Halftime: Texas A&M Woes Continue, Tied with Appalachian State
COLLEGE STATION -- After last week’s 31-0 win over Sam Houston, Texas A&M fans wondered what went wrong at Kyle Field. Were the Aggies dealing with first-game jitters? Were the problems against the Bearkats an bad omen going forward?
It’s still early, but the No. 6 Aggies (1-0) might have a better indication of their future entering the second half of Saturday’s game against Appalachian State. It’s not a pretty one, either.
The Aggies are currently tied with the Mountaineers (0-1) 7-7 thanks to a 26-yard touchdown run from speedster Devon Achane. The junior running back finished the first half with a team-high 30 yards on three carries.
Sophomore quarterback Haynes King returned under center after leading the Aggies to a shutout win the previous week with deep throws. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said he wanted to see King be more efficient with the short-to-intermediate throws.
King looked sharp in terms of decision-making, but the offensive line hurt any progress. A low snap by center Matthew Wykoff led to a fumble recovered by King for a loss of four yards. Another fumble by King was recovered by Mountaineers defensive lineman DeAndre Dingle-Prince inside the Aggies 30-yard line.
King finished the first half 6-of-10 passing for 46 yards. He also showed off the speed with a 31-yard run to move the chains on third down in the second quarter.
Penalties hampered A&M’s defense early. A false start on a fourth-and-2 allotted the Mountaineers a fresh set of downs. A facemask penalty against linebacker Chris Russell pushed Appalachian State inside A&M’s red zone. Another facemask against cornerback Tyreek Chappell gave the Mountaineers another first down, eventually leading to a 4-yard touchdown run by Ahmani Marshall.
A&M’s defense nearly had its first takeaway of the season in the second quarter. Aggies safety Demani Richardson blitzed Mountaineers quarterback Chase Brice, initially leading to 45-yard fumble recovery for Fadil Diggs. Upon further review, the play was ruled an incomplete pass.
Brice finished the first half 8-of-20 passing for 75 yards. The Mountaineers were 2 of 9 on third down conversions, and 2-3 on fourth down.
A&M will receive the ball to begin the third quarter.
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