On a weekend full of incredible college football games, one of the most interesting intersectional matchups involved Pac-12 South favorite UCLA heading into the heart of SEC territory to take on Texas A&M.
In what was a fairly even first half by both teams, the Aggies took a narrow 10-9 lead heading into the locker room but will be looking to make some adjustments after a slow start offensively. The Bruins have their own issues to address after coming away with just two field goals on two trips inside the A&M 10 yard line.
Quarterback Trevor Knight did advance the ball with both his arm and his legs during his first start for A&M after transferring over from Oklahoma. He ended the first half 14-of-21 for an even 100 yards while scrambling for another 13 on the ground. His favorite target in the passing game was not surprisingly Christian Kirk, who posted seven catches for 45 yards.
Keith Ford scored the first half’s only touchdown but it was teammate Trayveon Williams who led the Aggies in rushing with 61 yards on five carries.
A few days after riling up the 12th Man with comments about the potential crowd noise at Kyle Field, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen was 11-of-19 passing for 131 yards. He also tossed an inexplicable interception early in the game when he attempted to throw the ball away while being dragged down, but the ball ended up being lofted into the hands of Daeshon Hall. Rosen did make some NFL-caliber throws against an active A&M defense but not enough to give the Bruins the lead at halftime.
Tailback Soso Jamabo also chipped in with 53 yards rushing for UCLA.
In a position battle NFL scouts no doubt had a close eye on, Bruins left tackle Connor McDermott did a solid job on potential No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett but the rest of the line was up and down against a fast John Chavis defense.
