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Photo by Andrew Cagle, TexAgs
Texas A&M Football

Post-Game Review: Missouri 28, Texas A&M 21

November 30, 2013
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — No. 21 Texas A&M’s once-explosive offense struggled again Saturday night in a 28-21 loss to No. 5 Missouri, which clinched first place in the SEC East Division.

The Tigers (11-1) will face No. 4 Auburn (11-1) next Saturday in Atlanta for the SEC championship.

Johnny Manziel threw a touchdown pass, while Tra Carson and Ben Malena rushed for touchdowns.

However, the Aggies' defense, which played well most of the game, gave up a 57-yard touchdown run to Missouri’s Henry Josey with 3:34 left game. The A&M offense could not answer and the Aggies lost their second game in a row.

TexAgs The news of Kevin Sumlin's contract agreement delighted Aggies, but the offense's second straight failure led to another loss. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"The news of Kevin Sumlin\u0027s contract agreement delighted Aggies, but the offense\u0027s second straight failure led to another loss.","MediaItemID":35606}
Rising: The frustration with Texas A&M’s offense. The unit that scored at least 41 points in each of Aggies' first 10 games was limited to three touchdowns. Most alarming was that the Aggies were forced into three-and-outs in each of their final three series in the fourth quarter. They gained a total of one yard on those final three series.

Falling: The odds that A&M coach Kevin Sumlin will leave Texas A&M to take a job at another collegiate program or in the NFL. On Saturday morning Texas A&M announced in a news release that an agreement in principle had been reached with Sumlin on a new six-year contract. Sumlin currently earns $3.1 million annually, but that salary figures to be raised significantly. Athletic Director Eric Hyman said the details would be announced in the near future during a news conference at halftime.

Best hit:
On the first play after A&M had pulled into a 21-21 tie early in the fourth quarter, Nate Askew and Alonzo Williams teamed to sack Missouri QB James Franklin for a seven-yard loss at the Tigers’ 23-yard line. Missouri would eventually punt.

Best hands: Travis Labhart caught seven passes for 81 yards, including a 24-yard reception to highlight a fourth-quarter touchdown drive. Labhart was so sure-handed he was even sent in to receive a punt midway through the fourth quarter, presumably because De’Vante Harris fumbled a punt earlier. He called a fair catch and fielded it cleanly.

Turning point: Just over three-and-a-half minutes remained in a 21-21 tie; Missouri was facing a third-and-one at the 43-yard line when RB Henry Josey burst through a hole and sprinted 53-yards to the end zone to give the Tigers a 28-21 lead.

Standing 'O': Drew Kaser, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award for the nation’s premier punter, added to his case with an exceptional showing. He punted eight times for a 44.8 yard average. One of his punts covered 58 yards and another covered 53. Three of them were killed inside the Missouri 20-yard line.
 
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