COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M senior linebacker Sean Porter said Johnny Manziel made him feel like he was back in high school Saturday at Kyle Field.
Arkansas’ defensive players looked like they might still be in high school, too, after Manziel, the Aggies’ redshirt freshman quarterback, set SEC and school records with 557 yards in total offense as Texas A&M beat the Razorbacks 58-10.
“I played against Johnny in high school, and he put up ridiculous numbers like that every week,” Porter said. “To me, I was like, man, I can’t believe he’s doing the same thing in college. I kind of had a flashback today.”
Manziel completed 29 of 38 passes for a school-record 453 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception and rushed 14 times for 104 yards and 1 touchdown. He broke the SEC record for total offense (540 yards) set by Ole Miss’ Archie Manning against Alabama in 1969 and LSU’s Rohan Davey against Alabama in 2001.
“Johnny kind of reminds you of the kid in the neighborhood that nobody could stop,” Aggies senior center Patrick Lewis said. “Nobody could run with him, nobody could jump with him, throw with him, catch with him. He’s just that special kind of player for this offense.”
Although he completed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Swope that put the Aggies ahead 27-10 in the second quarter, Manziel’s 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter on third-and-goal that made it 51-10 might have stood out the most.
Manziel literally ran circles around the Razorbacks, looking trapped in the pocket, then reversing field and navigating his way into the end zone.
The play before, Manziel kept the ball and was stopped for no gain by defensive end Tenarius Wright.
“I actually let him call the play before the touchdown and it was horrible,” Aggies offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. “I said, ‘You’re not calling any more plays.’ So he just ran it in himself.
“He showed me, I guess. That was a phenomenal play.”
It was up to Manziel’s coaches and teammates to talk about Manziel, because Aggies Coach Kevin Sumlin hasn’t allowed him to do interviews with media. When will he relent?
“It will be pretty soon,” said Sumlin, who is in his first season with Texas A&M. “He’s a freshman. He’s got enough going on right now every week. Later on this year we’ll get him up here.”
Manziel came into this season with the reputation as a dual-threat quarterback who was likely to make as many or more plays as a runner than apasser. That perception should be changing after he broke the Aggies’ passing record of 449 yards set by Ryan Tannehill against Texas Tech in 2010.
“I felt like this was the best game he’s played in the pocket,” Kingsbury said. “He still got out and did his thing when it wasn’t there, but he really studied the film all week and knew the game plan andby far had his best grasp of a game plan he’s had.
“So he was able to hang in the pocket and be confident in his throws, step into them and be accurate. He just pulled the trigger today. When he saw it, he believed what he saw and let it rip. That was very encouraging.”
Sumlin said he’s been around a lot of good quarterbacks, notably Houston’s Case Keenum, who set NCAA passing and total offense records.
“Johnny’s just a different guy, you know?” Sumlin said. “I’d say he’s different in the fact that he’s such a good athlete and his ability to create offense when things break down.”
Manziel has accounted for 16 touchdowns in his first four college games - 10 passing and 7 rushing - without committing a turnover.
“Johnny’s making strides every week,” Sumlin said. “As we get a feel for him as coaches, and he gets a feel for us, too, he’s continuing to improve.”
Could Texas A&M have upgraded at quarterback after losing Tannehill, the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft and rookie starter for the Miami Dolphins?
“Johnny’s not extremely confident in the offense yet,” Kingsbury said. “Once he gets there, I think the sky is the limit. It’s up to him how good he wants to be.”
Sports, Pages 33 on 09/30/2012