Texas A&M 41, Western Carolina 17: What We Learned

Screen Shot 2015-11-14 at 10.19.50 PMStrong third quarter propels Aggies. Things were uncomfortably tight between Texas A&M and Western Carolina at halftime if you were rooting for the Aggies. Texas A&M held a 21-14 lead, after allowing Western Carolina to score 2 TDs in a span of 43 seconds. RB Detrez Newsome put the Catamounts on the board by going 82 yards and into the end zone over the course of two plays. Then Aggies star freshman Christian Kirk fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which the Catamounts scooped and scored to make it 14-14. But the Aggies would rip off 13 unanswered third-quarter points — a Damion Ratley score from 16 yards out sandwiched between two Taylor Bertolet FGs — and just like that, the game was out of reach. There would be no upset. Murray so-so in win; Allen makes appearance. Kyler Murray started his third-straight game for the Aggies under center. The diminutive freshman still scrambled, but it seemed like Murray made more of an effort to make throws from the pocket than in recent weeks. The end result? Ehhhhhhhh. He threw for 3 TDs but only averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. Murray also threw 2 interceptions. To be fair, the second one came on a Hail Mary at the end of the second half. But Murray very well could’ve tossed two more. A Western Carolina DB bobbled a prime opportunity for a pick-6 in the third quarter. It wasn’t terribly inspiring stuff from the 5-star recruit. Also worth repeating: Murray is 18 years old. Allen, who didn’t appear in the 26-10 loss to Auburn last week, played Saturday in the fourth quarter. He promptly led the Aggies on a three-play, 68-yard TD drive in his first series. Kirk regains stellar form. Yes, Kirk was responsible for fumbling a kickoff that led to a Western Carolina TD. But if you look past that, Kirk was spectacular Saturday. He finished the game with 9 receptions for 122 yards and 2 TD. He also took a punt return 46 yards to give the Aggies great field position in the first half. It was encouraging stuff from Kirk, who after a red-hot start to 2015 was relatively quiet in the Aggies’ three games prior to Western Carolina. In 10 games this season, he’s caught 63 balls for 828 yards and 6 TDs.