 "Photo: Jeremy Northum")
Texas A&M's third game of the season might not have started as planned, but that did not stop the Aggies from unleashing a barrage of offensive firepower on the UAB Blazers in a 56-19 victory Saturday at Kyle Field.
A&M (3-0) lost the opening kickoff after a short kick by UAB (1-3) bounced out of an Aggie player's hands and the Blazers recovered the ball. Seven plays later UAB was on the scoreboard with a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
But the Blazers were going to need more than a field goal to compete with the top offense in the nation.
"The guys have worked extremely hard this week," said A&M Head Coach Mike Sherman. "I told them before the game that just because you worked hard and had good preparation, it doesn't stop there. You have to go out and play now. Preparation prepares you to play a great ballgame."
A&M junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson carried his preparation into the game, passing for 290 yards and rushing for 61 more.
He also set a historic mark by passing for three touchdowns and rushing for three touchdowns, which had never been done in school history.
"I was impressed with his decision making and his competitiveness," Sherman said. "He played within the system and didn't try to make something happen that wasn't there. I was real impressed with him."
Johnson's nine receivers he connected with were a key in keeping the offense going after sophomore Jeff Fuller was injured against Utah State.
A pair of seniors, Howard Morrow and Jamie McCoy, led the team in reception with five each and combined for 130 receiving yards.
"Even with Jeff in, Howard is probably the biggest part of the receiving corps," Johnson said. "He has to play several positions. When Jeff's out, Morrow has to fill in just about every place. He does just about everything. "
Sophomore Ryan Tannehill was another playmaker for Johnson. Tannehill, the backup quarterback, plays limited time at receiver but tends to make big plays when he does. He accounted for 101 yards on three receptions, including a 16-yard touchdown reception to start the fourth quarter.
Johnson left the game after the touchdown pass to Tannehill. Tannehill then got the opportunity to see some time behind center for a pair of drives and freshman quarterback Tommy Dorman was in for the final drive of the game.
Sophomore running back Cyrus Gray played his part in picking up the slack for injured freshman running back Christine Michael. Gray rushed for 99 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, in his best performance of his career.
"I knew this week there was a chance Christine Michael wouldn't play," Gray said. "Knowing that, I prepared mentally for a bigger workload than I've had this season."
In their quest to regain the Wrecking Crew nickname, the Aggie defense struggled to contain UAB quarterback Joe Webb early in the game.
Webb, who is the primary focus of the Blazer offense, had 67 rushing yards by halftime, but A&M was able to contain the passing game to 10 yards. Webb opened the second half by capping a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown rush, but he never reached the end zone again.
The A&M defense gave up 74 passing yards to UAB but was hit hard on the ground, giving up 229 rushing yards, including a 60-yard rushing touchdown by Blazer backup quarterback David Isabelle.
"Their front line was pretty good," said Aggie senior jack linebacker Matt Featherston. "We were more concerned about containing the quarterback. Joe Webb is pretty good. Our focus was to make plays on the run, rather than getting around those ground tackles."
The biggest stat for the A&M was three penalties for 25 yards, a marked difference from 16 penalties against Utah State and 14 penalties against New Mexico.
Next Saturday the Aggies will travel to the New Cowboys Stadium to renew a Southwest Conference rivalry against Arkansas. It will be A&M's first road game of the season and will be its biggest test of 2009.
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