Post Game Review: Texas A&M 49, Mississippi State 30

Texas A&M ended their three-game losing streak against Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon, dismantling the Bulldogs’ defense for a 49-30 victory. Kellen Mond threw for 234 yards and totaled five touchdowns in a winning effort at Kyle Field. 

The Aggies were the first team on the scoreboard after both teams traded three-and-outs on their opening possessions. An 11-yard completion to Jalen Wydermyer set the table for a one-yard QB keeper by Kellen Mond. After a defensive stop, Mond faked out the Bulldog defense on a read-option for a 12-yard rushing touchdown. 

Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill ran 36 yards on the opening play of the second quarter. The Bulldogs quickly found the end zone via a Garrett Shrader pass to Stephen Guidry for a 32-yard touchdown. 

On the next drive, Kellen Mond spun away from a defender and broke loose for a 25-yard run to the State 4-yard line. A Colton Prater unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the Aggies back 15 yards, but Mond immediately connected with an open Jhamon Ausbon for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Aggies a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. 

With 6:28 remaining in the first half, A&M safety Demani Richardson forced a fumble on Mississippi State’s 19-yard line. Two plays later, Mond found Kendrick Rogers, who managed to power through and over a couple of Bulldog defenders and avoid getting pulled down en route to a highlight-reel, acrobatic touchdown. 

The Bulldogs strung together a 16-play drive that ended in a 33-yard field goal just before the half, and the Aggies held a 28-10 lead at the intermission. 

Rey Romo, TexAgs

Mond continued to do damage on the run and piled up five touchdowns.

The Aggies scored right out of the gate in the second half via a Kellen Mond 52-yard touchdown to Jalen Wydermyer. The two teams then traded back-to-back scoring drives; the Bulldogs capped theirs with an Isaiah Zuber 14-yard reception, and A&M running back Isaiah Spiller scored from four yards out, increasing the Aggie lead to 42-17.

To open the fourth-quarter scoring, Kylin Hill torched the A&M run defense, setting the Bulldogs up at the goal line, and then he reached over the line to narrow the State deficit to 42-24. After Myles Jones forced a fumble, the Aggies ran the ball nine straight times in a 5:06 long drive that ended in a two-yard punch-in from Cordarrian Richardson to supplement the A&M lead.

The Bulldogs were able to score on a deep ball with 49 seconds remaining but missed the two-point attempt. The Aggies held on to win 49-30 to move to 5-3 on the season. 

RUMBLED: Kellen Mond led an A&M offense that was about as efficient as it has been all season, completing 17-of-23 passes for 234 yards and five total touchdowns. The Aggie signal-caller is being asked to do more in the running game and has shown that he is more than capable of moving the chains with his speed, amassing 76 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Mond is really starting to click with his receivers, including Kendrick Rogers who had four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown. The result of Mond’s efficiency was the Aggie offense’s first 400-yard game against a power five opponent this season. 

STUMBLED: The usually stout A&M run defense had a disappointing afternoon trying to slow down Kylin Hill, who contributed 150 yards on 21 carries contributing to the Bulldogs’ 239 total rushing yards. The unit took some bad angles which caused them to get burned by a few chunk plays, helping the Mississippi State offense reach 30 points against an SEC opponent for the first time this season.

UNSUNG HERO: Devin Morris, whose role continues to increase, came through in a big way on Saturday, tallying an interception, a sack and a tackle for a loss. After not seeing any action in his first two years in Aggieland, Morris is proving to be an important role player on this A&M squad. DeMarvin Leal also had a breakout game on Saturday notching six total tackles, including one behind the line, and a QB hurry. The freshman edge rusher had his way against Mississippi State right tackle Greg Eiland and was a key part of the Aggie pass rush which was able to keep Garrett Shrader under pressure for the majority of the afternoon. 

KEY STAT: Forced Turnovers: Texas A&M 3 (resulting in 21 points), Mississippi State 0 (0 points). The A&M defense was aggressive and forced two pivotal turnovers. Devin Morris took the ball out of the hands of a Mississippi State receiver as he was going to the ground for his first career interception when the game was still hanging in the balance as the Aggies led just 7-0. The A&M offense then embarked on a 55-yard touchdown drive. Demani Richardson and Myles Jones each forced fumbles which ended in scoring drives. Three crucial turnovers forced by the Aggie defense each resulted in touchdowns.  

Scoring summary 

First-quarter: 

A&M: 6:50 — Kellen Mond 1-yard run (Small kick good). 5 plays, 51 yards 2:21.
Texas A&M 7, Mississippi State 0. 

A&M: 0:10 — Kellen Mond 12-yard run (Small kick good). 9 plays, 55 yards 4:08.
Texas A&M 14, Mississippi State 0. 

Second-quarter:

MSST: 13:28 — Stephen Guidry 32-yard pass from Garrett Shrader (Christmann kick good). 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:42.
Texas A&M 14, Mississippi State 7. 

A&M: 10:20 — Kellen Mond 19-yard pass to Jhamon Ausbon (Small kick good). 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:08.
Texas A&M 21, Mississippi State 7. 

A&M: 5:34 — Kellen Mond 16-yard pass to Kendrick Rogers (Small kick good). 3 plays, 19 yards, 0:54.
Texas A&M 28, Mississippi State 7. 

Third-quarter: 

A&M: 13:20 — Jalen Wydermyer 52-yard reception from Kellen Mond (Small kick good). 4 plays, 70 yard, 1:40.
Texas A&M 35, Mississippi State 7. 

MSST: Isaiah Zuber 14-yard pass from Garrett Shrader (Christmann kick good). 10 plays, 74 yards, 5:32.
Texas A&M 35, Mississippi State 14. 

A&M: Isaiah Spiller 4-yard rush. (Small kick good). 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:31.
Texas A&M 42, Mississippi State 17.

Fourth-quarter: 

MSST: Kylin Hill 1-yard rush (Christmann kick good). 9 plays, 79 yards, 3:51.
Texas A&M 42, Mississippi State 24. 

MSST: Isaiah Zuber 38-yard pass from Garrett Shrader (Two-point conversion failed). 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:11.
Texas A&M 42, Mississippi State 30.