Texas A&M struggled early against Western Carolina, but pulled away in the home finale and came out victorious with a 41-17 final tally. Here are five takeaways from the game from Battalion sports reporter Mickey Gashaw.
1. The running game shines
1. The running game shines
Seniors Tra Carson and Brice Dolezal dominated the game on the ground, with Carson getting 17 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown while Dolezal pounded the rock 18 times for 84 yards. The duo took a lot of pressure off quarterback Kyler Murray and kept the Aggies on schedule the entire game.
2. Kyler bounces back
2. Kyler bounces back
After barely breaking the 100-yard mark through the air, Mur- ray put in a necessary bounce-back performance. Murray went 22-for-39 passing for 191 yards and three touchdowns. The initial interception on the first drive surely didn’t make the coaching staff happy, but Murray showed toughness by continuing to play through the mistakes.
3. Slow start from the Aggies
Being tied in the second quarter with Western Carolina wasn’t what the Aggie-faithful intended on Saturday. Murray threw two interceptions by halftime and the defense gave up holes to Catamount running back Detrez Newsome, who finished the game with 111 yards rushing. A fumble by Christian Kirk on a kickoff return added onto the Aggie mistakes in the first half.
4. Kyle Allen makes things interesting
4. Kyle Allen makes things interesting
Once the game was out of hand, Kyle Allen saw live game ac- tion for the first time since being benched in favor of Murray three games ago. Allen went a perfect 6-for-6 for 88 yards and threw a touchdown to Christian Kirk. A&M fans will have to find out at Tuesday’s news conference if this will change the quarterback situation.
5. Aggies turned it around in the second half
5. Aggies turned it around in the second half
The Aggie offense began to click in the second half. With a good run-pass balance, A&M began to wear down the Catamounts. The defense brought consistent pres- sure on quarterback Troy Mitchell and made him scramble around to find throwing lanes. Murray also began to find Christian Kirk in the second half, which tends to lead to good things. Kirk finished the night with nine receptions for 122 yards.
