There was a different feeling in College Station this past weekend when the unranked Texas A&M Aggies upset #16 UCLA. While there was the obvious excitement that playing a high profile game in the season opener brings, there was also a feeling of newfound confidence in a program that hadn’t been playing up to its potential over the past few years. There was a sense that Kevin Sumlin had finally found the right mix of both players and coaches to turn the corner and start pushing this program in the right direction, and this game was the beginning of the campaign that would start the wheels moving.
The Aggie defense, led by star defensive end Myles Garrett and safety Justin Evans, looked stronger than it has in a long time. While star UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen threw for 343 yards, the Aggies also picked him off three times and only allowed one touchdown. John Chavis’ front seven contained the UCLA rushing game from the beginning, allowing just 125 yards on 40 carries and just one touchdown. Though they struggled overall, former Plano West star Soso Jamabo had an impressive first game, rushing 23 times for 91 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Trayveon Williams led an Aggie rushing attack that was able to go for 203 yards on 41 carries and three touchdowns. Graduate transfer Trevor Knight, going 22-42 for 239 yards and a touchdown through the air as well as two on the ground, looked poised and confident in his first game in the maroon and white. The Aggies outplayed the Bruins throughout most of the game, but inability to move the ball and poor clock management late in the game resulted in a 15 point fourth quarter comeback by the Bruins.
The defining moment for the Aggies came in overtime when it was fourth and one from the goal line. After running the ball up the middle three straight times and being stuffed on all of them, Kevin Sumlin sent the offense out again instead of kicking the field goal. Rather than running it back up the middle, Sumlin put his faith in Trevor Knight who easily scored on a read option.
On the following drive, the Bruins were able to get down to the Aggies five-yard line, but the Aggie defense tightened up and Josh Rosen threw two incompletions to end the game. While it wasn’t the prettiest win of the weekend, the significance of this win on both the national scale and for Texas A&M’s program and school can’t be downplayed. A new era, built on leadership, confidence and audacity, has officially arrived in College Station.
