Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, lit up the Texas sky Saturday night in his first full game of the season, passing for 426 yards and three touchdowns. And it wasn't even, truly, a full game.
Although Manziel was eligible to play four quarters, unlike last week, when he served a first-half suspension against Rice, he was lifted in favor of reserves with TAMU comfortably ahead 65-28 near the end of the third quarter. He completed 29 of 42 passes with one interception, and added 36 rushing yards and another touchdown on seven carries.
By the half, Manziel had 323 passing yards, when the Aggies led 30-14.
Manziel completed 23 of 33 passes with an interception and a pair of touchdowns heading into the second half. Manziel connected with nine different TAMU receivers in the first half despite the fact that heralded freshman receiver Ricky Seals-Jones sat out with an injury.
Manziel has now thrown for 520 yards in two games on the season, playing about four quarters over that span. He hasn't maintained his dizzying 1,000-yard rushing pace from a year ago, however, rushing for just 55 yards to date.
You can bet Manziel will get four quarters of action next week when the Aggies play host to defending national champion Alabama. TAMU was the only team to beat the Crimson Tide last season, and Manziel had a major hand in the upset.
Alabama was idle this week, giving the UA defense a couple of extra practice days to prepare for Manziel, and some extra rest, as well.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
