Texas A&M 41, Texas State 7
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas State was defeated 41-7 at the hands of the No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies (1-0) on Thursday night at Kyle Field to open the 2019 season.
BOX SCORE
- Through the air, the home team was led by junior quarterback Kellen Mond. He amassed 194 yards on 19-of-27 passing attempts with three touchdowns and one interception. Mond added 25 yards rushing on five carries and one score on the ground. Conversely, junior quarterback Gresch Jensen completed 20-of-31 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown in relief of sophomore starting QB Tyler Vitt. The duo combined to toss four interceptions.
- A&M was led in rushing by sophomore tailback Jashaun Corbin with 103 yards on 22 carries and one score. Freshman running back Isaiah Spiller also topped the 100-yard plateau with 106 yards on seven carries. The Aggies outgained the Bobcats 246-8 on the ground.
- Junior wide receivers Quartney Davis and Jhamon Ausbon combined to real in 12 targets for 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior slot receiver Hutch White paced the Bobcat aerial attack with seven catches for 60 yards.
- Much of the success of the home team came via favorable field position. The Aggies had an average starting position of their own 44-yard line, while Texas State averaged the 20-yard line as the starting point offensively.
KEY MOMENTS
- Texas A&M struck first. Mond completed a 21-yard strike on a deep dig route by Davis for the opening score of the game. The Aggies jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 7:44 remaining in the first quarter.
- TAMU added three scores from inside the five-yard line in the first half to carry a 28-0 lead into the break. Corbin found paydirt twice, once via a one-yard touchdown plunge and another on a three-yard reception. In between the two Corbin scores, Mond snuck the ball inside the pylon to score on a read option play.
- Texas State found the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter. Jensen led an 11-play, 84-yard drive that culminated in a 27-yard fade ball to sophomore wide receiver Trevis Graham, Jr.The score brought the game to the final tally of 41-7.
NOTABLES
- Senior linebacker Bryan London II tallied his first career interception at the goal line with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter. The Converse, Texas, native corralled the pick with one hand and returned the ball 13 yards.
- Junior offensive lineman Eddie Rivas, sophomore offensive lineman Tanner King, sophomore tight end Hunter Hebert, sophomore defensive lineman Nico Ezidore, and senior safety Jalen Smith all made their first career starts in a Texas State uniform.
- The called attendance of 98,016 marked the largest crowd Texas State football has played in front of in program history. The previous high-water mark was 80,917 on Sept. 5, 2015 at No. 10 Florida State, a team also coach by head coach Jimbo Fisher.
- The loss dropped Texas State to 7-1 all-time in season openers on Thursday night. TXST falls to 0-3 against TAMU.
- Texas A&M improved to 12-0 against in-state opponents since joining the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 2012.