Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Johnny Manziel completed 20-of-36 passes for 294
yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns as the
Texas A&M Aggies handled the SMU Mustangs, 48-3, in a non-conference bout at
Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
Texas A&M (1-1) picked up its first win of the Kevin Sumlin era in the contest.
Mike Evans caught six passes for 123 yards and Ryan Swope reeled in five
receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Trey Williams contributed 42 yards and
a touchdown on 12 carries.
For SMU (1-2), Graham Gilbert completed 23-of-49 attempts for 203 yards while
being sacked four times and throwing an interception. Zach Line gained 104
yards on 16 rushes. Keenan Holman and Darius Johnson each caught five passes
for 52 yards for the Mustangs.
After a scoreless first quarter, A&M finally put some points on the board as
Manziel passed to Swope for 29 yards and a touchdown with 8:38 left
in the opening half.
Manziel extended the lead later in the quarter as he took off for a 48-yard
touchdown run. SMU managed to block the extra point to keep the Aggies' lead at
13-0. The extra point block by Margus Hunt was the 16th total block of his
career, which ties him for second on the NCAA career blocks list. Manziel added
on with just a minute left in the first half when he connected with Uzoma
Nwachukwu for a 26-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-0 heading into the
intermission.
The Aggies continued to ride their freshman quarterback's strong performance
after halftime. Manziel led A&M on an eight-play, 79-yard drive which was
finished off by a 42-yard touchdown pass to Kenric McNeal.
SMU finally put some points on the board with seven minutes left in the third
quarter as Chase Hover kicked a field goal from 25 yards out to make it 27-3.
A&M quickly answered as Manziel punctuated a 75-yard drive with a 15-yard
touchdown run with 4:27 left. Manziel connected with Nwachukwu for a score for
the second time with just under a minute left in the third quarter, this time
for 12 yards, to put the Aggies ahead, 41-3.
The Aggies' momentum continued into the fourth frame. A&M extended its lead to
48-3 with 9:31 left in regulation with a 2-yard touchdown rush by Trey
Williams.
A&M held a noticeable, 605-309, advantage over SMU in total offensive yards en
route to the lopsided victory over its former conference rival.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network