A “Hail Joseph Smith” from BYU, a controversial halftime performance by the Kansas State marching band and a Fetty Wap-themed A&M victory over Arizona State could not have kicked off the college football season in a more entertaining manner.
The No. 16 Aggies (1-0) will attempt to rival that excitement with their first game in the newly renovated Kyle Field in front of a maroon sea of 102,733 on Saturday.
On Sept. 5, A&M fans exited NRG Stadium with a rollercoaster of emotions. For starters, they saw action out of two quarterbacks, true freshman Kyler Murray and sophomore Kyle Allen. Defensive ends Daeshon Hall and Myles Garrett were a force to be reckoned with, helping the Aggie defense amass nine sacks ­— the most from the school since 1995. Lastly, freshman receiver Christian Kirk knocked people off their feet after registering 224 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns. Kirk became the first Aggie freshman to log a 100-yard receiving game in his debut.
In Columbia, S.C. on Aug. 28 of last year, quarterback Kenny Hill and his Aggies similarly marched into town and clobbered the Gamecocks, 52-28. Much speculation was made after that contest, as many ESPN and SEC analysts immediately penciled in A&M’s name into a spot on their College Football Playoff prediction. After seeing that season unfold, most are proceeding with caution on handling early hype.
But, at a glance it is evident that last year’s opening performance certainly had its flaws, especially in comparison with this one. The Aggie defense, who ranked 102nd last year in total yards, allowed the Gamecocks to register 433 yards. The Gamecocks’ yardage finished just shy of A&M’s humiliating season average by the end of the year. Offenses usually begin working out the kinks and brushing off the rust, but South Carolina consistently kept the Aggie defense on their heels. Moreover, the Gamecocks provoked the Aggies to surrender nearly 100 yards on eight penalties. 
Against Arizona State there weren’t as many noticeable quirks. In fact, the defense held the Sun Devils under 300 yards. Sure, the offense looked out-of-sync in comparison, but let’s remember, Kyle Allen was playing in his sixth game as a collegiate quarterback. Kyler Murray played in his first, but still ran rampant for 69 yards on six carries. 
An injury suffered by James White and no sign of freshman running back Kendall Bussey had people questioning what would happen if Tra Carson were to go down. The suspensions of Zaycoven Henderson and A.J. Hilliard, along with the absences of Julien Obioha, Richard Moore and Otaro Alaka, blurred the once boasted depth of the A&M defense.
Nevertheless, in Tuesday’s press conference, Sumlin assured the media White’s injury was nothing serious, and the linebacking crew should be back completely by Nevada. If true, most of A&M’s problems instantly vanish. 
Still, after witnessing both quarterbacks, there could be fret over possibly hindering their rhythm by interchanging the two.
At first, I had little to no confidence in the theory of the two-quarterback system, since none have ever accomplished anything worth merit. But, most coaches didn’t subscribe to that phenomena because of success at the position, while Allen and Murray offer the potential to be the greatest two-quarterback offense ever. Because of that, there should be less worry. Besides, Ball State and Nevada offer plenty of time to further showcase the duo’s contrasting styles to enable the coaches to reach a more definite decision.
The obvious positives are in the defense, special teams and Kirk, but the Aggies also ran the ball effectively despite facing a blitz-heavy defense. In previous seasons, A&M was rendered hopeless in the ground game no matter what the opposing defense threw at it. A career-high 29 carries by Tra Carson, as scary high as that can be, becomes useful when it’s translating to almost 100 yards.
Differing with last year’s opener, the defense looked nearly flawless. In reality, the A&M defense allowed 10 points when excluding the 4-yard touchdown drive after an ASU recovered fumble. One of few defensive concerns remains at the cornerback position, as Brandon Williams obtains little experience. Although they weren’t tested enough, the island players conceded hardly any chunk of yards in their assignments.
Two weeks from now should unveil more about A&M’s level of play, as the Aggie defensive line will face their biggest challenge of the year against Arkansas, literally. The Razorbacks boast the most massive offensive line in college football protecting a skilled running back, Alex Collins. Only then can people start becoming confident in their assumptions of the return of the “Wrecking Crew.”
Rapper Fetty Wap was tossed around in the Twittersphere after the 38-17, or 17-38, win by A&M. Ball State, who allowed over 500 yards in its 48-36 win over VMI, could be subject to A&M’s next terrorized victim flooded with pop culture references and memes. The Aggies just might go for “679” total yards on them.
Carter Karels is a journalism sophomore and sports editor for The Battalion.