEC play we’ll see how good we are.”

Actually, a few remaining skeptics at SMU’s Gerald Ford Stadium were saying the same thing about Manziel, even though he scrambled around like a teenaged Fran Tarkenton to account for a half dozen touchdowns in all.

Of course, Manziel did that against a leaky SMU defensive unit that won’t be confused for any in the Southeastern Conference … except for maybe Arkansas, Auburn and Ole Miss.

Besides, the numbers that Manziel posted were not even as impressive as the ways in which they were accumulated.

He made a strong throw to Ryan Swope for a 29-yard touchdown pass. He scrambled 48 yards for another score. Manziel scrambled away from SMU’s towering defensive end Margus Hunt and bought time until receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu broke behind free safety Jay Scott.

Then, Manziel delivered a fastball strike that hit Nwachukwu squared on the No. 7 on his jersey for a 26-yard touchdown.

That was just in the first half.

Later, Manziel spun out of an apparent sack and connected with Kenric McNeal for a dazzling 44-yard touchdown pass. He evaded pressure and swept 15 yards on another touchdown run. He passed to Nwachukwu for another score.

Manziel’s six touchdowns came on plays that covered 29, 48, 26, 42, 15 and 12 yards.

He turned A&M’s defensive players into awe-struck spectators.

“Some of the things Johnny does is amazing,” linebacker Jonathan Stewart said. “I thought he was back at Tivy High School the way he was running around. But he carries the ball like a loaf of bread. That’s what I worry about.”

At least in this game, there was no reason to worry.

“Johnny is a big-time playmaker,” Aggie senior center Patrick Lewis said. “He does a lot with his feet and gets us as an offensive line out of a lot of jams. I’m glad he’s on our team. You just keep blocking and doing your job because he’ll keep running around and making plays.

“There’s a ‘wow’ factor. He’s able to slip from tackles, and when you watch it on film it will be a thing of beauty. I guess that’s why they call him Johnny Football.”

That must be why.

But Sumlin was calling for perspective.

During his distinguished coaching career, Sumlin was on the sideline when former A&M quarterback Dustin Long threw seven touchdown passes against Texas Tech. He was at Oklahoma when Jason White and Sam Bradford had Heisman Trophy-winning seasons. He was at Houston when Case Keenum threw for 534 yards and nine touchdown passes against Rice.

Obviously, it isn’t easy for quarterbacks to impress Sumlin. Yet, Manziel did it.

“I was impressed,” Sumlin said. “But it’s only Game Two, fellas. We’ve got a ways to go. The key to this football team is to keep improving. And like I’ve said (before) it’s never as good as it seems or as bad as it seems.”

He’s right, of course.

It is only the second game of Manziel’s career and defenses like Alabama’s and LSU’s loom later in the season.

But then again, it’s only the second game of Manziel’s career. Imagine how much better he could get with experience.

Learn some new songs Aggie band. This may be just the beginning of singing Johnny’s praises.