News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Behind a stout defensive performance and high-powered offensive attack, the Texas A&M football team recorded the first win of the Mike Elko Era with a 52-10 rout of McNeese Saturday afternoon from Kyle Field.
The Aggie (1-1) offense was clicking on all cylinders, scoring on the first eight drives of the contest, marking their longest streak in regulation since 2011 against Baylor. The Maroon & White accumulated 529 yards of offense on the afternoon, including 333 on the ground. On the defensive end, Texas A&M held the Cowboys (1-2) to 279 yards and only 99 through the air.
Le’Veon Moss paced the offensive attack for the Aggies as the junior racked up 84 yards on nine carries and found the end zone twice. The multi-touchdown performance marked the first of Moss’ career. Amari Daniels followed with 75 yards on 12 carries and two scores of his own, recording the first multi-touchdown game of his career.
Conner Weigman was efficient through the air in only a half of work as the sophomore went 11-of-14 for 125 yards and two scores. Off the bench, Marcel Reed finished 5-of-11 for 71 yards and added 43 yards on the ground on seven carries. Transfer Cyrus Allen led all receivers with 72 yards on five catches, while Moose Muhammad III and Noah Thomas each hauled in a touchdown catch.
On the defensive end, Jordan Lockhart led the Maroon & White with six tackles, including four solo. Myles Davis and Tristan Jernigan each followed with five, while Shemar Turner led the team with a tackle for loss. In the secondary, Marcus Ratcliffe and Will Lee III accounted for the lone turnovers of the game as the duo each recorded an interception.
The Aggies wasted no time striking first as Moss capped off a five play 75-yard drive that lasted 2:16 with a 2-yard touchdown run. During the drive, Moss accounted for 47 yards on the ground. Following a three-and-out by the Cowboys, the Maroon & White found paydirt again as Daniels punched it in from 2 yards out with 7:19 left in the opening quarter. Randy Bond’s kick pushed the advantage to 14-0.
Texas A&M stayed hot to open the second quarter as Moss found the end zone once again, this time from 6 yards out to push the lead to 21-0 with 14:20 remaining in the half. A Lee interception on the ensuing McNeese drive set the Aggies up with prime field position at the Cowboys’ 27-yard line. The Maroon & White capitalized seven plays later when Weigman found Thomas for a 15-yard touchdown. Following a Bond kick, the Aggies held a 28-0 lead.
After another Cowboy three-and-out, Texas A&M stretched its advantage to 35-0 as Weigman connected with Muhammad for a 3-yard score with 4:36 left in the half. The Aggies concluded the half with a 42-yard field goal courtesy of Bond, who moved into seventh all-time in program history with his 42nd career made field goal. The scoring drive was set up by Ratcliffe’s second career interception at the 2:30 mark.
The Maroon & White took a 38-0 lead into the break after scoring on all six possessions and amassing 314 yards, 189 of which came on the ground.
On the Aggies’ opening drive of the second half, Daniels found the end zone for the second time on the afternoon as the junior scored from 7 yards out with 5:55 left in the third.
In the fourth, McNeese broke through on the scoreboard, 45-7, with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Kamden Sixkiller to Jalen Wright at the 10:25 mark. On the first play of the ensuing Texas A&M drive, freshman Terry Bussey showed off his breakaway speed with a 65-yard touchdown run. Bond’s extra-point extended the advantage 52-7 with 10:06 remaining in the contest. The Cowboys accounted for the final points of the afternoon as a Tyler Larco 26-yard field goal in the closing seconds made the final score 52-10.
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Texas A&M Football Post Game Notes
Texas A&M 52, McNeese 10
Kyle Field (Bryan-College Station, Texas)
Team Notes
- The Aggies’ four rushing touchdowns in the game were their most since tallying four in the win over Prairie View in 2021, while the team’s 333 total yards on the ground were their most since racking up 503 against Northwestern State to open the 2018 season.
- The Maroon & White saw two players score multiple rushing touchdowns, marking the first time that has happened since De’Von Achane and Isaiah Spiller each posted a pair of rushing scores in the Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina to cap off the 2020 season.
- The Aggies tallied 529 yards of total offense, eclipsing the 500-yard mark for the first time since racking up 557 yards against ULM a season ago.
- The Maroon & White limited the Cowboys to just 99 yards through the air, the fewest passing yards since holding Auburn to 56 in 2023.
- Texas A&M’s 38 points in the first half were the most through two quarters since putting up 38 on Prairie View in 2021.
- The Aggies’ eight straight scoring drives were the most consecutive scoring drives in regulation since scoring on nine straight against Baylor in 2011.
- Thirty-two Aggies recorded at least one tackle in the victory over McNeese.
- Today’s captains against McNeese were season-long captains sophomore LB Taurean York and junior OL Trey Zuhn III.
Individual Notes
- Sophomore QB Conner Weigman moved into 19th all-time at Texas A&M with his two touchdown passes in the victory, upping his career total to 18 after connecting with junior WR Noah Thomas and graduate WR Moose Muhammad III in the first half.
- Weigman cracked the top-25 of A&M’s all-time passing yards list (2,100), eclipsing the 2,000 yard mark with 125 yards through the air, while he also moved into 22nd with 178 career completions.
- Muhammad III moved into a tie for 14th all-time at A&M with 11 career touchdown catches.
- Junior RBs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels both scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the game, marking the first multi-touchdown game for each player.
- Junior WR Cyrus Allen extended his streak to 15 straight games with at least one catch, dating back to his time at Louisiana Tech. He finished the game with a team-best five catches for 72 yards.
- Junior DB Will Lee III recorded Texas A&M’s first interception of the year, picking off a pass and returning it 4 yards to position the Aggies for their fourth touchdown of the game.
- Sophomore DB Marcus Ratcliffe added a second interception in the first half and returned it 12 yards for his first pick of the year and the second of his career.
- Graduate K Randy Bond sent a 42-yard field goal through the uprights to close out the first half and move into a tie for seventh all-time with 42 career made field goals.
- Bond surpassed the 200-career points mark with 10 points on the day, upped his career total to 207.