On Saturday, Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3 SEC) dropped a heartbreaker the No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels (8-1, 5-1 SEC) at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday.
The two issues that have plagued the Aggies all season long were glaring in the first half of this game. While the defense kept Jaxson Dart uncomfortable most of the time, the secondary gave him free yards with penalties and wide-open receivers.
Even more concerning was how ineffective the offense was in their first four drives. Yards were hard to come by for the Aggies early in the game, only being able to muster 44 before they started to show any signs of life in the half. Senior QB Max Johnson was able to manufacture Texas A&M’s first scoring drive of the game with a balanced dose of passing and running, capping off a 75-yard drive with a 13-yard Le’Veon Moss touchdown run.
However, no doubt the play of the half was the blocked punt by Shemar Turner that was returned 75 yards for a touchdown and a 10-point swing. Instead of Ole Miss going up 17-0, the Aggies got their first points of the game, cutting the lead in half. Both teams would score again with the half closing out on an Ainias Smith fair catch and the Rebels up 20-14.
The second half started off very promising but quickly went downhill. Texas A&M marched down the field on a six-plus minute opening drive that ended in a Max Johnson interception in the end zone. To add insult to injury, Shemar Turner was ejected after being called for a flagrant personal foul after throwing a lower half-of-the-body punch. Dart continued picking apart the secondary for an easy touchdown drive followed by a 2-point conversion, putting Ole Miss back up by two touchdowns.
Not willing to go out without a fight, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino kept the Ole Miss defense guessing as they stormed down the field, threatening to score again. This time, they hit paydirt with Max Johnson linking up with his brother Jake Johnson for a 28-yard touchdown pass, bringing the Aggies within one touchdown 28-21.
This quickly turned into a shootout, with both teams exchanging points with the Aggies down 28-31 early in the fourth quarter. Max Johnson, tough as nails, would come in the clutch again, leading the Aggies on a 12-play 67-yard touchdown drive to take their first lead, going up 35-31. Unfortunately for the Aggies, a few near-defensive misses on the following Ole Miss drive allowed the Rebels to maintain said drive, ultimately resulting in a touchdown.
Down three, the Aggies did not go away quietly; a battered Max Johnson and company willed the Aggies into field goal range. With the help of an overturned interception, the Aggies ate up a few more yards to give Randy Bond a brutal but make-able kick to tie the game with two seconds left on the clock. Bond lined up, put his foot into it, and no good. The Aggies fell 38-35 in a heart-breaking loss and must wait another week to secure their bowl eligibility.
On the heels of their ninth straight road loss, Texas A&M will look to rebound when they take on Mississippi State next Saturday night at Kyle Field.
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