After ‘emotion’ kicks in, Ags don’t hold back
Mond, Kibodi, defense ignite 31 unanswered points in 2nd half
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M walk-on receiver Will Gunnell flipped off some fans on the Aggies’ way up the tunnel at halftime on Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Gunnell later apologized for his impish action apparently aimed at a handful of his heckling friends, but in reality the gesture encapsulated the giant, symbolic bird the Aggies had given their fans over the first two quarters against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
“You can’t play this game without emotion,” A&M senior safety Armani Watts said of the Aggies’ emotionless first half.
Some blamed it on the morning start, failing to acknowledge the Ragin’ Cajuns also began play at 11 a.m. In any case, the suddenly emotion-injected Aggies overcame a first-half deficit to defeat LouisianaLafayette 45-21 before an estimated 80,000 fans in Kyle Field. ‘We were angry’
A&M (2-1) was two quarters away from a football disaster on its home field, considering the Cajuns (1-2) entered the game 1-63 against current members of the SEC. That one victory came 21 years ago against the Aggies in Lafayette, La., and for a half things looked awfully familiar to old-timers from both sides.
Louisiana-Lafayette led A&M 21-14 at halftime, and the Aggies had actually run backward statistically over the first two quarters with minus-22 yards, mostly courtesy of a couple of bad snaps. They ran for more yards in the second half (201) than what they finished with in the game (179).
“We were angry going into the second half,” A&M center Erik McCoy said.
The Aggies should have been, considering the Cajuns had allowed 66 points a week prior to Tulsa and 48 the week before that against Southeastern Louisiana — neither of whom will be mistaken for an SEC team.
The angry Aggies, in finally shaking the morning fog, reeled off 31 consecutive points in the third and fourth quarters. They also helped save sixth-year coach Kevin Sumlin’s job for at least another week, because he might have been in real trouble had A&M lost its second game in three tries this season.
“We just talked about that in the locker room, that we were like two different teams,” Sumlin said of the Jekyll and Hyde showing. “We’re a work in progress.” Mond looks impressive
That work so far has included blowing a 34-point lead at UCLA before falling 45-44 in the season opener, and the Aggies needing to break open a 14-14 tie in the fourth quarter against Nicholls State at Kyle Field last weekend. A&M failed to adjust offensively in particularly against the Bruins and Colonels, but they did so in a big way against the Cajuns.
Freshman quarterback Kellen Mond, who is beginning to live up to his preseason hype as a five-star prospect, finished 21-of-34 for 301 yards and three touchdowns to go with an interception.
“He’s gotten better,” Sumlin said. “He’s more comfortable, and he’s more assertive.”
Mond played the entire game after senior Jake Hubenak rescued the Aggies from oblivion against Nicholls last weekend by leading the offense to 10 fourth-quarter points. Hubenak suited up Saturday against the Cajuns, but he didn’t take part in pregame warm-ups, as he’s apparently trying to overcome a nagging shoulder injury.
Sumlin typically doesn’t address injuries, and he didn’t discuss whatever is going on with Hubenak.
Trayveon Williams (ankle) didn’t play against the Cajuns, and in his place Jacob Kibodi rushed for 101 yards — including a 67yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter — on only four carries, and Kendall Bussey added 88 yards on 13 carries. Energy boost
Watts kept the Aggies invigorated with two of the defense’s three interceptions, and linebacker Tyrel Dodson returned the other one for a 40-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
“In the second half, we came out with emotion and created turnovers,” Dodson said.
As for Gunnell, he didn’t come back out of the locker room after he flipped the bird, and later posted on Twitter, “I was raised better and this brief moment will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
Not as much as an A&M loss would have haunted Sumlin & Co. — prior to the Aggies’ emotion finally kicking in before it was too late.