Photo by Kirby Clarke, TexAgs
Texas A&M Football
Liberty Bowl Review: Texas A&M 45, West Viginia 37
December 29, 2014
6,106
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Behind a big performance from quarterback Kyle Allen and a solid defensive effort, Texas A&M posted a 45-37 Liberty Bowl victory over West Virginia on Monday afternoon.
Allen threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another as the Aggies posted their fourth consecutive bowl victory. It’s the first time in school history A&M has won four straight bowl games.
The Aggies trailed 17-7 early after Allen threw an interception which was returned for a touchdown. However, he bounced back strong. Allen’s touchdown passes covered 44 yards to Josh Reynolds, 40 yards to Trey Williams and 11 and nine yards to Malcome Kennedy.
Williams added an 18-yard touchdown run.
Allen was aided by a strong running game as Tra Carson rushed for 133 yards — the first A&M running back to hit triple digits since Ben Malena in 2012. Williams had 86 yards, too.
TexAgs
Allen looked in command of the offense, used his legs and showed second-half poise beyond his years in the season finale.
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Meanwhile, A&M’s defense limited West Virginia to 126 rushing yards. The Aggies did give up 346 passing yards to Mountaineers quarterback Skyler Howard, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to All-American receiver Kevin White. But they also sacked Howard three times and routinely put pressure on him as he completed fewer than half his passes.
Rising: Allen has made significant progress since a mediocre showing in the regular season-ending loss to LSU. He wasn’t perfect by any means — he did throw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. That miscue aside, Allen was excellent. He threw four touchdowns while completing 22 of 35 attempts for 294 yards. He also had a 14-yard touchdown run on what appeared to be a busted play.
Falling: A&M’s reputation as the “good guys” took a hit in the first half because of two cheap hits on the sideline. Student assistant Mike Richardson threw a forearm at West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley as he ran out of bounds. Later, he was even more egregious in shoving running back Andrew Buie in the back of the head at the end of a play. The moves were caught on television and were sent out all over social media. It was an embarrassment to A&M. Richardson remained in the locker room after halftime.
Best hands: Kennedy made his final collegiate game a strong one. He had seven catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. With A&M holding an eight-point lead and facing third-and-three in the final minutes, he reached down below his shins to pull in a 21-yard pass that clinched the victory.
Best hit: Four minutes into the third quarter Howard floated a pass toward the right sideline for running back Rushel Shell. Deshazor Everett immediately converged and delivered a smashing an instant after Shell made the catch. Everett dropped Shell for a one-yard loss. The Mountaineers eventually punted.
Turning point: Midway through the second quarter, West Virginia had a 27-21 lead and first down at the A&M 39-yard line. The Mountaineers had driven there from their own 17. They appeared on the way to taking a two touchdown lead. Instead, they were slowed by a holding penalty.
Clay Taylor
The defense coached in the interim by Mark Hagen did what it rarely has the past two years — played well enough to give A&M a chance to win.
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Myles Garrett followed by dropping Jordan Thompson for a three-yard loss; Garrett then teamed with Tommy Sanders to sack Howard for a six-yard loss. That stand forced the Mountaineers to punt. The Aggies responded with a touchdown drive to take the lead at halftime and then dominated the second half.
Standing ‘O’: The much-maligned A&M defense played as well or better than most would have expected. True, West Virginia scored 37 points — but one was a defensive touchdown and another came in the final three minutes. The Aggies have been especially vulnerable against the run. However, interim defensive coordinator Mark Hagen came up with a plan that limited West Virginia to 126 rushing yards on 32 attempts. Fifty-three of those yards came on just two plays.
A&M: Josh Reynolds 43 pass from Kyle Allen (Josh Lambo kick). A&M 7, WV 0
WV: Josh Lambert 33 FG. Key play: 15-yard targeting penalty on A&M’s Howard Matthews on third-and-17 gives WV first down at A&M 20-yard line. A&M 7, WV 0
WV: Mario Alford 45 pass from Skyler Howard (Lambert kick). WV 10, A&M 7
WV: K.J. Dillon 35 interception return. (Lambert kick). WV 17, A&M 7
A&M: Trey Williams 40 pass from Allen (Lambo kick). WV 17, A&M 14
WV: Lambert 40 FG. Key play: Jordan Thompson 43 pass from Howard to A&M 29. WV 20, A&M 14
Second quarter
A&M: Malcome Kennedy 11 pass from Allen (Lambo kick). Key play: Kennedy 22 pass from Allen to WV 34-yard line. A&M 21, WV 20
WV: Kevin White 49 pass from Howard (Lambert kick). WV 27, A&M 21
A&M: Allen 14 run (Lambo kick). Key play: Roughing the punter on West Virginia gives A&M first down at 44-yard line. A&M 28, WV 27
Third quarter
A&M: Lambo 26 FG. Key play: Tra Carson 39 run to WV 15-yard line. A&M 31, WV 27
A&M: Trey Williams 18 run (Lambo kick). Key play: Ricky Seals-Jones 21 pass from Allen on 3rd and 20 to the WV 18-yard line. A&M 38, WV 27
WV: Lambert 31 FG. Key play: White 45 pass from Howard to A&M 21-yard line. A&M 38, WV 30
A&M: Kennedy 9 pass from Allen (Lambo kick). Key play: Allen 12 run on 3rd and 10 to the WV 20-yard line. A&M 45, WV 30
WV: Elijah Wellman 4 pass from Howard (Lambert kick) Key play: Wendell Smallwood 35 run. A&M 45, WV 37
Allen threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another as the Aggies posted their fourth consecutive bowl victory. It’s the first time in school history A&M has won four straight bowl games.
The Aggies trailed 17-7 early after Allen threw an interception which was returned for a touchdown. However, he bounced back strong. Allen’s touchdown passes covered 44 yards to Josh Reynolds, 40 yards to Trey Williams and 11 and nine yards to Malcome Kennedy.
Williams added an 18-yard touchdown run.
Allen was aided by a strong running game as Tra Carson rushed for 133 yards — the first A&M running back to hit triple digits since Ben Malena in 2012. Williams had 86 yards, too.
TexAgs
Allen looked in command of the offense, used his legs and showed second-half poise beyond his years in the season finale.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Allen looked in command of the offense, used his legs and showed second-half poise beyond his years in the season finale.","MediaItemID":47959}
Rising: Allen has made significant progress since a mediocre showing in the regular season-ending loss to LSU. He wasn’t perfect by any means — he did throw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. That miscue aside, Allen was excellent. He threw four touchdowns while completing 22 of 35 attempts for 294 yards. He also had a 14-yard touchdown run on what appeared to be a busted play.
Falling: A&M’s reputation as the “good guys” took a hit in the first half because of two cheap hits on the sideline. Student assistant Mike Richardson threw a forearm at West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley as he ran out of bounds. Later, he was even more egregious in shoving running back Andrew Buie in the back of the head at the end of a play. The moves were caught on television and were sent out all over social media. It was an embarrassment to A&M. Richardson remained in the locker room after halftime.
Best hands: Kennedy made his final collegiate game a strong one. He had seven catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. With A&M holding an eight-point lead and facing third-and-three in the final minutes, he reached down below his shins to pull in a 21-yard pass that clinched the victory.
Best hit: Four minutes into the third quarter Howard floated a pass toward the right sideline for running back Rushel Shell. Deshazor Everett immediately converged and delivered a smashing an instant after Shell made the catch. Everett dropped Shell for a one-yard loss. The Mountaineers eventually punted.
Turning point: Midway through the second quarter, West Virginia had a 27-21 lead and first down at the A&M 39-yard line. The Mountaineers had driven there from their own 17. They appeared on the way to taking a two touchdown lead. Instead, they were slowed by a holding penalty.
Clay Taylor
The defense coached in the interim by Mark Hagen did what it rarely has the past two years — played well enough to give A&M a chance to win.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The defense coached in the interim by Mark Hagen did what it rarely has the past two years — played well enough to give A\u0026M a chance to win.","MediaItemID":34472}
Standing ‘O’: The much-maligned A&M defense played as well or better than most would have expected. True, West Virginia scored 37 points — but one was a defensive touchdown and another came in the final three minutes. The Aggies have been especially vulnerable against the run. However, interim defensive coordinator Mark Hagen came up with a plan that limited West Virginia to 126 rushing yards on 32 attempts. Fifty-three of those yards came on just two plays.
Scoring summary
First quarterA&M: Josh Reynolds 43 pass from Kyle Allen (Josh Lambo kick). A&M 7, WV 0
WV: Josh Lambert 33 FG. Key play: 15-yard targeting penalty on A&M’s Howard Matthews on third-and-17 gives WV first down at A&M 20-yard line. A&M 7, WV 0
WV: Mario Alford 45 pass from Skyler Howard (Lambert kick). WV 10, A&M 7
WV: K.J. Dillon 35 interception return. (Lambert kick). WV 17, A&M 7
A&M: Trey Williams 40 pass from Allen (Lambo kick). WV 17, A&M 14
WV: Lambert 40 FG. Key play: Jordan Thompson 43 pass from Howard to A&M 29. WV 20, A&M 14
Second quarter
A&M: Malcome Kennedy 11 pass from Allen (Lambo kick). Key play: Kennedy 22 pass from Allen to WV 34-yard line. A&M 21, WV 20
WV: Kevin White 49 pass from Howard (Lambert kick). WV 27, A&M 21
A&M: Allen 14 run (Lambo kick). Key play: Roughing the punter on West Virginia gives A&M first down at 44-yard line. A&M 28, WV 27
Third quarter
A&M: Lambo 26 FG. Key play: Tra Carson 39 run to WV 15-yard line. A&M 31, WV 27
A&M: Trey Williams 18 run (Lambo kick). Key play: Ricky Seals-Jones 21 pass from Allen on 3rd and 20 to the WV 18-yard line. A&M 38, WV 27
WV: Lambert 31 FG. Key play: White 45 pass from Howard to A&M 21-yard line. A&M 38, WV 30
A&M: Kennedy 9 pass from Allen (Lambo kick). Key play: Allen 12 run on 3rd and 10 to the WV 20-yard line. A&M 45, WV 30
WV: Elijah Wellman 4 pass from Howard (Lambert kick) Key play: Wendell Smallwood 35 run. A&M 45, WV 37
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