After Math: Ball State
Sep 14, 2015 | Football
Each Monday, 12th Man Productions' Will Johnson will take you inside the numbers of the last football game with "After Math".
There really is no need for much dissection.
The score was 49-3 at halftime.
The final 30 minutes were a mere formality. But from within, more was needed over that span.
The back half is as good a place to start as any. Kevin Sumlin, knowing he had this one in hand at the break, wasn't necessarily pleased with the close.
"I purposely didn't say a lot at halftime," said Sumlin. "I wanted to see how guys would react as we went back out. That's where leadership comes in, but a lot of our leadership was on the sidelines. We were looking to see who would be that guy from a young or inexperienced standpoint. We didn't have it. And we played like it."
But the first half was far more impressive than the second half was negative.
A&M usually starts fast. They scored first for the 35th time in the Sumlin era (41 games).
Even for a team that begins like a bolt of lightning, the output was impressive. The 49 first-half points matched what the Aggies did in the opening two quarters against South Carolina State in 2012. It's believed to be the only two times since at least the '50s the Aggies scored that much by halftime…both figures being cranked out by Sumlin offenses.
One reason: third downs. Always at a premium under Sumlin, the Aggies went 8-for-9 on their third-down tries in the first half. Ball State was 0-for-8.
Going in, getting to an advantage early was key. So was containing Darian Green, Ball State's explosive running back and return man. When a heavy underdog can hit a big play, it helps keep them in the game. And the old saying goes 'the longer they hang around, the more they believe'.
Well, Green ripped off a 47-yard run on Ball State's first snap, and immediately followed with 27 more on the next play. That was enough for the Aggies to get the message. Green carried 9 more times the rest of the night, gaining 23 yards (averaging 2.6 per tote).
What does it all add up to?
A phenomenal first half that put it out of reach, and gained A&M its 18th consecutive non-conference win, including bowl games. That's the longest active streak in the nation.
There's another old saying out there that suggests 'a team shows it's most improvement from game one to game two'. Sumlin, always more modern thinking, doesn't see it that way.
"I really don't buy into that," says Sumlin. "The schedule we play, you better be pretty good right off the bat. What you try to do is get better every week."
Despite some second-half lapses, Saturday night will push the progression along.
"We had a lot of guys play. There's no experience like game experience," Sumlin states. "Particularly in that environment. No coaches on the field, you have to communicate. You can't hear. It's good. It's good for some guys.
"I think we're gonna be better for it."
With the first opponent a Pac-12 South contender, and the next a MAC team coming off a 5-7 campaign, it's hard to compare.
But improvement is always mandatory, and the next chance is Saturday. Nevada, and Sumlin's former assistant Brian Polian, comes to town.
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