Texas A&M 56, Ball State 23: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_18556" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Will Leverett Photo by Will Leverett[/caption] Texas A&M took down Ball State in its home opener on Saturday. What did we learn about the Aggies? DCTF's Claire Cruz breaks it down.The Aggie offense is efficient. Texas A&M followed a solid performance against Arizona State with a game it dominated from the start. The Aggies scored their first touchdown less than four minutes into the game on an eight play, 62 yard drive that set the tone early. They were solid on third down, finishing the night 9-for-14, and tallied 503 total yards of offense. Their ground game was led by running back Kwame Etwi, who finished the night with 116 yards on 12 carries. Tra Carson had another productive night, too. Carson finished while A&M’s offensive line protected the quarterback well and created holes for the ground game, which it’ll need to continue doing when conference play starts.  Kyle Allen is the real deal. The young quarterback was poised and in control all night. Allen had no problems reading the defense and his passes were right on the money almost every time. He showed off his arm by completing 10 of 13 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Oh, and he did this all in the first half. After this performance, it’s possible that the idea of Allen entering the Heisman conversation won't seem as crazy as it did a few weeks ago. A&M’s defense is solid. Ball State scored just three points in the first half of the game and recorded 361 total offensive yards. The Aggies pressured the quarterback often behind their steady defensive line, highlighted by defensive end Myles Garrett. They had two defensive scores on an interception returned for a touchdown and recovered a forced fumble in the end zone. This defense may actually be able to contain the running game and prevent big plays down the field in a way last year's defense couldn't.  Penalties are a problem. The only dim spot in this performance were the seven penalties for 79 yards. Part of that might’ve been the hyped atmosphere. The Aggies were playing in their newly renovated stadium for the first time, but those mistakes still need to go. If A&M gets more disciplined across the board, it will be ready for the SEC gauntlet.