Aggies Win, But Don’t Get Too Comfortable Just Yet
Well, Aggie fans, you got yourself a 49-34 win over Virginia, but before you start planning the victory parade, let’s be real—this was a bit too close for comfort. Sure, the scoreboard says you won by 15, but if you watched this game, you know it didn’t feel like a comfortable win.
We’ve seen this story before with Coach Gonzales. I covered him back in his Cal days, and let me tell you—his teams never make things easy, even when they’ve got all the talent in the world. Today’s game was no different.
Talent Carries the Day (Barely)
Let’s give credit where it’s due—freshman Rueben Owens absolutely showed out. Five total touchdowns? Yeah, that’s the kind of performance you dream about. He tore through Virginia’s defense like a hot knife through butter, running for 173 yards and catching passes like he was born for it. Conner Weigman was efficient too, completing 17 of 19 passes without turning the ball over. The offense finally decided to show up, but let’s not kid ourselves—Virginia’s defense isn’t exactly Alabama. It’s safe to say the Aggies were working with a talent advantage, and it showed.
A Shaky Defense with Big Moments
But here’s where things get messy—what in the world happened to the defense today? I mean, they’ve been carrying this team all season, but against Virginia, they looked lost. Virginia’s RB Kobe Pace ran for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, often going untouched for five yards before anyone even got near him. And that quarterback? Colandrea? He was out there hitting big plays like it was practice. The Cavaliers converted 8 of 11 third downs, picked up 21 first downs overall, and refused to punt the ball, except for a fake (which, luckily for the Aggies, didn’t work).
Even with three interceptions, including a 91-yard pick-six from Dalton Brooks, the Aggie defense gave up 469 yards and looked like they were playing catch-up the entire game. Coach Gonzales admitted it himself—he wasn’t ready for Coach Doc’s offense. And honestly, that’s not a great look. Gonzales said, "For most of the season, our defense has carried us... but today, I didn’t have them prepared." I’ll say, Coach. You’ve got the better roster, and yet, here we are talking about how close this game was.
Debbie’s Take on Gonzales (Again)
Look, I’ve watched Gonzales’ teams long enough to know that talent can only carry you so far. Yeah, the Aggies have some playmakers, and when they show up, they’re hard to stop. But Gonzales? He has a way of making even the easiest games feel like a grind. I’m not saying he’s a bad coach—I’m just saying he doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Every time you think his teams are ready to turn the corner, they stumble just enough to make you wonder.
It’s hard to fully believe in a team when you can’t trust its leader to have them ready every week. The talent is there—no doubt about it. But Gonzales needs to figure out how to put it all together, especially with SEC play right around the corner.
Final Thoughts
In the end, A&M came away with the win, but it sure wasn’t the kind of dominant performance you’d hope for against a team with less talent. They did just enough to escape, but close calls like this don’t inspire much confidence heading into SEC play. The offense looked sharp, but the defense got gashed far more than anyone expected, and you can bet tougher opponents will make them pay if this keeps up.
So, Aggie fans, enjoy the win—but don’t get too comfortable. The SEC isn’t going to forgive mistakes like this, and if Coach Gonzales doesn’t figure out how to get both sides of the ball clicking, things could get rough in a hurry.
Debbie Downer, NDL Media and Associated Press, beat writer
UVA offense was good enough but the defense has failed yet again
At what point do we get some heart on the defensive side of the ball? We need to be better. We cant continue to muddle thru games and expect to win. Right now this team is a shit show and we need to improve and it starts with the coaches preparing better and players executing better.
After Coach Doc slammed the mic and walked off the media was stunned. Will this be a new UVA team that comes out next week and and brings a little anger and redemption to a team thats as soft as melted butter?
In thr 1st quarter Leveon Moss gave A&M the lead with a 9yd TD run. UVA wasted no time and answered backwith a touchdown pass for 47yds from Anthony Colandrea to Chris Tyree. A&M would score to end the 1st on a 10yd Wigeman to Owens pass.
In the 2nd UVA and A&M would trade 2 TDS a piece. Colandrea to Sarge Ennis and Kobe Pace would walk in rom 7yds out. Owens would catch a TD of 31 yds and run one for 39yds.
In the 2nd half the wheels came off for UVA. Brooks returned a 91yd TD return for the Aggies. In the 4th UVA showed some fire.With Pace scoring on a 1yd TD and Tyree hauling one in from 45yds. AM would answer with 2 of their own with Owens scoring from 13 and 6yds.
UVA face UCONN and BC maybe they can get one but dont hold your breath.
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