1. The offense keeps the foot on the gas: Sure, SMU is not a great football team, or even a good one, but A&M scored 58 points and had 663 total yards of offense on the road. Sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill didn’t play a single snap in the second half and the Aggies still managed almost 400 yards passing. The Aggies lead the SEC in total yards, yards per game and points per game, averaging 55.3.
2. The defense is better (than last year): This is less of a takeaway from Saturday’s game and more of a takeaway from the season as a whole. The Mustangs entered the weekend as one of the worst offensive teams in college football, and as expected, A&M’s defense absolutely smothered them. The Aggies had eight sacks on Saturday, and none came from team leader Myles Garrett. The Aggies lead the SEC in sacks with 17 and had 21 sacks in all of 2013.
3. The offense is fine without Speedy Noil: Standout true freshman Speedy Noil was forced to miss Saturday’s game with a knee injury. Noil has been electrifying this season as a return man and receiver, leading some to wonder if head coach Kevin Sumlin’s offense would slow down without him. Nope. Eight different players caught a pass and the fast-paced Aggie offense rolled, even without the talented player. Wide receiver Josh Reynolds hauled in a 70-yard touchdown from Kenny Hill just before halftime in Saturday’s game, his third consecutive catch for a touchdown dating back to the Rice game.
4. Josh Lambo stays perfect: The professional soccer player turned A&M kicker has been perfect this season, hitting all five of his field goals and all 29 of his PATs. Lambo nailed three field goal attempts against SMU, including a career-long 50-yarder. Many college football fans should be nervous when their team’s kicker trots out, but not Aggies. Lambo is legit.
5. The depth to compete in the SEC: One of the biggest issues last season for the Aggies was the depth on the defensive side of the ball. The 2013 and 2014 recruiting classes have all but eradicated that problem for defensive coordinator Mark Snyder. Of the 21 Aggies who made tackles on Saturday, 13 of them were freshmen or sophomores. These young guns will only get better as the season goes on, and the reps they received are ever-important as the meat of A&M’s schedule has yet to begin.
6. Washington makes return: Sophomore linebacker Shaan Washington saw his first action of the season Saturday since fracturing his collar bone in fall camp. Washington made his presence felt, finishing second on the team with six tackles, including two sacks and two tackles for loss.