'Thank yOU?' A&M's outlook unaffected by disappointment at Auburn
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AUBURN, Ala. — Dejection. Disappointment. Anguish.
A display of postgame emotions showed just how much No. 15 Texas A&M’s 43-41 quadruple overtime football loss to Auburn mattered to the Aggies.
Even though the loss didn’t matter.
True, that’s a contradiction of thoughts.
But who would’ve thought by Saturday night that Aggies would be saying, “Thank God for… Oklahoma?”
How often is that sentence spoken in College Station? Maybe never. Well, not until Saturday night. Those words likely echoed up and down Northgate until closing time.
Oklahoma’s shocking 24-3 upset of No. 7 Alabama ensured — via the Southeastern Conference tie-breaking procedures — the winner of A&M’s grudge match with Texas next week advances to face Georgia in the conference championship game.
So, in effect, A&M’s loss did not matter. Even though it did.
An early 21-point deficit. Failure to protect a late lead. Missed tackles. Missed assignments. Missed opportunities. All burned the Aggies' pride.
“Obviously, that one hurts. It hurts a lot,” dejected A&M coach Mike Elko said. “So many emotions. Obviously, you can’t come out and get down 21-0. You can’t let the ball get over your head and expect to be successful.
“Was very disappointed in how we started the game on defense. Then to show the heart and the character to come back the way we did on the road in that environment with all that emotion and give ourselves back and a chance to win it.
“We had a fourth-and-2 to win the game; couldn’t get it done. Had a drive to win the game; couldn’t get it done. Had opportunities on both sides of the ball in overtime to go out there to make the play to win the game; couldn’t get it done.”
It was a crazy night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Frustration gave way to elation, which gave way to deflation.
Oft-struggling Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne looked like Peyton Manning. He threw two touchdown passes to one-time A&M commitment Cam Coleman to help stake the Tigers (5-6, 2-5) to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
But the Aggies rallied to take a 31-28 lead on Amari Daniels’ 8-yard touchdown run with just 4:01 to play.
After forcing an Auburn punt, the Aggies had the lead, the ball and a chance to close out a remarkable come-from-behind victory.
They couldn’t finish the job. A fumbled snap on first down led to a punt that gave Auburn a final chance.
“I dropped the ball,” said disappointed quarterback Marcel Reed. “I think that play was a very important play in the game. I think if I didn’t do that, we probably get a first down and win the game. I really should have caught that one.”
Yeah, but Reed really shouldn’t shoulder the blame. He was otherwise excellent, passing for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 66 yards. If not for his brilliance, the Aggies never would have been in a position to win.
Besides, A&M still could’ve — perhaps should’ve — prevailed. Auburn had no timeouts left, and just over two minutes remained when the Tigers started from their 15-yard line.
One more defensive stop would’ve secured victory. But Thorne ran 23 yards on fourth-and-3 to highlight a drive for a game-tying field goal with five seconds left.
Then, the Tigers outlasted the Aggies through four overtime periods when Reed’s final pass to Daniels fell incomplete.
While an avalanche of Auburn fans flooded the field in celebration, the Aggies dejectedly returned to their locker room.
But except for the frustration of coming up short, there was no need for dejection. Had the Aggies won, their outlook would not have changed. Beat Texas, and they’re in the SEC Championship Game. Beat Georgia, and they’re in the College Football Playoff.
“We still know there is business to take care of,” Reed said. “Just because we lost today doesn’t mean we’re not going back to work this week and try to prepare to go get a win this weekend against Texas.
“Maybe that can get us to the championship and get to the playoffs and all that. It’s really just one game at a time. Now, we’re focused on Texas.”
Of course, they are. Because that’s the game that really matters.