AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) – It was only one loss, but it levied so much damage.
Friday, the No. 3 Texas A&M football team dropped its first game of the season, 27-17, to No. 16 Texas at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Beyond the sting of losing the biggest rivalry game of the season, the loss knocked the Aggies out of the Southeastern Conference championship game and, most likely, took A&M out of contention for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
“We just did a really, really poor job of executing anything in the second half,” A&M head coach Mike Elko said. “We were bad. It’s on me. It’s my fault. We couldn’t get our feet set. They were getting edges on us. That was the explosive plays they were hitting in the run game. Busted two coverages that led to 14 points. We misfit a run on the quarterback that led to an easy touchdown. We’ve got to look at what we’re asking our kids to do and make sure they can do it.”
Here’s the game rundown:
Why did A&M lose? After a first half in which the Aggie defense pulled all the momentum their way, Texas found its stride after the break and didn’t look back.
An abundance of first-quarter adrenaline played in favor of both team’s defenses.
Through both team’s first two offensive drives of the game, the Aggies and Longhorns combined for 35 total yards.
The Aggies had the first red zone chance of the game, thanks to a 10-play, 69-yard drive, but ended with a continuation of A&M’s kicking woes. Jared Zirkel launched a 35-yard attempt too low and it was blocked by Ethan Burke at the line.
Texas took advantage by taking a 3-0 lead at the start of the second quarter on a 41-yard field goal by kicker Mason Shipley.
Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed gave Aggie fans a scare at the end of the first quarter, falling to the ground on a non-contact injury while trying to scramble to the left of the line. He returned to the game with slightly less explosiveness in his running, but plenty of speed.
“I just kind of got spooked,” he said. “I’m good. I’m a soldier. It’s a football game, so you’re going to get hit, banged up a little bit, but you’e got to keep going… That didn’t bother me at all. I didn’t even think about it during the second half of the game.”
Zirkel took advantage of a redemption moment midway through the second, hitting a 31-yarder to tie it at three. Then, the Aggies took their first lead of the game on an end-around handoff from Reed to wide out KC Concepcion for an 8-yard touchdown run.
Reed closed out the first half completing 10 of 15 passes for 94 yards and was the Aggies’ leading rusher with 45 yards on seven carries.
Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning completed 8 of 21 passes for 51 yards in the first half.
After the break, the Longhorn offense found life.
A pair of A&M three-and-out drives set up a 46-yard field goal by Shipley and a 29-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Ryan Wingo.
Both scoring plays were set up a series of big rushes from Longhorn running back Quintrevion Wisner. The back, who rushed for over 100 in Kyle Field last year, posted 83 yards in the Longhorns first two drives of the second half, including a long of 48.
An Aggie false start on a fourth-and-1 situation at the 50 forced A&M to punt, which led to a 2-yard rushing touchdown for Longhorn tight end Nick Townsend, giving the Longhorns a two-score lead.
Aggie running back EJ Smith pulled the Aggies back within seven with a 13-yard rush on a drive that was rescued by a face mask call that went against the Longhorns. Manning made up for it on the next drive, scoring on a 35-yard rush up the middle to extend the lead back to 10.
Before the clock hit zero, the Aggies had two drives ended by Reed interceptions.
The quarterback, who entered the weekend as one of the betting favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, said he wasn’t thinking about what the loss did to those chances.
“I don’t know and I really don’t care,” he said. “Whatever they want to say about it, they can say about it. I’m trying to play for a national championship.”
Who stood out? Manning finished the game 14 for 29 for 179 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing seven times for 53 yards and a score.
Wisner was the initial spark for the offense and finished with 155 yards on 19 carries.
Reed connected on 20 of 32 passes for 180 yards and two interceptions, while rushing for 71 yards on 12 carries.
Both safety Dalton Brooks and linebacker Taurean York finished with double-digit tackles, with 12 and 11, respectively. Texas linebacker Liona Lefeau recorded 11 tackles for the Longhorns.
What was a key stat? Through the majority of the game, A&M’s defense played to it’s strength by forcing third-and-long situations. Texas’ average third-down distance was 8.8 yards in the game.
Texas finished the day 4 for 13 on third down, but that included the game-sealing touchdown by Manning in the fourth quarter on third and 3.
What was an important play? Twice in the second half, A&M had fourth-and-1 situations where the offense stayed on the field. However, both saw penalties move the ball back and forced the punt team on the field. The second was a delay of game penalty that head coach Mike Elko said was not taken on purpose.
What does this mean moving forward? A&M’s chances at a national championship are still intact. They will be going to the playoff. However, a shot at a conference title is not in the cards this year and Reed’s Heisman chances took a major hit.
For York, it was the sting of losing two years in a row to Texas that hurt the most, he said.
“We didn’t get that trophy and we’re going to drive out to College Station for the next two hours and it’s probably going to be really silent,” he said. “Hurts a lot, but you’ve got to regroup and get ready for the playoffs.”
Position Breakdown
OFFENSE:
Quarterback: C+
Reed’s biggest selling point this season has been the clutch gene. When the Aggies needed him the most, he threw two picks.
Running Backs: B-
Not the most productive, but EJ Smith scored a huge touchdown late. Also, one of the biggest plays of the game was a huge block thrown by Owens on Concepcion’s touchdown run.
Receivers: B-
Some important plays form Concepcion and Mario Craver moved the chains for the Aggies.
Offensive Line: C+
In the second half, Reed was under more pressure than Manning.
DEFENSE:
Defensive Line: C
Didn’t get nearly enough pressure on Manning in the second half and couldn’t keep his scrambling contained.
Linebackers: C
Along with Manning’s scrambles, had several second-half miss-fits in run defense that got Wisner going.
Defensive Secondary: C
Two very costly busted coverages turned out to be the difference in the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C+
The blocked field goal was a huge mistake. However, Concepcion almost busted a touchdown punt return and punter Tyler White was consistent.
What’s next? The Aggies await their seeding in the College Football Playoff on Selection Sunday, Dec. 7.
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