Eagle Columnist
Whoa. Didn't see that coming.
I didn't see it coming last spring. I didn't see it coming after the final scrimmage, and I definitely didn't see it after the Aggies' first drive on Saturday night.
But there they were, the Arkansas State Red Wolves, the same ones given the nod to finish fourth in the powerhouse Sun Belt Conference, out-everything-ing the Aggies for an 18-14 season-opening victory.
Oh, yeah, at Kyle Field.
Sure, there were questions A&M had coming into the season. Even worries. But the good appeared to outweigh all the uncertainties, especially against a squad that hadn't beaten a BCS conference team since, well, never.
What the Red Wolves showed was the kind of scrap the Aggies were supposed to see against Miami and at Oklahoma State, not against a team whose best effort as a visitor against a big-name school was a 21-13 loss to Texas last season.
The Aggies were unable to put away the Red Wolves when they had the opportunity. Worse, they were unable to turn it up a notch when the game was in the balance. Those are A&M's immediate problems.
We knew the inexperienced offensive line would have its troubles. The defense hasn't been Wrecking Crew good for quite some time. And this year's overall team depth, which normally should be a positive for a BCS school facing a non-BCS school, was a big question mark with so many senior starters having moved on and so many freshmen having to step up.
But as the new coaching staff worked out those kinks, the big-play capability of Mike Goodson, the West Coast offense and a more attacking style of defense seemed capable of overcoming all the other deficiencies.
It didn't, and the blame was left for anyone to take.
The O-line that played well in the first half had McGee taking 15-step drops in the second. And the defense added breaking in the second half to it's early run of just bending in the first.
There was no game-clinching answer from Goodson, who looked a step better than everyone on the field in the first half before fading into anonymity. And the new passing game that was supposed to stretch defenses produced just two plays (out of 63 snaps) of more than 20 yards and no scoring plays.
Richie Bean will want to forget his first game as the starting kicker, but in reality, it shouldn't have come down to him. A&M had a 14-9 lead and a second-and-goal at the 2, went backwards on two plays, then cringed as Bean's 25-yard attempt sailed wide right.
A&M punches it in -- which reminds me, where was Jorvorskie Lane? -- and the Aggies take a 21-9 lead.
The defense then allowed a 15-yard completion on a fourth-and-13 and left nearly the entire right side of the field open on another 15-yard pass two plays later for Arkansas State to take the lead for good.
Arkansas State had no answer for A&M's offense early as the Aggies totaled 203 yards and 14 points on their first three possessions. But when it mattered late, A&M was the team searching for answers while fumbling on one opportunity and being intercepted on another.
In the end, A&M was outplayed in every phase of the game in losing its first home-opener in 20 years and for only the fourth time over the last 50 nonconference games at Kyle Field. The Red Wolves had more first downs, more rushing yards, more passing yards (if, that is, sacks counted against the passing game like they should) and in the kicking game.
Utah nearly ran the table after putting a then-surprising, season-opening 41-21 whipping on A&M in 2004. By the end of the season, the Utes' run to a BCS bowl game took some of the hurt and sting off that loss.
As positive as I was that A&M would cruise to a two-touchdown-or-more victory to open the Sherman era, I'm more sure that the newly-renamed Red Wolves aren't going to run the table and afford that luxury to the 2008 Aggies and their faithful.
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