Post-Game Review: Texas A&M 51, Mississippi State 41

Johnny Manziel passed for 446 yards and five touchdowns and Texas A&M held on to claim a 51-41 college football victory over Mississippi State in the final home game of the season.
A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC) rolled up 537 yards of total offense, but allowed 556 in yet another shootout that has become so common this season.

Manziel threw two touchdown passes to Malcome Kennedy and Travis Labhart and another to Nehemiah Hicks. It was the fourth straight game in which he’s thrown at least four touchdown passes.

Ben Malena — appearing in his final game at Kyle Field — and Trey Williams both scored rushing touchdowns for the Aggies, who next play at LSU on Nov. 23.
 
Rising: Manziel’s Heisman Trophy campaign got a boost Thursday night and the momentum continued on Saturday. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota was generally considered the leading candidate until he had a pedestrian showing in the Ducks’ upset loss to Stanford on Thursday night. That gave Manziel an opportunity to move to the forefront and he took advantage. Manziel completed 30 of 39 passes for 446 yards and five touchdowns and also rushed for 47 yards.

Florida State QB Jameis Winston now appears Manziel’s chief competition in the Heisman race. Winston passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the Seminoles’ 59-3 victory over Wake Forest. That’s a solid performance, but Manziel passed for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter.

Falling: Once again, records were falling like pregame raindrops. Manziel threw five touchdown passes, which raised his single-season total to a school record 31. Also, Mike Evans, who had five catches for 116 yards, set the school record for single-season receiving yards with 1,263.

Best hit: If the Kyle Field fans weren’t already on their feet, Toney Hurd, Jr. would have brought them there with a big hit on Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott. Midway through the third quarter Prescott dropped back to pass from his own 25-yard line, was flushed out of the pocket by Gavin Stansbury and rolled right. While Prescott looked downfield for a receiver, Hurd swooped in and delivered a hit at thigh level that upended Prescott for a one-yard loss and drew ‘oohs and aahs’ from the crowd.

Best hands: It wasn’t a circus catch, but Kennedy made a heck of a grab for a third quarter touchdown. Forced out of the pocket by an inside rush, Manziel threw on the run toward Kennedy, who was crossing the field left to right. Kennedy reached back to make the catch at his right shoulder pad, cut upfield and outran the defense to the end zone to complete a 21-yard touchdown.

Turning point: Mississippi State just would not go away. In fact, the Bulldogs trailed just 37-27 after receiver Jameon Lewis threw a 31-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. Momentum was with the Bulldogs for … about 15 seconds. Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for an apparent touchdown that was nullified by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for diving into the end zone. The 15-yard penalty only delayed matters, though. Three plays later, Manziel threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Hicks that gave A&M an insurmountable 17-point lead.

Standing 'O': The Aggies have scored 40 points or more in 13 straight games. … A&M blocked a punt for the second straight game. And for the second straight game it resulted in a safety. … Prescott didn’t start, but he played most of the game just six days after losing his mother to cancer. Prescott rushed for 154 yards and passed for 149 yards and two touchdowns.