Someone Call the Law: Texas A&M Aggies Decimate Samford Bulldogs

Not every program can pull over 100,000 people for an 11am kickoff against a struggling FCS team, but the Texas A&M Aggies can.

The 104,877 people who filed into Kyle Field on Saturday were there for one reason and one reason only: to see the 10-0, No. 3 Texas A&M football team before the Aggies embark on their College Football Playoff journey.

The Aggies’ 48-0 victory over the Samford Bulldogs showed the fans exactly what they wanted to see as quarterback Marcel Reed and the Fightin’ Farmers put on a show.

Texas A&M’s Pure Domination

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) before a game against the Samford Bulldogs at Kyle Field. | Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images

Reed currently sits third in the Heisman Trophy race, but his dominant performance on limited snaps could positively influence voters. Reed completed 10 of his 15 attempts for 120 yards and three touchdowns with a 199.9 passer rating.

Reed’s been stacking impressive outings all season, and last week’s was arguably his best. After a first half that looked like his worst half of football, Reed turned it around and posted 439 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Wide Receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman had an impressive day against South Carolina last week and was the one who sparked the comeback when the Aggies were down 27 points. Bethel-Roman recorded 139 yards and a touchdown on four catches before exiting the game with an injury. Against Samford, the Missouri City, Texas native posted two catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

The Aggies started pouring on points early and often, with five different Aggies finding the end zone during the course of the game with a well-balanced attack.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Aggies narrowly completed the shutout. It took a muffed punt and a field goal for the Samford Bulldogs to get a chance to light up their side of the scoreboard with under two minutes left to play. The Bulldogs shanked their second scoring attempt, missing to the left of the uprights. Samford had one other chance to get on the board, but defensive lineman Landon Rink blocked the Bulldogs’ field goal.

A major part of the Aggies’ success came from the impact of the 12th Man, both the player and the fans. Nana Boadi-Owusu, Texas A&M’s storied 12th Man representative, recorded the first sack of his career. A&M’s fans, also known as the 12th Man, provided a hostile environment that disrupted Samford’s offensive efforts. Samford’s home stadium, Pete Hanna Stadium, only seats 6,700 students, so Kyle Field would have been quite the spectacle.

The 11-0 Aggies now set their sights on the No. 17 Texas Longhorns on Black Friday for a shot at an SEC Championship.