The Aggies finally made us *feel* something again on Saturday night, absolutely cruising to a 34-7 victory over hapless Arkansas at Kyle Field. It was genuinely a stress-free game, a rarity for this matchup over the last decade, and frankly, a welcome snooze-fest after some recent nail-biters. This win just hits different.
Defense Locks Down While Byard Shines
Our defense came to play, logging six tackles for loss, matching their season high against Missouri State. It was clear from the jump they were out to control this game. A massive shoutout has to go to Safety Tawfiq Byard. He racked up six tackles, tied for the team lead, in his first real action since returning from an early season injury. That highly touted Colorado transfer showed up big time in the second half, and his presence was felt immediately. I mean, he’s gotta earn more playing time after that, right? The Aggies also dominated time of possession by over 16 minutes, totally taking the air out of the game. Mission accomplished on clock control. And Arkansas? They were held to a paltry 214 total yards, their worst offensive output this season in both yards and points. While it’s easy to dismiss them as “just bad” and, yeah, they are, you cannot discount how our defense played. They absolutely locked them down.
Olano’s Leg and Reed’s Resurgence Point to Brighter Days
Offensively, the coaching staff deserves credit for adapting. With Marcel Reed struggling and the weather sloppy, leaning heavily on the run game made a ton of sense. The Aggies went with a 2.6:1 run to pass ratio, and our offensive lineman Holmon Wiggins took full advantage. Even Reed himself scrambled nine times, showing that adaptability. Speaking of Reed, he put up a 90.7 QBR in this game, by far his best performance of the season! This ranking puts him at No. 23 nationally, marking the first time he’s been in the top half of FBS quarterbacks all year. That’s a huge glimmer of hope for the Aggie signal caller. And let’s talk about sophomore Tight End Kiotti Armsgrong. He had a monster 54-yard catch, got open, made a man miss, and nearly took it all the way to the house. The tight end position has been a bit of a black hole for us this season from a pass-catching perspective, so Armsgrong emerging as a legit option could do so much for this offense. But the real weapon? Kicker David Olano. The dude is averaging 53.5 yards on his field goals! Our kicking game is no longer merely reliable, he appears to be a flat-out weapon. We need to enjoy this senior while we can, because he just might be kicking on Sundays next time this year.
This win felt good, man. The defense was stout, the offense adapted, and we saw some serious individual talent emerge. Is this the turning point for Reed? Can Olano keep dropping bombs from downtown? There’s definitely reason to feel hopeful about what’s next for the Aggies after this performance.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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