Oct. 17—COLLEGE STATION, Texas — It was about what everyone expected.
According to several reports, Texas A&M spends between $45-$50 million annually on its football roster each season. That's more than double what The Citadel spends on its entire athletic department budget.
The difference in talent was evident Saturday afternoon from almost the first snap of the game.
KJ Edwards rushed for a game-high 116 yards and Jamarion Morrow scored three touchdowns as Texas A&M cruised to a 41-0 victory over The Citadel before a crowd of 121,052 at Kyle Field on Oct. 17.
Texas A&M (4-3) had more than 500 yards of total offense and scored on its first four possessions and never looked back. Morrow scored on runs of 1, 1, and 4 yards — all in the first half.
Marcel Reed, who has struggled at times running the offense this season for the Aggies, was 8 of 13 for 130 yards and a TD, while Brady Hart threw for 107 yards and a TD.
Aaron Gregory caught six passes for 94 yards and two TDs for the Aggies.
"I was very proud of the way we played today. We fought until the end, we were scrappy, and this is something that we can build on," said The Citadel coach Maurice Drayton. "We put together a couple of long drives, but we didn't finish drives. The defense did well on the early downs, but we've got to be better with our top-down coverage and being where we're supposed to be. We didn't have our eyes in the right place on a couple of plays. Our eyes got dirty, and they took advantage of that and put the ball over our heads."
The Citadel fell to 2-5 on the season.
Key stats
—The Citadel played one of its cleanest games of the season against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs did not have a turnover and committed just two penalties for 20 yards.
"This is a tough place to play and you have to credit their fans and the 12th man they have here," Drayton said. "I was pleased with our offense. We did not have a procedure penalty because of the noise and I was pleased with that."
—The Bulldogs were 5 of 15 on third down and 2 of 4 on fourth down conversions.
—The Citadel might have lost on the scoreboard but won the battle of time possession. The Bulldogs held the ball for 33 minutes and 59 seconds, while the Aggies had the ball for 26:01.
—The Citadel has been outscored 90-0 in its last two games against an SEC opponent. Then-No. 6 Ole Miss defeated the Bulldogs 49-0 last season.
—The Citadel received $600,000 to play Texas A&M on Saturday at Kyle Field.
—The Aggies scored a touchdown on each of their first four possessions of the first half.
Notes
—For the second straight game, The Citadel used three quarterbacks.
Quentin Hayes started the game and played most of the first quarter, attempting just one pass.
Nick Billoups entered in the second quarter and played a series in the third quarter, completing 2 of 5 passes for 38 yards and rushed for five times for 18 yards.
Sophomore Xavier Hill, who played in the fourth quarter last week against East Tennessee State, played most of the second half.
He finished with 35 rushing yards and was 1 of 4 for 5 yards.
"This was great experience for Xavier, and as we move forward, he's going to have more opportunities," Drayton said.
—For only the second time this season, the Bulldogs did not have a punt blocked. Former Lucy Beckham standout Jack Weil punted five times and averaged 38.6 yards a kick.
—The Citadel covered the point spread against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs came into the matchup as a 45 1/2 -point underdog.
Quotable
"A lot of guys got to play for us today, which is really good. I think we had some guys try to do too much, and that happens in this kind of environment. We knew that coming in. We've got to continue to coach these young men, and if they understand what to do and when to do it and stay within the system, they are going to win in life. We're going continue to work, we're going to continue to do things the right way, and we're going to continue to fight." — Drayton.
Next game
After playing its final non-conference game of the season, The Citadel returns home to face Tennessee Tech on Oct. 24 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
The Golden Eagles (6-1) are coming off a win over Eastern Kentucky. The Bulldogs are 1-0 against Tennessee Tech. The Bulldogs defeated the Golden Eagles 27-0 in the 1960 Tangerine Bowl.
Reach Andrew Miller at 843-937-5599. Follow him on X @APMILLER_PandC