A&M Closes Out Spring with Maroon and White Game
Apr 09, 2016 | Football
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M football team closed out its 2016 spring drills with a spirited Maroon & White Game in front of a crowd of 27,412 fans on Saturday at Kyle Field.
The next game for the Aggies will be the 2016 season-opener against UCLA of the Pacific 12 Conference on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Kyle Field.
The Texas A&M Offense "outscored" the Defense by a score of 42-38 with the offense scoring points in a normal fashion and the defense scoring via a point system that gave one point for a 3-and-out, two points for a sack, three points for a missed field goal or turnover, 3 points for a fourth-down stop and six points for a fourth-down stop.
Aggie first-year quarterback Trevor Knight, who joined the team in January after graduating from Oklahoma, completed 25-of-36 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, while also adding a rushing score.
The Aggies' leading receivers were junior wideouts Ricky Seals-Jones and Damion Ratley and true freshman running back Trayveon Williams with four catches each. Junior Speedy Noil led the offense with 60 receiving yards on three catches, which including a 36-yard strike from sophomore wide receiver Christian Kirk on a trick play. Senior wide receiver Boone Niederhofer led the way with a pair of touchdowns on two catches.
Sophomore running back Kwame Etwi was the top rusher with 72 yards and a score on 11 carries, while junior James White produced 68 yards on just five carries with a long burst of 43 yards. Redshirt freshman Kendall Bussey chipped in 12 carries for 46 yards.
On the defensive side of the football, walkon defensive back Will Paulhill was the game's leading tackler with eight total stops, including seven solo hits. Junior defensive end Qualen Cunningham led the way with 2.5 quarterback sacks, while senior Daeshon Hall turned in 1.5 sacks. The defense produced two pickoffs, including one by junior Armani Watts that he returned 19 yards. For the day, the defense posted six QB sacks, 14 total tackles for losses, forced four fumbles and recovered one.
2016 Texas A&M Maroon & White Game
Final Score - Maroon 42, White 38
April 9, 2016 • Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
Attendance - 27,412
Scoring Summary
1st 09:54 Knight 2 yd run (LaCamera kick), 8-45 2:50
01:36 Niederhofer 9 yd pass from Knight (LaCamera kick) 7 plays 2:32
2nd 12:12 Niederhofer 12 yd pass from Knight (LaCamera kick) 8 plays 1:22
08:48 Noil 36 yd pass from Kirk (LaCamera kick) 4 plays 0:16
3rd 12:31 Ratley 16 yd pass from McQueen (LaCamera kick) 11 plays 2:29
05:00 Etwi 31 yd run (LaCamera kick) 9 plays 7:15
RUSHING (Att-Yd): Kwame Etwi 11-70; James White 5-68; Kendall Bussey 12-46; Trayveon Williams 10-27; Jake Hubenak 2-(-4); Trevor Knight 9-(-20); Conner McQueen 3-(-18).
PASSING (Com-Att-Int-Yd): Trevor Knight 25-36-1-282; Conner McQueen 6-9-1-75; Jake Hubenak 5-10-0-4.
RECEIVING (Rec-Yd): Jeremy Tabuyo 4-47; Ricky Seals-Jones 4-38; Damion Ratley 4-34; Trayveon Williams 4-5; Speedy Noil 3-60; Josh Reynolds 3-36; Dwaine Thomas 3-30; Greer Shetler 2-26; Boone Niederhofer 2-21; Grant Gustafson 1-39; Josch Motley 1-19; Kwame Etwi 1-18; Kemah Siverand 1-15; Edward Pope 1-7; Kyle Whitley 1-3; James White 1-2; Kendall Bussey 1-minus 3.
INTERCEPTIONS (Int-Yds): Armani Watts 1-19; Janson Moore 1-minus 1.
FUMBLES (Fmb-Fmb Lost): Trayveon Williams 1-0; Conner McQueen 1-0; Trevor Knight 1-0; Kwame Etwi 1-1.
Post Game Quotes
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M Football Head Coach
On Trevor Knight's Spring Game performance…
"Well I saw that he got more snaps than we wanted him to get. Jake (Hubenak) came over today and had flu-like symptoms but he still went ahead and went a couple series and I thought both of them when they were in there were pretty good. I think we saw Trevor today operate from pocket but also he was able to extend some plays with his legs and move around a little bit which helps our protection, particularly when it's the two ends we have rushing and when he moved around he was pretty accurate when he did it. I thought he got a lot of snaps, 104 total plays for the game. There's a lot of snaps, a lot guys got a lot of turns but I thought the quarterbacks were pretty efficient today."
On offensive tempo…
"I would say that since Coach Mazzone was not calling the plays today, it was a little bit different. Our offensive staff was calling plays today so the tempo was not at the point that we want it to be but we were able to change speeds two or three times today. When we're going to be most effective is being able to dictate the speed of the game and not just go fast but be able to change those speeds and I saw that happen today a number of times particularly with the first group. The second group was a little bit different and the tempo changes because of the substitution rule."
On timeline for quarterback starter decision…
"I don't know. We'll see, I haven't thought about it since I walked off the field so I'll give it some thought. We've got to watch the video."
On defense improving under Coach John Chavis…
"Without a doubt, we've got more experienced players on defense and you've got probably a number of NFL players right there, half the defense that played and that's without Donovan Wilson even being out there playing now. When you put our two ends out there, you put our tackles who, say what you want, but freshmen Kingsley Keke and Daylon Mack played a lot of football last year and so did Zaycoven Henderson. Our two safeties are experienced, you saw them tackle today. It's a big difference in the perimeter with those two guys and then when some other guys go out there and try to tackle our guys, you add Donovan to that mix, those guys have played a lot of snaps and are better players and they've seen a lot of football."
Ricky Seals-Jones, Junior Wide Receiver
On the quarterback competition…
"I think both of them are doing a great job. They're coming in each day and competing, just working with us and what they see on the field and just going out and giving it all they have."
On improvement from last season…
"I think we improved a lot, just the basic things. Just route-running and seeing the coverage, but we're just taking it day by day with the coaches, and the new coaching staff is helping us a lot."
On new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone…
"I think he's a great coach. When you're out there on the field it's all about speed, speed, speed. As soon as someone gets tackled, get lined up and look to the sideline, we're trying to run the next play. That's going to help going into the new season and it will get defenses tired quick. We just want to build off of that."
Boone Niederhofer, Senior Wide Receiver
On his touchdown celebration…
"I just go out there and try to have fun. [It's] the last spring ball so I'm just doing whatever I can to get everyone excited, whether that means punting the ball or making a good catch. It's just all about having fun."
On his long catch that was called back…
"Jake (Hubenak) said he wasn't touched yet so I was a little upset about that. I heard the whistle blow right before I caught it so I was a little upset."
On the quarterback competition…
"After seeing Jake (Hubenak) perform well in the bowl game we already knew we had at least one solid quarterback. Before spring practice started through the workouts we could see that Trevor (Knight) was a good athlete and a good leader, just like Jake is. So it was cool to see both of those guys take leadership roles and take control of the team."
Myles Garrett, Junior Defensive End
On the defense since last season…
"We've all come together, gotten older and got some more time to gel so we already knew that we were going to get the job done on our side. It just starts to become what are they going to do, pointing out tendencies and backfield sets to see where the ball is going to go."
On improving as a defensive unit…
"We didn't really do too well at the run last year and we really build off of that. We want to be a great defense overall, not just getting out there on a pass and getting sacks. We want to be one of the best defenses on both sides."
Daeshon Hall, Senior Defensive End
On defensive improvement…
"It started in the offseason, we've just been working hard in spring ball, lifting weights, doing the little things. Everybody is older so we know what we're doing now and everybody knows what we're doing on the field. I feel like we're just getting older and better in general."
Sophomore Wide Receiver Christian Kirk
On his role this year versus last year…
"I wouldn't say that it's changed too much. It's somewhat the same, still in the slot. I would say that the one twist that has come about is being flexed out [as a] single receiver, being outside and you know Coach Mazzone has talked about giving me opportunities out there. I think the biggest thing, and we talk about it a lot, is let me work in space and let me stretch the field because I personally feel that's what I'm best at. Anywhere that we can create opportunities for me to get the ball in space, that's one of the main things when it comes to my role."
