After 273 days, the Texas A&M Aggies finally returned home to Kyle Field to open up the 2025 season against the in-state UTSA Roadrunners. This offseason was a busy one for the Aggies, with coach Mike Elko and his staff bringing in a plethora of new talent from both the transfer portal and the freshman class. With this new landscape of college football in full effect, many others and I were excited to see how all these new faces would mix with the already established talent on this roster. While A&M’s talent did show flashes of greatness, it was obvious there is still work to do for this team to play disciplined, championship-winning football.
Let’s break down this home-opener victory for the Aggies this past Saturday.
Wide Receivers
The biggest takeaway from this weekend is that the wide receiver room has the potential to be the best that A&M has had in recent years. With this unit having new faces from the transfer portal, Aggies everywhere waited in anticipation to see the room's production. Here are my thoughts:
The receiver room showed huge potential in this game and was the highest-performing group on the Aggie offense. It wasn’t just the route running and receiving that stood out, but also the blocking on the perimeter. Both of Craver’s touchdowns can be attributed to the great blocking by the other receivers. Wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins has a legacy of building elite-level rooms at his previous stops, including Alabama. This group already looks to be in better shape than what I’ve seen in recent years.
Marcel Reed
Reed threw the short- and medium-distance passes really well throughout this game. While he did struggle with the deep ball on a few throws, missing an open touchdown pass early in the game to Concepcion, his 289 yards and four touchdowns on 22-of-34 attempts showed real improvement in the passing game.
A key play that showed his growth came on the first third down of the second quarter. Everything about the play was great — yes, it was a great ball, thrown exactly where it needed to be for a 26-yard gain. But what stood out was that Concepcion was Reed’s third read in the progression. That shows me he’s becoming more comfortable working through his progressions in the pocket. If Reed can match his scrambling ability with pocket presence and patience, he could become even more dangerous. That growth seemed to give Klein confidence to lean on Reed’s arm instead of relying solely on the talented run game. Reed took a big first step this week, and he’ll keep improving.
Tight Ends
The tight end room made me proud as a former part of that unit. Theo Melin-Öhrström, Nate Boerkircher and Amari Niblack all had receptions that showed their reliability. I was also impressed with their blocking — there was physicality and impact that will be needed as we get into SEC play. The tight ends will be key in both interior and perimeter blocking this season, and this opener was a solid foundation for the group to build on. They have versatility, and I think they’ll be a great unit for the Aggies this season. One thing that stood out to me was how Klein used his tight ends in the passing game. Each reception from this unit came through different play designs across the field, including Melin-Öhrström’s touchdown, further highlighting just how dynamic and versatile this group can be.
Special Teams
While special teams are often overlooked — especially in a game against UTSA — this unit actually looked the cleanest I’ve seen in quite some time. The return game looks strong with Rueben Owens II and Terry Bussey on kickoffs and Concepcion on punts. Special teams can, and will, change the course of big games across the country this year. If we can cultivate the ability to make big plays in the return game, like Concepcion’s punt return touchdown, it’ll be dangerous for our opponents all season long.
Linebackers and DBs in pass defense
Defensively, I was impressed with the linebackers and secondary in pass coverage. They held UTSA’s passing attack scoreless until the last 14 seconds of the game. This will be one of the more experienced groups A&M has had in recent years, with multiple starters returning from last season.
For the secondary, having a healthy Tyreek Chappell back is huge. Alongside him, Will Lee III, Dezz Ricks, Bryce Anderson, Marcus Ratcliffe and others give this unit the depth to be elite in the SEC. DB coaches Jordan Peterson and Ish Aristide have built this group well, and I look forward to seeing them tested in the weeks ahead.
For the linebackers, having Taurean York and Scooby Williams back is a luxury. York is the field general of this defense, while Williams is the enforcer. Watching York command this defense in person is something that can’t be explained unless you see it with your own eyes. One of my favorite plays that he made was on a screen pass with 8:23 left in the first quarter. This is a play that perfectly characterizes the type of player that he is. He’s unbelievably smart and instinctive. He is so hard to deceive on offense, and that’s what makes him so good. That’s why he’s the defensive captain of this football team.
Run Defense
Season openers are always tough to game plan defensively because you’re facing new schemes and new players (especially in the era of the transfer portal). That said, the run defense struggled until the first play of the second half. After Robert Henry Jr.’s long touchdown run, the Aggies adjusted and shut down UTSA’s rushing attack.
The run defense will need to improve in the coming weeks, especially against SEC opponents with NFL-level offensive lines and backs. I’ll be expecting Albert Regis to play a huge role in the defensive line’s development this season. As a veteran among transfers and younger players, Regis will need to be the glue that brings this unit together. With Regis and York leading the front seven, I’m confident they’ll get this group on track.
Running Game
I do believe the goal of this game was to rely on Reed’s arm as a building block for him. That said, the run game wasn’t as impressive as I expected. While we saw flashes from the running back room, I think we’ll need to wait for the coming weeks to see how this group performs when more of the offense runs through them.
Two things I need to see:
If you combine our receivers — who look to be playing at a high level — with a strong rushing attack, this Aggie offense will then be placing themselves in a position to be an elite unit this season.
While this first game was great to watch in person, I always go back to the film because it never lies.
Here is what I saw: I saw a team more mature and further along in some areas than I expected. But to reach championship-level football, we need this entire team to reach a play level that has never been reached by a Texas A&M team.
Looking ahead to Utah State, I want to see the Aggies be more crisp and dominant. The best teams grow quickly and early in a season. Champions learn from their mistakes and don’t repeat them. This season, like many before, has the potential to be special.
Gig ’Em and #BTHOUtahState!
4 said:
Oh, it's him.
He's the only dude on here that would reference Jane Austen on a football forum.
