Rapid Reaction: Texas A&M annihilates New Mexico 55-14
Texas A&M massacred New Mexico on Saturday.
The Aggies needed a win, and they got one — albeit against lifeless New Mexico.
A&M jumped on the Lobos early. A 35-point explosion in the second quarter put the nail in the coffin before New Mexico could even get it to halftime.
The Aggies led 48-7 at the break, and with the cruise control engaged, went on to win the game 55-14.
Here are a few takeaways:
Nick Starkel looked awesome
As mentioned above, yes, New Mexico was basically lifeless. Still, Starkel had himself a game. When all was said and done, he had racked up 416 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air. The freshman completed just above two-thirds of his passes and didn’t throw an interception. Although this season hasn’t gone all that well for A&M, it seems as though the Aggies have found a quarterback for the future.
Hardly a running game
Much of it was probably by design, considering the gaudy numbers Starkel put up, but you still would expect a typical offense to put up a few more yards on the ground en route to a 55-point output. The Aggies only picked up 63 yards on the ground. Then again, they only rushed 23 times — yet threw 43 passes. Just a bit odd in terms of the offensive balance, but not a criticism. What A&M did worked well, as it put up 562 total yards.
Christian Kirk should be a first-round draft pick
He’s such a special playmaker. Kirk had 120 receiving yards and a 60-yard touchdown catch to open the game against the Lobos. But not only that, he also returned a punt for a 90-yard score in the second quarter. The guy is as electric as they come, and that should be evident on Day 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft.