The offense scored early, but the defense piled up the points thereafter in the first scrimmage of fall camp for the Texas A&M football team Sunday morning at Kyle Field.

Senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson and junior Ryan Tannehill were sharp as A&M's offense moved the ball on the first two drives. A&M's defense, which has switched to a 3-4 alignment this season, got better as the heat index rose. Constant pressure led by outside linebacker Von Miller and others got a handle on the offense as the defense had a 101-65 edge in the modified scoring system.

"The defense got us in a number of third-and-long situations," A&M head coach Mike Sherman said. "Offensively, we didn't handle it very well. Part of that is we had some freshmen in there, part of it was great execution by the defense."

The offense started out by ripping off big chunks of yardage.

The Johnson-led first unit covered 70 yards in five plays. Sophomore wide receiver Brandal Jackson of Navasota caught a 35-yard touchdown pass, beating junior cornerback Terrence Frederick. Johnson rolled away from pressure to make the play. Junior wide receiver Jeff Fuller caught a 20-yard pass to get things going, and sophomore running back Christine Michael added three carries.

The second unit had a 13-play drive that stalled inside the 10-yard line. Tannehill scooted into the end zone from the 7 on second down, but quarterbacks weren't allowed to be tackled and it was ruled he wouldn't have been able to score. The defense stopped redshirt freshman running back Kalvin Guyton, then Tannehill. Catches by junior wide receiver Taylor Randle moved the chains twice on the drive, then a swing pass to Guyton for 9 yards set up a 10-yard run on fourth-and-1 by Guyton to the 9. Guyton had six carries for 33 yards on the drive.

Johnson said a fast pace helped the offense get off to a good start.

"Our tempo I think is going to give some teams problems," Johnson said.

Senior nose tackle Lucas Patterson and Miller had back-to-back sacks to slow down the second possession by the offense's first unit, which also got the defense untracked. Pressure by sophomore outside linebacker Jonathan Stewart and a pass deflection by Frederick stopped Johnson and the offense on its next series.

The offense's second unit helped the defense with a couple of drops that ended one series, but a pair of first-down catches by redshirt freshman wide receiver Michael Walker set up a 42-yard field goal by junior Randy Bullock.

The offense finally got untracked behind Tannehill on the last series before the team took a break. A trio of completions and some hard running by Guyton and freshman running back Ben Malena set up a 35-yard field goal attempt by freshman Ross Gilliam, which was missed.

The defense, which trailed 11-1, had a 55-40 lead after approximately 25 minutes.

Junior defensive lineman Eddie Brown joined Miller and Stewart in constantly applying pressure. Freshman defensive lineman Demontre Moore also showed promise.

"I thought as a defense, this was probably the sharpest we've looked since I've been here in the first scrimmage," said Sherman, who is in his third year leading the Aggies.

The second part of the scrimmage somewhat mirrored the first 25 minutes. Randle had a 39-yard catch, getting about half of the yardage by slipping the tackle of junior cornerback Lionel Smith. Johnson hit a wide-open Tannehill on the next play for a 32-yard touchdown.

A&M sprinkled in third- and fourth-stringers in the last six series as freshman quarterbacks Matt Joeckel and Jameill Showers got some work. The only turnover was a fumble by freshman running back Mister Jones that was recovered by redshirt freshman defensive lineman Wells Childress. Jones unofficially had 10 carries for 30 yards along with a 5-yard catch.

"It was a little rough day for the offense, but it was good to see our defense doing pretty well," Johnson said.

The quarterbacks, plagued by interceptions early in the week, did a great job of protecting the ball.

"They did what they could do with the ball," Sherman said. "They didn't make very many bad decisions. I saw one with one of the younger quarterbacks, but overall, I thought they made good decisions."

Johnson completed his first five passes and unofficially was 7 of 12 for 146 yards with two scores.

"I think I'm a little bit ahead [of last year] just as far in knowing what to do," Johnson said. "But I think I may be a little rusty for not going through the full spring."

Johnson, the Big 12's preseason Offensive Player of the Year, was limited in the summer coming off shoulder surgery. Miller, the league's Co-Defensive POY, looked in mid-season form, even pulling up a few times to allow the quarterback to throw. Miller also was sporting a new haircut, a Mr. T-type style that a few of the freshmen copied.

"It was just a team chemistry thing," said Miller, who removed his visor when asked for the cameras, adding that he was happy to have a little fun with his new teammates.

"Von's a funny guy," Johnson said. "We're so close and the guys are so close, it's kind of a fun deal."

Johnson, though, isn't changing his hair style.

*

Offensive lineman Elliott Porter, who played at Archbishop Shaw in Marrero, La., announced on his Facebook page Sunday that he will be a Kentucky Wildcat. Porter signed with Louisiana State but was released by the Tigers, who signed too many players and had to let him go. Porter then visited A&M and Kentucky.

*

NOTES -- Freshman tight end Nehemiah Hicks (sprained knee) was helped off the field and joined many who missed time in the first week -- junior running back Cyrus Gray (tweaked hamstring), sophomore cornerback Dustin Harris, junior strong safety Trent Hunter (sprained foot), freshman receiver/safety Malcome Kennedy, sophomore wide receiver Kenric McNeal (hip), sophomore wide receiver Ryan Swope (quad), sophomore linebacker Sean Porter (thumb, grandmother's funeral), sophomore defensive back Blane Cheatham and sophomore free safety Steven Campbell (ankle). ... Sherman said it's important for Hicks and the freshmen who didn't take part in spring drills to practice so they can adjust to the speed of the game. ... Sherman was pleased with the competition for those fighting for spots in the two-deep chart despite missing so many key performers. ... A&M was on the field about 2 hours with group teaching, special teams, and a 7-on-7 drill leading up to the scrimmage. ... Sherman said the second week of fall camp will focus on specific situations -- red zone, strike zone, end-of-half work and end-of-game work. "We really focus on game-like situations," Sherman said. ... Rick Rigsby, who is a preacher and motivational speaker and was the life skills coordinator and chaplain for former A&M head coach R.C. Slocum, was the guest speaker at the morning chapel service. ... Former A&M defensive players Tank Marshall and Ray Childress attended the scrimmage. ... Practice No. 9 will be at 8:25 a.m. Monday on the Coolidge practice fields, with No 10 at 4 p.m. at the McFerrin Center (closed). Outside practices are open to Aggies. Students, faculty and staff must show their A&M ID. Students and former students also will be admitted with an Aggie ring.

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