'Human nature' nearly burns No. 25 A&M in scare from Bowling Green
Recent running success roused expectations of a third consecutive 300-yard rushing game for Texas A&M.
Instead, the 25th-ranked Aggies needed a third consecutive game with a Marcus Ratcliffe interception to post a third consecutive college football victory on Saturday night.
Even that almost wasn’t enough for A&M (3-1) to secure an unsettling 26-20 triumph over Bowling Green (1-2) of the Mid-American Conference.
The win seemingly left all Aggies at Kyle Field feeling more frustrated than elated.
That included coach Mike Elko. He seemed to hardly recognized this as the same A&M team which last week went on the road to dominate Southeastern Conference rival Florida.
The Aggies went from dominant to nearly dormant. Elko suggested they almost had taken a loss because they might have taken it easy.
“If you ever relax in this game, this game will find a way to humble you instantly,” Elko said in his postgame press conference. “That is across the board. You can look at college, NFL, good teams, bad … across the board. If you ever think you’ve got this game, you don’t.
“That’s human nature sometimes. You go on the road. You have a big road win. You think you want to relax because that’s human nature. You can’t do that. You do that you put yourself at risk.”
The Aggies were certainly at risk. Their largely lackluster showing the invoked thoughts of the Appalachian State disaster of 2021. Those images didn’t vanish until Donovan Green recovered an onside kick inside the final minute.
But why were they at risk? Elko’s “relax” theory may be accurate. Yet, a nagging question persists: Did they relax, or did they relapse?
Of course, Elko’s players “loosely” repeated his theory.
“I just think we got loose,” defensive end Nic Scourton said. “Going against a team like this — a very skilled team … Obviously, they’re in the MAC. I think some guys got loose. I think we’ve got to stay focused and come out with more intensity in the second half. I just think some guys got loose.”
Yet, in too many ways, they relapsed with the same missteps from their season-opening loss to Notre Dame.
The Aggies failed to finish drives. Four resulted in field goals rather than touchdowns. They were prone to allowing big plays. Bowling Green scored on a 65-yard pass and a 40-yard run. They were victimized by a blocked punt that gave Bowling Green the football at the A&M 9-yard line. The Aggies caught a huge break with a missed 28-yard field goal attempt.
Bowling Green coaches called an excellent game. The Falcons seemed to have A&M guessing and off balance. The visitors often seemed a step ahead.
Meanwhile, A&M often was predictable.
Following an opening drive for freshman quarterback Marcel Reed’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Theo Melin Öhrström, the Aggies offense was painfully inconsistent.
Reed completed 5-of-6 passes for 62 yards on that first drive. He completed just one of his next six for one yard. Among the incompletions was a misfire to Noah Thomas, who was open in the middle of the field. An accurate pass likely would’ve resulted in a 63-yard touchdown.
Instead, the Aggies settled for the second of four Randy Bond field goals and a 13-3 halftime lead.
“Offensively, it was just so choppy at times,” Elko lamented. “We didn’t finish drives in the red zone.”
The Aggies' problems immediately worsened in the second half.
On the first play of the third quarter, Bowling Green’s star tight end Harold Fannin Jr. broke wide open for a 65-yard touchdown catch. It was the biggest of his eight catches for 145 yards.
“We did a horrible job managing the tight end all night,” Elko said. “Obviously, he was their best player. We knew it coming in. We let him go eight for 145. That’s not acceptable.”
Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak went on to pass for 250 yards. He completed 4-of-4 passes on the following drive that ended with a 40-yard touchdown run.
The Aggies were able to stave off the stubborn Falcons. Reed threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker. Two more Bond field goals gave A&M a 26-17 lead with 7:15 remaining.
But Bazelak moved Bowling Green into the red zone with 1:38 to play. That’s when Ratcliffe got the interception that should have sealed A&M’s win.
Should have. Bowling Green recovered a Le’Veon Moss fumble on the ensuing play.
That led to a field goal with brought the Falcons within 26-20. A successful onside kick would’ve given them a chance to pull off the upset.
That upset bid finally ended with Green’s recovery.
“Proud of our guys for making enough plays to win the game,” Elko said. “You get in those moments and those situations when it feels like it’s spiraling out of control you see a lot of teams not find ways to win that football game.
“Credit to our guys that we found a way to win it. Other than that, so many things to fix and clean up.”
Indeed, some major cleaning must be done.
Arkansas, A&M’s next opponent, struggled to post a closely contested victory over Auburn on Saturday. No. 7 Missouri, the next opponent to visit Kyle Field, needed overtime to escape Vanderbilt. Mississippi State is struggling. LSU is vulnerable.
The opportunity for a highly successful season exists.
As long as the Aggies don’t relax. Or relapse.