Johnny manziel penalty

Johnny manziel penalty,  The eagerly anticipated premiere of JohnnyFootball, theSequel on Saturday afternoon didn't disappoint whether you were a fan or a critic of Texas A&M's polarizing sophomore quarterback.

Defending Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel sat out the first half of the sixth-ranked Aggies' 52-31 victory over Rice at Kyle Field because of a school and NCAA agreement, then was benched for the closing minutes after drawing a 15-yard personal foul penalty for taunting. In between, he threw three touchdown passes and displayed the elusiveness and swagger that made him an instant sensation last season. Manziel completed six of eight passes for 94 yards and ran six times for 19 yards.

"He's a fiery guy; that's what we love about him," A&M junior tackle Cedric Ogbuehi said. "He's not quiet. He's not shy. He's going to be loud and aggressive, and that's what makes him Johnny Football. So we loved it."

Second-year Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said he brought down the curtain on Manziel's performance after the third touchdown pass gave A&M a 52-28 lead with 9:48 to play in the game because of the penalty. Manziel was flagged for his discourse with some Rice players followed by a gesture toward the scoreboard.

"He's going to face that every week, with people chirping, and that (the personal foul penalty) is not OK," Sumlin said. "Obviously, I addressed that on the sideline right after the play."

Sumlin said he didn't see an earlier episode in which Manziel appeared to make a writing motion – autographing? – while interacting with Rice nose tackle Stuart Mouchantaf.

"If I had seen it, I would have done something about it," Sumlin said. "I'll see it on video. And if that did happen, then I'll address it."

Speaking Immediately after the game to an ESPN sideline reporter, Sumlin had said of the incident that led to the unsportsmanlike penalty, "I hoped that at this point he'd have learned something. That's why he wasn't going back in the game, no matter what happened."

Manziel was not one of the handful of Aggies players made available to the media after the game.

Manziel was a spectator for the first 30 minutes, the result of last week's agreement between the NCAA and the school that Manziel committed an inadvertent violation of association rules by signing autographs on multiple occasions during the offseason. Sporting a visor and with a towel draped around his shoulders, he was confined to serving as cheerleader, greeter and occasional offensive consultant. When he ventured into the north end zone to help celebrate an A&M touchdown, an official grabbed him by the towel and appeared to point him back to the bench area.

Sumlin's assessment of Manziel's play: "I thought he was pressing a little bit early. On the first play, he missed a read. But a couple touchdown drives, a couple scrambles. Then a foolish penalty at the end."

In addition to the 30-minute suspension handed down last week, Manziel was ordered to address his teammates. Sumlin said that took place on Friday.

"He talked about the mistakes he made, how his teammates have supported him through two-a-days and how much he appreciated their support during that time and wanting to be able to play and win games," Sumlin said. "You (as a coach) try to do everything you can to grow better people, better players and put yourself in the best chance to win."

Manziel was one of eight A&M players, six starters, dealing with suspensions on Saturday that ranged from one half of the Rice game to the first two games of the season – including next week's visit from Sam Houston State before No. 1 Alabama comes to Kyle Field on Sept. 14. Another A&M player who sat out the first half, junior cornerback Deshazor Everett, was deemed guilty of targeting, ejected and won't be able to play during the first half next week. Daeshon Hall, a freshman defensive linemen, also was ejected.

Said Sumlin: "Actions (by Manziel) just like today, just like some other guys on this team – those actions may be actions that you think just hurt you but they end up hurting the whole football team. That was the gist of his message to the whole football team."

With Manziel unavailable until after intermission, Sumlin chose to start junior Matt Joeckel – who saw little action last season as a third stringer – instead of incoming freshman Kenny Hill. Joeckel completed 14 of 19 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown as the Aggies had their hands full with a 27-point underdog that took advantage early of a Texas A&M defense having lost six starters even before the wave of suspensions. The Owls rushed in the first half for 169 yards, more than 10 of the Aggies' 13 opponents last season did in full games.

"He was comfortable," Ogbuehi said of Joeckel, twin brother of 2012 A&M All-American offensive lineman Luke Joeckel. (Matt is two minutes older and about 50 pounds lighter.) "He's the ultimate game manager."

"I thought we had great flow," Sumlin said of Joeckel. "He didn't give the ball to the other team. I think he gained a lot of confidence out of today. I think our team gained a lot of confidence in him today."

But the day wasn't about the starter. Manziel raced into the field from the west sideline early in the third quarter following an interception by senior cornerback Tramain Jacobs and pointed toward the adoring students seated in the east stands. With A&M leading 28-21, Manziel produced three touchdowns and a field goal in his five series.

"I feel like he represented himself with a nice swagger," senior safety Toney Hurd Jr. said. "He came out to have fun, and we got the W. That's what really matters."