My first offensive game ball of the year is going to go to graduate senior running back Calvin Tyler Jr. In a season-opening 31-20 win over the UConn Huskies, Tyler was a man among boys toting the rock a career-high 33 times for a career-high 161 yards. He also snagged 2 receptions for 33 yards. His 161 rushing yards helped pace the Aggies en route to 261 total rushing yards on the afternoon.
My first defensive game ball of the year is going to go to junior transfer MJ Tafisi. In the season-opening win over the UConn Huskies, Tafisi was the defensive catalyst leading the Aggies with a career-high 10 tackles which includes a career-high 2.0 tackles-for-loss. After the Aggies fell behind early 14-0 early in the game, he was a part of a stout defensive effort that only allowed 6 points over the final three quarters as the Aggies rallied for a 31-20 victory.
My first special teams game ball of the year will be going to junior punter Stephen Kotsanlee. Kotsanlee was a big part of the Aggies 31-20 victory over the Huskies as the consistently flipped field position in the Aggies favor. He booted the ball 5 times for an average of 48.2 yards per punt landing one inside the 20-yard line and landing 1 punt for a touchback. None of his punts were returned for any yardage.