SMU Smashed By Texas A&M
DALLAS — Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill and the No. 6 Aggies made quick work of SMU, stomping the winless Mustangs 58-6 Saturday afternoon at a maroon-clad Ford Field.
Hill kept his torrid start to the season going, as he passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns in one half. Running back Trey Williams scored twice for the Aggies (4-0), who opened a two-game swing in the Dallas area in impressive fashion.
Texas A&M faces Arkansas in a return to SEC action next weekend at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. It’s the first league game for the Aggies since opening the season with a stunning win at South Carolina that rocketed A&M up the polls.
“We’ll know a lot more about us this time next week,” said Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, who improved to 11-0 in nonconference games with the Aggies.
The Mustangs (0-3) were clearly overmatched in their first game since coach June Jones’ sudden resignation. Interim coach Tom Mason had two weeks to prepare for the Aggies, but it mattered little.
SMU came into the game with only six points through two games, and the offensive struggles
continued. SMU quarterback Kolney Cassel repeatedly misfired when he wasn’t running for his life.
The Aggies piled up eight sacks, and SMU had negative yards and didn’t pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter. The Mustangs went to backup quarterback Garrett Krstich, who did engineer a field-goal drive to end a potential shutout.
“I have to be patient with this team and let it grow,” said Mason, who is also the defensive coordinator. “I still think we have some talent on this team and that this football team can come around when we get into conference.”
The Aggies had some hiccups on their first possession, including an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, a sack and a dropped pass on third down. The drive ended with Josh Lambo’s 39-yard field goal.
Hill threw his first interception of the season on A&M’s second drive. The sophomore from nearby Southlake made amends the next time the Aggies got the ball, though, bursting through the middle with a career-long 58-yard run — breaking several tackles along the way.
“It was a broken play and we were blocking great,” Hill said. “I broke a couple of tackles and the big run got everybody energized. We were rolling after that.”
Williams (66 yards rushing) scored from 8 yards out two plays later and the rout was on before a sellout crowd overrun by A&M fans.
The Aggies scored 31 points in the first 20 minutes, and right before halftime they showed just how dominant they could be. After starting on their 30-yard line with 34 seconds left, Hill connected with receiver Josh Reynolds on a 70-yard bomb for 38-3 lead at the break.
Hill has passed for 13 touchdowns and 1,359 yards through his first four games as a starter.
“I’ve come along all right,” said Hill, who had 322 yards of offense. “I’ve had moments where I haven’t done too well, but I’ve had moments where I’ve done great. I think I just need to be more consistent moving forward.”
Hill was done at halftime, as heralded freshman backup Kyle Allen took over. The Aggies didn’t let up much in surpassing 50 points for the third time this season.
Texas A&M finished with 663 yards, including 430 in the first half. The Aggies have eclipsed 600 yards in 13 of 30 games under Sumlin.
The Mustangs, last in the country in a number of offensive categories, managed just 241 yards on 71 plays. SMU closes out nonconference play next Saturday back at Ford Stadium against rival TCU.
