No. 23 Aggies Lead Lobos 35-7 At Half Behind 4 Conner Weigman TD Passes
After what seemed like a longer wait than it really was, Aggies football returned Saturday night as A&M played host to New Mexico at Kyle Field in College Station. The Aggies lead the Lobos 28-7 at the half.
That's a great way to open the season for an Aggies team that needs a boost of confidence as it ushers in coach Jimbo Fisher's sixth campaign at the helm.
Coach Danny Gonzales planned on a tough "pound-the-ball" ground game against the Aggies' defense, but the Lobos found success through the air early too. Lobos quarterback Dylan Hopkins went 5-for-6 for 40 yards in their first drive, a possession that took 6:37 off the clock before stalling at the Aggies 41.
A&M also appeared like they wanted to feature the ground game early in Bobby Petrino's debut as offensive coordinator, but it was quarterback Conner Weigman's arm that put the Aggies on the board first with a 15-yard pass to the back of the end zone where wideout Noah Thomas was backpedaling open for the catch. Petrino's offense marched 85 yards in seven plays for the opening score of the season. Weigman completed all three passes for 40 yards on the drive, including the touchdown, and added 17 additional yards with his feet.
Weigman wouldn't throw his first incompletion of the game until right before the end of the first quarter that saw the Aggies leading 7-0. Petrino's plan to feature the run game saw 35 yards rushing through the first quarter to 40 yards through the air.
The first play of the second frame saw the Aggies' lead increase to 14-0 on a 35-yard pass from Weigman to Stewart as Stewart surpassed the 60-yard receiving mark one play into the second quarter.
The Lobos' air game found some life in the second quarter that drove New Mexico down to the Aggies' 27-yard line. But it was the legs of Jacory Croskey-Merritt - who performed a jump cut at the line of scrimmage that would make any ballet aficionado raise an eyebrow - that got the Lobos on the board with a 27-yard run for a touchdown.
The Aggies answered on the very next drive with another Weigman touchdown pass to Thomas, this time from 34 yards out as the Lobos secondary had absolutely no answer for Thomas. Jahdae Walker also had an incredible sideline catch on the scoring drive that extended the A&M lead to 21-7.
A healthy Ainias Smith electrified the stadium with a 43-yard punt return in the second quarter, but 15 yards was negated for a post-play unnecessary roughness call on linebacker Martell Harris Jr.
Those 15 yards wouldn't matter, however, as running back Le'Veon Moss got on the board with a two-yard touchdown run for a 28-7 Aggies lead. Not to be outdone by the offense, the defense came up with a big play in the form of a Josh DeBerry interception at the New Mexico 37 on a ball thrown up for grabs deep late in the half.
That interception would turn into seven more points with yet another {SURPRISE!} Weigman-to-Thomas nine-yard connection for a touchdown and a 35- 7 lead.
A&M got off to the fast start it needed in the first half and should keep the proverbial pedal to the metal throughout the second half.
