Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill, top, throws a shovel pass as South Carolina defensive end Gerald Dixon (44) defends.
SEC
Southeastern ConferenceIt will rank among the most fleeting questions in Southeastern Conference history.
How will Texas A&M thrive without Johnny Football?
Dealt lower expectations nationally following the early departure of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, the Aggies have been even more explosive with sophomore Kenny Hill and his wealth of talented receivers. Texas A&M often had to win shootouts to succeed during its first two years in the SEC, but this year's squad has shown defensive promise in defeating South Carolina and Lamar by a combined 94 points.
"These guys are having a lot of fun," third-year Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said early Sunday morning in a news conference after the 73-3 trampling of Lamar, "and they also understand that we can get better."
Hill won the starting job over early enrollee Kyle Allen, the top quarterback nationally in the 2014 signing class, and made the start of the post-Manziel era a resounding success. Appearing Aug. 28 on the debut SEC Network telecast, Hill shredded South Carolina for 511 yards on 44-of-60 passing in a 52-28 shocking of the No. 9 Gamecocks.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder from Southlake, Texas, has completed 61 of 86 passes (70.9 percent) through two games for 794 yards, which ranks third nationally. Texas A&M's 1,310 total yards after two games lead the nation, and the Aggies are averaging a robust 62.5 points per game.
"The more reps you get, the more comfortable you're going to be in the offense," Hill said Sunday morning. "I think that's how it is with everybody, but the more reps I get will give me a better connection with my receivers. The emphasis with this game was taking more shots down the field."
Hill was the Texas 5A Gatorade Player of the Year after accounting for 3,196 total yards and 42 touchdowns as a Southlake senior. He was rated among the top 150 prospects nationally by Rivals.com in the 2013 class, so it wasn't like he didn't have some experience in dealing with attention upon arrival in College Station.
Yet his performance against South Carolina took that through the roof, as Hill shared SEC offensive player of the week honors with Georgia tailback Todd Gurley and received a congratulatory tweet from ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
"That was pretty cool," Hill said last week. "It's been nuts. Everybody is walking around and looking at me, and I'm just trying to live my life like I always have."
Sumlin has been pleased with Hill and even more pleased with the relationship Hill and Allen have, calling their enthusiasm for one another "genuine." Allen completed 12 of 16 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns against Lamar.
Junior tailback Trey Williams has rushed for 132 yards and 6.6 yards a carry through two games, and he's had to complement a stocked receiving collection headed by senior Malcome Kennedy (17 catches for 170 yards), sophomore Edward Pope (8-131), redshirt freshman Ricky Seals-Jones (8-112) and true freshman Speedy Noil (9-126).
Kennedy had 14 catches for 137 yards against South Carolina, while the debut of Seals-Jones contained five catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
"He's an absolute stud who is going to help us out tremendously," Hill said of Seals-Jones. "He can go over the middle and go up and snag balls. He's the total package, and he's a lot faster than people give him credit for. He's going to surprise a lot of people this year."
For all that the Aggies have accomplished so far this season, no stat may be more surprising than them holding two consecutive foes under 100 yards rushing. A year ago, Texas A&M allowed 222.3 rushing yards a game.
Last year's sack leaders were Gavin Stansbury and Shaan Washington, who each had three, the same total touted freshman defensive end Myles Garrett already has.
"He's what we need," Sumlin said. "We have guys now who can create their own pass rush instead of us having to call blitzes all the time."
Texas A&M will be favored for the foreseeable future, rounding out September against Rice, SMU and Arkansas, but the Aggies will not be overconfident, according to Hill.
"We still have a chip on our shoulder," he said. "Everybody thinks the South Carolina game was a fluke."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.