Post Game Review: No. 6 Texas A&M 31, Mississippi State 9

Back in black. Staying in the win column.

Off to its best start in nine years, No. 6 Texas A&M used a stellar second-half to improve to 5-0 by beating Mississippi State, 31-9.

Though the win did not come without early anxiety.

The Aggie front seven made their presence known early on. Daymion Sanford ignited Kyle Field with the sack before the pocket collapsed on Blake Shapen on third down.

For A&M, the penalty flags started flying not even two minutes in. After a holding call on the punt return, a 20-yard gain from Le’Veon Moss was wiped out by another penalty. A third flag was thrown, and while some offense followed, it was not enough to save the penalty-laden opening drive.

Mississippi State then hit A&M’s defense with tempo. Highlighted by a 22-yard run from Davon Booth, the Bulldogs marched 83 yards down the field with ease. However, Elko’s squad slowed the visitors down inside the red zone, forcing the State field goal unit to kick and make a 24-yarder.

A&M responded with a lackluster offensive effort. On third down, Marcel Reed missed Mario Craver on a deep ball, resulting in a three-and-out. Thanks to another tackle for loss from Sanford, the Bulldogs handed the ball right back to the Aggie offense.

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Marcel Reed accounted for three total touchdowns vs. Mississippi State.

To open the second quarter, the Aggies needed a third-down conversion. Reed ran short of the sticks, but an unnecessary roughness penalty gifted the Ags a first down at midfield. A trio of Rueben Owens II rushes and a 13-yard catch by Terry Bussey kept the chains moving.

A Nate Boerkircher rush gave the Aggies four chances to cross the goal line at the 2. On third down, Rueben Owens II appeared to cross, but he was marked down at the 1-yard line after review. On fourth down, the visitors stopped #4 short.

Deep in their own territory, the Bulldogs failed to propel forward, coming up with a three-and-out drive. An electric 53-yard punt return by KC Concepcion was subdued by a holding call, placing the ball on the 50. 

On second down, Reed threw a pick to Kelley Jones, but the Aggie defense went and stole it back. Cashius Howell got his hands on Shapen’s pass, and Sanford snagged it to give the Aggie offense the ball on A&M’s 36.

The turnover set up a much-needed touchdown for the Aggies. After a pass interference call against the visitors, Reed connected with Concepcion, who fought his way into the script “Aggies” end zone for a touchdown.

Just before the half, the Aggie defense went back to work. Howell’s 2025 sack total rose to four as he met Shapen in the backfield for a loss of 12, leading to a quick three-and-out just before the half expired.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Texas A&M’s defense racked up nine TFLs on Saturday night.

After the break, A&M came out with another short-circuited offensive attack. On the other hand, Mississippi State’s ground game appeared to get going. Yet, Dalton Brooks sent Shapen & Co. off the field, credited with a TFL and quarterback hurry. 

With 83 yards of real estate ahead of the Aggies, they only found about half of it. A 19-yard pickup from Owens propelled A&M across midfield before Moss re-entered to gain a few. Yet, the Ags punted it away.

A&M’s defense continued to apply pressure, leading to another wasted drive by State. Back on offense, the Aggies turned up the heat. Craver hauled in his fourth catch and sped away to pick up 42. Reed rifled to Concepcion for a 2-yard touchdown pass, his second of the night.

After another rocky pursuit for the State offense, freshman Jamarion Morrow saw a few carries, breaking one for 23 yards. To conclude the 10-play, 79-yard march, Reed used his legs to punch in A&M’s third touchdown of the night.

The momentum kept rolling in favor of the Aggies. On a completion to Anthony Evans III, Jordan Shaw forced a fumble, and Dalton Brooks picked up 12 to follow. It only took four offensive plays before the Ags found the end zone once again, with Craver punching it in against his former team.

The Bulldogs responded rather quickly as Shapen found Brenen Thompson in the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown, but a botched PAT kept State in single digits.

The duo of Owens and Amari Daniels handled the load on A&M’s ensuing scoring drive. Owens broke a run for a pickup of 37 before Randy Bond made his 65th career field goal to increase the lead, 31-9.

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Kyle Field crowd of 108,572 was the fifth largest in stadium history.

Another set of negative plays came for State as Howell recorded his third sack of the night. Next down, Jordan Lockhart met Bothwell in the backfield, who was unfortunately carted off with a leg injury.

The celebration commenced as Craveer picked up a gain of 28, and Reed kneeled out the clock.

RUMBLED: Something about the Aggies donning all black and the second half. After a not-so-shiny offensive effort in the first half, Marcel Reed & Co. found some redemption. In the second half alone, A&M put up 300 yards and 24 points to touchdown to silence State.

STUMBLED: An offense averaging 39.8 points per game before Saturday’s showdown, Elko’s group held Mississippi State to just nine. The Bulldogs mightly struggled to get anything going, logging five three-and-out drives and two turnovers. Until the fourth quarter, A&M’s defense denied State access to the end zone.

TURNING POINT: A 7-3 game at the half, A&M’s offense surged soon after. The Aggies posted back-to-back-to-back touchdown drives to allow the 108,572 in attendance to turn anxious breathing into celebration.

UNSUNG HERO: How about Rueben Owens II? With Le’Veon Moss sidelined for the majority of the game, Owens received a heavy load of carries. The sophomore rushed for a career-high 142 yards. Injured a year ago, it had to feel good for #4 to break through.

KEY STAT: Texas A&M dominated the time of possession battle, 38:17 to 21:43.

Scoring Summary

First-quarter

MSST: 4:21 - Kyle Ferrie 24-yard field goal. Drive: 15 plays, 83 yards. TOP 5:45. Mississippi State 3, Texas A&M 0

Second-quarter

A&M: 1:51 - Marcel Reed 34-yard touchdown pass to KC Concepcion. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards. TOP 2:23. Texas A&M 7, Mississippi State 3

Third-quarter

A&M: 3:30 - Marcel Reed 2-yard touchdown pass to KC Concepcion. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards. TOP 2:09. Texas A&M 14, Mississippi State 3

Fourth-quarter

A&M: 11:38 - Marcel Reed 7-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards. TOP 5:28. Texas A&M 21, Mississippi State 3

A&M: 9:13 - Mario Craver 7-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards. TOP 2:12. Texas A&M 28, Mississippi State 3

MSST: 7:53 - Blake Shapen 44-yard touchdown pass to Brenen Thompson (PAT no good). Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards. TOP 1:20. Texas A&M 28, Mississippi State 9

A&M: 4:41 - Randy Bond 37-yard field goal. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards. TOP 3:11. Texas A&M 31, Mississippi State 9