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In just one half of football, Rice may have exposed Texas A&M as a fraud contender in the SEC West.
The Owls, without their best offensive player in receiver Jordan Taylor and with a relatively inexperienced quarterback in Driphus Jackson, played an expert game of keep-away. Rice ran more total plays, 45-33, outgained A&M, 269-217, and held the ball for 20:26.
Jackson sprinkled in 10 of 15 passing for 118 yards, including a 35-yard score to Mario Hull, who burned Victor Davis. Rice just missed a potential touchdown throw moments earlier when another receiver streaked past Davis, but the pass fell harmlessly to the crumbling Kyle Field sod.
Rice utilized the read-option to creep down the field, sustaining long drives and relegating Kenny Hill to the sideline with a running clock.
Hill and the offense secured a two-score lead with 3:30 left in the first half thanks to a 50-yard touchdown strike to Josh Reynolds.
Texas A&M’s offense is as good as advertised, but clearly the defense hasn’t morphed into the Steel Curtain overnight. Granted, defensive tackle Alonzo Williams and defensive end Daeshon Hall, both starters, missed much of the first half due to injuries.
Aggies DT Alonzo Williams is down with a leg injury — now limping off. They need him (Captain Obvious Alert).
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) September 14, 2014
Daeshon Hall comes off with a heavy limp, but Aggies can at least be happy he's walking (trainers working on right knee).
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) September 14, 2014
The Aggies aren’t in any immediate danger of losing this game and should improve to 3-0 in one more half of football. Texas A&M couldn’t have been very motivated this week after blowing out Lamar in a rain-delayed snoozer last Saturday.
The sky isn’t falling — A&M still will win plenty of games this year — but, until the Aggies prove otherwise, it doesn’t seem like this team is ready to take out Alabama, Auburn and LSU in 2014.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
