Texas A&M leads Arizona State 17-10 at halftime, but nobody in the Aggie locker room should be pleased.

So far, the Aggies have been underwhelming and it’s been the generosity of Arizona State that has kept them in the game. Otherwise, ASU would be ahead, because they’ve been the better team.

Offensively, the Aggies were putrid in the first quarter before stepping up in the second. The first was their worst quarter in 12 years with just 14 yards of offense, but they had 109 and two scoring drives in the second. So goes Marcel Reed, so goes the offense and he was terrible in the first quarter. He was a lot better in the second, starting with a 16-yard strike to Terry Bussey in a hole in the zone. He’s made a couple of nice throws to Isaiah Horton, but he’s also been jittery in the pocket. They needed 7 at the end of the half and ended up with 3.

The running game has been weak. 15 carries for 47 yards isn’t going to hack it. There has been no push from the offensive line, giving Rueben Owens and Jamarion Morrow little to work with. The offensive line just isn’t getting any push, and that’s a real problem.

Just as concerning is the reality that ASU’s coaching staff looks like they have the better gameplan. They’re zoning the hell out of Reed and he’s getting frustrated with hit. When the Sun Devils do attack, they’re getting home. Reed also isn’t getting much help from his receivers, either, as they’re not finding gaps in the zone.

Defensively, it’s been a bad showing as well. ASU has 200 yards of total offense and 10 points; the Aggies have three tackles for loss but aren’t applying enough pressure on Cutter Boley. The run defense has been missing gaps and has been just flat beat at the line. The passing game has been really good for Boley, who hit a big 35-yard completion to Reed Harris, who beat Rickey Gibson off the line.

The running game has also been good for ASU, averaging nearly 5 yards a carry to A&M’s 3.1. Nothing subtle, either; it’s been hat on a hat and they’re winning. The saving grace has been third downs, where the Aggies have ASU at 2 for 6. Dalton Brooks made a huge tackle on the last drive, stopping a third down conversion and setting up the fake punt that backfired.

Special teams have been a godsend for the Aggies. The combination of TK Norman and Bravion Rogers stuffed on punt return and forced a muffed punt and a fumble recovery inside the Arizona State 10. Then Noah Mikhail sniffed out the fake punt, and that became another 3 points.

The Aggies get the ball to start the third quarter and they have to do something with it. If they go down and score, then they have undeniable momentum. If they go 3 and out, they’re in trouble because Arizona State is feeling pretty confident about things. It’s time to get physical and aggressive and put the pressure on.