Kenny Hill's 511-Yd Statement Game: Is Texas A&M Magic Actually The Head Coach, Not Johnny Manziel?

Texas A & M rose to recent prominence in college football on the exploits of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. He had a head coach that was very successful at a school no one remembers - Houston. Experts suggested or hinted that the program would take a step back when it became Manziel-less. But who should get the credit when the remaining constant is no longer Manziel?  What happens when the team plays a top -10 team, South Carolina, against legendary Steve Spurrier, and wins with a sophomore quarterback?

Add the fact that the sophomore quarterback, Kenny Hill,  was slotted into the coach's offensive scheme and just threw for 511 yards, breaking the single-game passing record of the aforementioned Johnny Manziel.

That seems to lead to the rational conclusion that the magic plasma for success isn't Manziel, it's the coach. That coach is...umm...Kevin Sumlin. It is entirely possible that South Carolina was just flat, not ready for the first game of the season. But that is often a sign of good or bad coaching: Can you get them ready for the season on time?  And South Carolina has been too consistently good at home (18-game home win streak) with legendary difficulties for opposing teams for this to be a fluke all at once.  And it is no fluke when the coach puts out a team that doesn't just win on a trick play after referees gave them several breaks on missed calls. No, Sumlin's Aggies left no doubt, 52-28.

Surely it is too early to put him in the category of the nation's best. Sumlin's only been at Texas A&M for two seasons, and this is his first season without the Manziel edition of magic. But his record is 46-19 in his first 5 years as a head coach. His profile to date looks a lot like the early profile of the nation's best coaches in any sport. Success seems to follow them wherever they go. By all indications, Sumlin is on the go - going to an era of sustained football success not seen in an Aggie generation.