It was an impressive performance to be sure, as Texas A&M manhandled UAB 41-20 at Kyle Field on Saturday. The Aggies were in complete control from the beginning, and the three-touchdown margin of victory doesn’t tell the story.

After breaking a 7-7 tie in the first quarter, Texas A&M scored the next 27 points and put the game away early. There was much to like about the Aggies’ seventh win in Jimbo Fisher’s first season at College Station.

Although it wasn’t a perfect performance, not much went wrong. Here are five things I liked about the win, and three more things that still could use some improvement.

Things I liked

1. Finishing: They didn’t score touchdowns on every trip to the red zone, but the Aggies put points on the board in five of six. The only time they didn’t was the last journey inside the Blazers 20-yard line, when the Aggies ran out the clock. Tough running from Trayveon Williams helped get the Aggies in the red zone, and they took advantage.

2. Tackles for loss: The Aggies recorded a season-high 11 tackles for loss in the game, for minus-63 yards, also a season high. It was their most since September 2017 against South Carolina (12 TFL, 66 yards). A total of 11 players got credit for at least 0.5 tackles for loss, with defensive end Landis Durham (1.5) leading the way. Durham also recorded 1.5 of Texas A&M’s 3 sacks.

3. Points off turnovers: The Aggies created 3 turnovers and were able to turn the first 2 into touchdowns, including a Larry Pryor fumble return on the opening kickoff. A Donovan Wilson interception led to another Aggies touchdown late in the first half.

Credit: John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

4. Nearly penalty free: The Aggies were flagged just once, and it came long after the matchup had been decided. It was Texas A&M’s fewest penalties since they committed just 1 (for 5 yards) against Alabama in 2015.

5. Special teams: The Aggies blocked a field goal and an extra point kick on Saturday. Punter Braden Mann, the nation’s leader at 51 yards a punt, turned in another outstanding effort. He punted only twice but averaged 50 yards per boot. In addition, freshman Jashaun Corbin returned a kickoff 44 yards, and Roshauud Paul averaged 21 yards on 2 punt returns.

Things that need improving

1. Pass defense: Far too many times, UAB receivers worked their way clear. Texas A&M gave up 306 passing yards. It was the second consecutive game and third this season that the Aggies yielded 300-plus.

2. Time of possession/third-down conversion: The kings of college football in time of possession, the Aggies had the tables turned despite dominating the game. Nationally, only Army has held the ball more than Texas A&M. But UAB won the time of possession, holding the football for 34:11, more than eight minutes better than the Aggies.

Third in the nation by holding opponents to just 25.66 percent on third-down conversions, the Aggies gave up 10 of 16 third downs to the Blazers. It was the most given up by the Aggies since Mississippi State converted 11 third downs in 2016.

3. Sloppy play late: Granted, there were some reserves playing on both sides of the football, but things got sloppy over the final quarter. Not taking care of the football on offense, and allowing the Blazers to drive down the field for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, is not how you want to finish a game, regardless of the score and the fact that the game was decided long before the letdown.