What it means: It means the Aggies are a scary team for the rest of the division to have to face. After taking care of Arizona State in the opener, Texas A&M could do anything it wanted against Ball State. Perhaps it was playing in the newly-renovated Kyle Field or being the home opener, but the Aggies were nearly flawless in the rout.

What I liked: The energy of Texas A&M in all three phases of the game.

On offense, running backs had huge holes from an offensive line that blasted the Ball State defense off the line of scrimmage, but still added extra yards by breaking tackles in the second and third levels of the Cardinals secondary. The quarterbacks had all night to throw and they put the ball right on the money to the point the receivers literally just had to put their hands out to catch passes because they were wide open.

Defensively, the Aggies flew to the ball and often had multiple players making tackles as even more defenders arrived at the point of contact. The return game was solid, the kickers were perfect and even Shane Tripucka punted well. Even after scoring seven touchdowns in the first half, Ball State could only return one kickoff for 19 yards.

What I didn’t like: The way the Aggies defense came out of the locker room after halftime. Ball State drove 74 yards in six plays in only 3:22 for a touchdown. The drive was aided by a pass interference penalty on Nick Harvey and on the next play the Aggies were flagged when Alonzo Williams grabbed Darian Green’s facemask. Not only did Texas A&M look unfocused, it also seemed flat. The offense was the same to start the third quarter, turning the ball over on a fumble at midfield.

Who’s the man: Although he played less than a half, quarterback Kyle Allen. The sophomore completed 10 passes with three of them going for touchdowns. He also had a 14-yard run and a reception from Tra Carson that covered 28 yards. By the time he sat down with just more than five minutes left in the half, the Aggies had already put 42 points on the scoreboard. Are we sure Kyle Field is not named for him?

Key play: Actually it was four plays early in the game. Ball State got back-to-back runs of 47 and 27 yards to set up a first-and-goal at the Aggies’ 1-yard line. Three running plays later, the Cardinals found themselves at the 4 and settled for a demoralizing field goal instead of a tying touchdown.

With 3:45 left in the first quarter, De’Vante Harris picked off a Ball State pass and sprinted 40 yards into the end zone. That made the Texas A&M lead 28-3 and it seemed apparent the Cardinals were ready to pack it in and get on the plane back to Muncie, Ind.

What’s next: The Aggies continue the Bakery Tour with another cupcake. Nevada will visit College Station next week. It should give A&M another week to fine tune things before starting conference play against Arkansas Sept. 19.