Texas A&M's Trevor Knight Shows Improvement, Still Inconsistent

Trevor Knight showed some promising signs in week one. However, he still showed his past struggles of inconsistent passing similar to his past days in Norman.

Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight looked every bit the part of a starting quarterback Saturday. He took command of the Aggies’ huddle, managing to get the ball to his playmakers while making plays within the offense.

However, Knight failed to make plays consistently. He started the game strong, completing 14-of-21 passes in the first half. However, he completed 8-of-21 passes the rest of the game, including just one completed pass on 10 attempts in the fourth quarter.

A lot of Knight’s deficiencies were swept under the rug. Knight won the game on a one-yard scoring run in overtime. A lot of fans and analysts were in awe of A&M’s win over nationally ranked UCLA, so they didn’t care to sift through the numbers at the time.

After looking at some film, it’s apparent Knight’s weaknesses from his days at Oklahoma aren’t gone yet. He missed his receivers multiple times. He tried to make a play when he should’ve thrown it away, resulting in a poor interception. Even his lone touchdown pass was on a great adjustment by wideout Josh Reynolds.

Knight’s passing struggles were well-documented when he was at Oklahoma. In parts of three seasons, he threw for just 3,424 yards, 25 touchdowns to 19 interceptions, while completing 57 percent of his passes. That’s barely more touchdowns than interceptions and a below average completion percentage. In Oklahoma’s spread attack, those numbers should’ve been higher.

Fast forward to A&M’s spring game, when Knight completed 25-of-36 passes for nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns. Every one was ready to say he looked ready to be a top-tier quarterback. However, Knight’s biggest game at Oklahoma, the 2014 Sugar Bowl, earned him the starting job the following season. He never equaled the success he had in that game.

No one should’ve used a spring game as the base line for Knight’s season at A&M. Now, this doesn’t mean he can’t improve from his first start. In all honesty, he outplayed Josh Rosen. He kept the ball out of the defenses hands. He made some plays with his legs and showed he could lead the Aggies to a win. But let’s not crown him king of College Station yet.

The best route to success with this team is simple. Let the defense make plays and the offense take care of the football. The defense forced three turnovers and beat a solid offense in UCLA. Trevor Knight needed to get the ball to Christian Kirk, Ricky Seals-Jones, Josh Reynolds and Keith Ford. He did that against the Bruins and it resulted in a win.

Trevor Knight is not going to be “Johnny Football” but he can be “Trevor game manager”. It doesn’t have a sexy ring to it. But, it’ll get wins for the Aggies. Kyle Allen, Kyler Murray and Kenny Hill couldn’t do that and they lost the starting job. Now, it’s Knight’s turn to take control of the Aggies’ season. If he continues to play smart football, he’ll keep his job. He doesn’t need to break records.