Only Saturday’s 41-23 defeat came at the hands of a rebuilding but superior Miami squad, a far cry from the Aggies’ stunning 18-14 loss to mid-major Arkansas State in their season opener.
“We’re not where we want to be,” first-year A&M coach Mike Sherman said. “No question about that.”
With the Big 12 Conference opener against Oklahoma State less than two weeks away, the Aggies (1-2) still appear to be seeking an identity, especially with sophomore quarterback Jerrod Johnson (19-of-32 passing for 275 yards, with two turnovers) making his first career start in place of injured senior Stephen McGee.
The Hurricanes exploited several of A&M’s defensive lapses, the Johnson-led offense was inconsistent, and costly penalties erased some big gains.
“It was rough out there at times,” Sherman said. “And other times I thought we settled down and made some plays. They had way too many explosive plays on us, particulary in the first half, against our defense.
“Offensively, we had some good things happen, obviously the first play of the game.”
On that play, Johnson found Mike Goodson on a jailbreak screen, and the speedy running back ran through Miami’s defense 62 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 20 seconds into the game.
A&M’s defense, though, gave the momentum right back on the following possession.
Hurricanes freshman quarterback Robert Marve completed passes to Kayne Farquharson and Laron Byrd, and Graig Cooper (16 carries, 128 yards) had runs of 7 and 19 yards, the last one a touchdown to tie the game with 12:56 left.
On the next possesion, Cooper took a handoff and went 51 yards for a 14-7 lead midway through the first.
“We had a couple of touchdowns early that boosted our confidence,” said Marve, who was 16-of-22 passing for 212 yards.
After Goodson’s touchdown, the Aggies’ offense failed to answer.
In its next eight drives not including the one-play possession right before halftime, A&M ran 40 plays that accounted for only 124 yards - producing a field goal and one missed attempt.
Then, according to Sherman, the offense’s inability to maintain posession and get a first down right before halftime turned the tide.
The Aggies took over at their 31-yard line with 2:03 remaining, trailing 17-10. On its three plays, A&M lost 6 yards - a penalty for illegal procedure wiped out a Johnson-to-Goodson pass - and gave the ball back to Miami with a chance to score.
The Hurricanes did just that, moving the ball 41 yards in three plays, with Marve finding a wide-open Thearon Collier for a backbreaking touchdown and 24-10 halftime lead.
“We had a little miscommunication in the secondary,” Aggies safety Jordan Peterson said. “We did get out of position several times. We didn’t have leverage on the ball. We have an issue with that in practice sometimes.”
In the second half, two costly turnovers by Johnson sealed Miami’s victory.
Trying to run the same play that produced Goodson’s score, Johnson dropped back and threw it directly to defensive lineman Eric Moncur for an interception. Marve found Farquharson on the next play for a touchdown and 34-10 lead.
Then Hurricanes linebacker Glenn Cook forced a Johnson fumble and returned it 2 yards for a 41-10 lead with 5:43 to go in the third.
“One thing Coach preaches at the quarterback position is not turning the ball over,” Johnson said. “I played decent, but obviously I didn’t play well enough to win.”
Added Sherman: “There’s a trade-off. I thought he made some unbelievable plays in the first half. He kept drives alive a lot. But there is a lot of little things as a quarterback in his first ballgame (as a starter) that he needs to manage a little better.”
Sherman said he hasn’t made a decision as to whether Johnson or McGee will be the starter when the Aggies host Army - which is 0-3 and on a nine-game losing streak - next week.
“I haven’t even thought that far ahead - I have to be honest with you,” Sherman said. “My perspective only went to this game.
“This is a key point in our season where even though we’re only three games into this thing that they hang together, come back to work tomorrow prepared to fix what needs to be fixed. I have complete confidence that we will.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
