COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Ball State University football team suffered a 56-23 loss at No. 16 Texas A&M Saturday night at Kyle Field. This was the first-ever meeting between the two programs and Ball State’s first game against an SEC opponent since 2009.

“It was a disappointing loss,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said. “The numbers don’t lie. We didn’t get off to a great start, but I do think we settled down a little at halftime and was pleased with how the guys came out and played in the second half.”

Texas A&M (2-0) started the scoring early and took a 7-0 lead with just 2:36 shaved off the clock, but the Cardinals responded with a 21-yard field goal from Morgan Hagee to make it a 7-3 ball game. Sophomore Darian Green highlighted the Cardinals’ opening drive with back-to-back runs that totaled 74 yards to put Ball State in scoring position.

After that, the Aggies would add six more touchdowns to take a 49-3 advantage over the Cardinals at the half.

Former Yorktown High School quarterback, Riley Neal made his first collegiate appearance late in the second quarter. Neal remained in the game for the remainder of the contest. The true freshman finished 11-of-19 passing for 116 yards along with 57 yards rushing on eight carries.

Ball State (1-1) was the first to score in the second half when Green ran in a six-yard touchdown with 11:38 remaining in the third quarter.

On the Aggies’ ensuing possession, sophomore defensive end Anthony Winbush forced a fumble and recovered the ball after sacking Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray. The Cardinals got the ball back on the Aggies’ 22-yard line and would score off of a season best 43-yard field goal from Hagee with 7:39 on the clock.

In the fourth quarter, Ball State added its second touchdown behind a one-yard run from freshman James Gilbert.

Green and Gilbert combined for 167 yards on the ground and two scores.

On defense, junior Joshua Posley stood out for a second straight game with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.

“The biggest thing is we learned more about our football team … hopefully we can put it all together next week as we open conference play,” Lembo said.

Ball State continues its three-game road swing next Saturday with its Mid-American Conference opener at Eastern Michigan. Game time is set for 3 p.m.