Post Game Review: Texas A&M 24, Oklahoma State 21

Texas A&M overcame a slow start and a 14-point first-quarter deficit to beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who entered the game ranked number 25 in the nation. Kellen Mond did more damage with his legs than his arm, rushing for 117 yards, including three big runs on two fourth-quarter drives that sealed the victory for the Aggies.

Both teams sputtered on their first drives. A&M turned the ball over on a Kellen Mond fumble on the second play of the game, but Oklahoma State failed to capitalize, losing 11 yards and missing a 53-yard field goal attempt.

The Aggies punted on their second possession, pinning the Cowboys at their own 3 yard-line. Oklahoma State dug out of the bad field position with big plays. Chuba Hubbard broke off a 37-yard run, then three plays later Cowboys quarterback Dru Brown found Brayden Johnson streaking across the middle of the field for a 42-yard touchdown pass, aided by a collision between two A&M defensive backs.

After another stalled A&M drive, OSU again went to the deep ball as Brown found Johnson for 57 yards to the Aggie 9. On the next play Brown scrambled into the end zone untouched to extend the Cowboys’ lead to 14-0.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

Mond did not have a stellar night overall, but he made big plays late to seal the win.

The Aggies finally found a rhythm offensively in the second quarter, driving 70 yards on 11 plays to the Oklahoma State 5 yard-line. However, Kellen Mond lost his grip on a handoff to Isaiah Spiller, and the Cowboys recovered a second A&M fumble, spoiling the Aggie drive.

The A&M defense held the Pokes at their own 5 on the ensuing possession, and a bad OSU punt set the Aggies up at the Cowboys’ 22. Freshman Ainias Smith, who saw his first action at running back in a depleted A&M backfield, contributed 15 yards on a couple of touches, and Isaiah Spiller capped the short drive with a 1-yard plunge to cut the Oklahoma State lead to 14-7 before halftime.

A&M would take control of the contest in the second half, forcing three-and-outs on the Cowboys’ first two possessions and evening the score in between. Mond found freshman tight end Jalen Wydermyer for 28 yards, then on the following play Ainias Smith ran for 19 yards to the OSU 7. After a short loss, Mond hit Jhamon Ausbon for a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 14-14 tie.

The two teams remained locked in a stalemate and traded punts for the remainder of the third and first few minutes of the fourth quarter. Kellen Mond then broke the tie with a 67-yard sprint, outrunning the Cowboys defense en route to the end zone to put the Aggies ahead for good, 21-14.

Oklahoma State would not go away quietly, driving 63 yards to the A&M 34 on the following possession. Facing a fourth-and-one, the Cowboys inserted Spencer Sanders, who started most of the season at quarterback before an injury. Sanders attempted to run on a read option, but DeMarvin Leal stuffed the play ending the OSU drive. 

Texas A&M then drove 59 yards and chewed up over five minutes of clock. The drive stalled at the Oklahoma State seven, but Seth Small chipped in a 24-yard field goal that would prove crucial. The Cowboys also went 59 yards on the ensuing possession, finding the end zone when Brown hit Braydon Johnson one more time for a 5-yard touchdown pass to bring the Cowboys within three with just over a minute remaining. The Aggies recovered an onside kick attempt and ran out the clock to secure the 24-21 win.

RUMBLED: Despite meager numbers through the air and two lost fumbles at key moments in the first half, Kellen Mond essentially turned the game around with three key runs in the fourth quarter. Mond piled up 113 of his 117 yards in the final frame on runs of 16, 67 and 30 yards. The 67-yarder went the distance and gave A&M its first lead of the night, and the 30-yard scamper helped set up the Seth Small field goal that secured the Aggie win.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

Freshman speedster Ainias Smith filled a hole in the backfield and added some flash to the A&M ground game.

STUMBLED: Mond’s huge plays on the ground were especially dramatic because they came on a night when the junior quarterback was responsible for two turnovers, threw for under 100 yards and missed a couple of open receivers on potential touchdowns. Mond gave the ball away on a fumble deep in A&M territory less than a minute into the game. Early in the second after A&M mounted its first real drive, Mond appeared to allow fullback Cagan Baldree to clip a handoff attempt to Isaiah Spiller at the OSU 5, turning the ball over inside the red zone.

UNSUNG HEROES: Neither’s name will appear in the headlines, but freshmen Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith combined for 131 yards rushing on 26 carries. Spiller did the dirty work all night, while Smith’s speed added a new dynamic to the A&M ground game.

KEY STAT: The Aggie defense had 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks in a feast or famine effort for Mike Elko’s unit. A&M gave up several big plays, but creating negative yardage 13 times was enough to offset the Cowboys’ efforts to extend the lead in the first half and keep Mike Gundy’s bunch from catching up once the Aggies pulled ahead in the second half. Tyree Johnson had a big night with two sacks and two tackles for loss, and eight other defenders made tackles in the backfield.

Scoring summary

First-quarter: 

OSU: 7:47 - Dru Brown 42-yard touchdown pass to Braydon Johnson. Drive: 5 plays, 97 yards. TOP: 1:57. OSU 7, Texas A&M 0.

OSU: 1:33 - Dru Brown 9-yard touchdown run. Drive: 4 plays, 82 yards. TOP: 1:48. OSU 14, Texas A&M 0.

Second-quarter: 

Texas A&M: 5:39 - Isaiah Spiller 1-yard touchdown run. Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards. TOP: 2:24. OSU 14, Texas A&M 0.

Third-quarter: 

Texas A&M: 10:32 - Kellen Mond 10-yard touchdown pass to Jhamon Ausbon. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards. TOP 3:32. OSU 14, Texas A&M 14.

Fourth-quarter: 

Texas A&M: 10:45 - Kellen Mond 67-yard touchdown run. Drive: 3 plays, 88 yards. TOP: 1:28. Texas A&M 21, OSU 14.

Texas A&M: 2:52 - Seth Small 24-yard field goal. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards. TOP: 5:08. Texas A&M 24, OSU 14.