close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • news

    Aggies get four times as much overtime

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    AUBURN – Despite four overtimes and a 21-point comeback, Texas A&M Football suffered a heartbreaking loss at Auburn on Saturday.

    The loss puts the Aggies’ College Football Playoff hopes in grave jeopardy ahead of a big game next week against Texas.

    The Aggies fell behind early and roared back for their first lead of the game with four minutes remaining, 31-28. But Auburn’s offense flared again on the final drive of the fourth quarter, sending the game to overtime.

    The Tigers were held to a negative distance in the fourth quarter before their final drive as the Aggies scored 10 unanswered points. Auburn’s first four possessions of the fourth quarter ended with an interception and three punts.

    A&M quarterback Marcel Reed finished 22-for-35 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and interceptions. He added 90 yards on the ground and another score. Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne completed 19 of 31 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

    Auburn wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith made the play of the game, picking off a game pass from Thorne for the game-tying two-point try in the fourth overtime. A&M responded with some trickery, as Reed gestured wide and then cycled back into the backfield after the snap to take a backwards throw from Terry Bussey. As Reed rolled right, he found Amari Daniels in the end zone, but the running back dropped the pass as Auburn fans and players celebrated.

    It erased an impressive comeback by Reed and Co., who scored 10 points in 10 minutes in the fourth after struggling for most of the second and third quarters.

    Saturday night at Auburn got off to a rough start as they trailed 21-7 at halftime.

    The Tigers jumped on the Aggies early, scoring 21 unanswered points to start the game, helped by a missed field goal by Randy Bond and an interception by Reed deep in Auburn territory.

    A&M struggled to stop the running game while also giving up explosive plays that put them in the early hole.

    Auburn finished the first two quarters with 240 yards, including 190 through the air. They were led by freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman who entered the break with four receptions, 112 yards and two touchdowns.

    Despite trailing at the half, the Aggies had been able to move the football, racking up 168 yards and dominating the time of possession at 19:27. However, they failed to win consistently and their mistakes resulted in them trailing by double figures at half-time.

    Reed threw for 88 passing yards and led the team in rushing with 45 yards in the first two quarters.

    The Aggies won the toss to start the game and advanced to the second half, putting their defense on the field first. The Tigers then marched down the field for a 10-play drive that was capped by a 2-yard touchdown by running back Jarquez Hunter.

    The Aggies’ opening possession ended with a missed 54-yard field goal by kicker Randy Bond and the Tigers quickly took advantage of the mistake. This time with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Thorne to freshman Cam Coleman to take the early lead by double digits, 14-0.

    After a Reed interception in Auburn territory, the Tigers took advantage of the mistake and drove down the field for a six-play, 88-yard drive. Coleman caught his second touchdown of the day, up 21-0 with 13:09 left in the first half.

    However, A&M didn’t stop. Terry Bussey ended a 15-play drive and, hitting in from 2 yards out, made it 21-7 with 4:13 left in the half.

    Next up for No. 15 Texas A&M is a highly anticipated in-state clash with No. 3 Texas at Kyle Field.

    Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes this kind of work possible. Get access to all our best content with this great offer.

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like