COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The No. 6 Texas A&M football team dominated the Sam Houston Bearkats, 31-0, recording the program’s first season-opening shutout since 1993 at Kyle Field on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Haynes King threw for a career-best 364 yards and recorded three touchdowns through the air. Preseason All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection Ainias Smith hauled in six passes for a career-high 164 yards and two touchdowns. Head coach Jimbo Fisher pushed his opening-day record to 11-1 overall and 5-0 while leading the Aggies.
The defense stifled the Bearkat (0-1) attack, giving up only 182 total yards and recording two takeaways. Sophomore Jardin Gilbert matched a career-high five tackles and hauled in the first interception of his career. Andre White Jr., broke up two passes and forced a fumble that halted a Sam Houston drive in A&M territory midway through the fourth quarter.
The Aggies (1-0) broke the scoring seal with 3:39 left in the first quarter as King connected with sophomore Yulkeith Brown on a 66-yard strike for Brown’s first-career reception and touchdown.
After a Caden Davis 40-yard field goal to give the Aggies a 10-0 advantage, A&M struck again with :50 seconds in the half as Smith hauled in a 63-yard pass from King.
Following a two-hour, 54-minute weather delay just prior to the start of the third quarter, the Maroon & White marched down the field on a 12-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off by a Devon Achane 1-yard rushing touchdown, pushing its lead to 24-0 with 8:52 remaining in the third.
The King-to-Smith connection made its presence known again early in the fourth quarter as King hit the speedster down the right sideline with 11:10 left in the game, extending the lead to 31-0 and putting away the Bearkats for good.
