Aggies battle back
Mond leads No. 5 Texas A&M in comeback win over Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. — Texas A&M looked every bit the playoff contender with a seemingly unstoppable offense and impenetrable defense — in the fourth quarter, at least.
And thatwas plenty.
Kellen Mond passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third and the fifth-ranked Aggies scored 17 points in the fourth quarter of a come-from-behind 31-20 victory over Auburn on Saturday.
The Aggies (7-1, CFP No. 5) dominated the final quarter to win their sixth straight and remain in College Football Playoff contention. The Tigers (5-4), who have gone 0-3 against teams ranked in the top five at the time, led 20-14 entering the fourth.
Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher wasn’t interested in speculating on how the win might affect his team’s playoff chances.
“That’s for y’all to judge,” Fisher told reporters. “I’m gladwe’re winning, I’mglad we’re playing. I don’t’ really care. We’ll evaluate everything at the end of the year.”
Mondrebounded fromhisworst gameof the season against LSU with a strong performance. He completed 18 of 23 for 196 yards, highlighted by two TDs to Jalen Wydermyer, and ran for 60 yards.
“Down in the second half and in the fourth quarter, having the ability to keep your poise and still maintain that level of composure was big-time for our offense,” saidMond, whose third-and-9 run kept the Aggies’ final drive alive.
Seth Small iced the game with a 32-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining after an earlier miss had helped Auburn remain within a score. It’s the most league victories the Aggies have had since joining the SEC in 2012.
“That’s a big-time kick coming back after missing a kick there,” Fisher said.
The Aggies took a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter when Auburn linebacker Zakoby McClain tipped the ball into the arms of tight end Wydermyer for a touchdown — instead of what could have been a game-changing interception.