With rare maturity …
Aggies outduel Hogs to extend winning streak against SEC foe
… A&M freshman QB Kellen Mond takes control.
ARLINGTON — Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond caught his breath, kept his composure and coolly offered his side concerning a controversial call following the longest run of his college career.
“It wasn’t even close,” Mond told A&M coach Kevin Sumlin following a key A&M drive in the second quarter against Arkansas. “I was in bounds.”
A replay showed Mond was right and a side judge was wrong, but the freshman’s calm at the time and more importantly over the rest of the game paid off handsomely for the Aggies, who defeated the Razorbacks 50-43 in overtime Saturday in AT&T Stadium.
“His demeanor, it never really changes,” A&M receiver Christian Kirk said of Mond leading the way in the teams’ Southeastern Conference opener. “There’s no moment too big for him.”
Mond, making his third career start, had multiple such moments against Arkansas before 64,668 fans. The most notable occurred in overtime, when the former five-star recruit connected with Kirk on a perfect 10-yard pass on a corner route to the left side of the end zone for the game-winning TD.
“The defender on me slipped inside, Kellen saw it, and it was a great throw,” Kirk said. “I just had to make the catch in a big-time (moment) like that.”
Mond has thrown near and far in the Aggies’ first four games, but his final pass to date came in his most critical moment as an Aggie.
“Probably the best throw he’s made this year,” Sumlin said. Inches from history
Mond’s best run would have been the longest touchdown sprint by an A&M quarterback, had it been called correctly. Mond broke loose from the Razorbacks early in the second quarter and dashed 89 yards for what should have been ruled a touchdown. Instead a side judge declared he stepped out of bounds on the 10yard line, and since the play was whistled dead at that point, it could not be reviewed.
Mond’s impressive run officially wound up 79 yards, and so A&M legend Bucky Richardson holds the longest touchdown run by an A&M quarterback with an 82yard dash in 1987. By late in the fourth quarter and into overtime, the Aggies didn’t care about any old records — they were simply trying to win their sixth straight game against Arkansas following a wild fourth quarter.
After Kirk’s touchdown catch on the opening possession of overtime, A&M senior safety Armani Watts sealed the victory with an interception of Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen, who threw haphazardly into the end zone on third-and-8.
“I saw the ball, and I attacked it,” said Watts, who’s developed a knack for big plays in or near the end zone in the series against Arkansas.
Speaking of big plays, Kirk returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown in the back-and-forth fourth quarter, and afterward the always-unassuming team leader credited his blockers. A lot on the line
“All I had to do was hit the hole and go,” said Kirk, who also had an 81yard touchdown catch in the first quarter on another pinpoint pass from the freshman Mond.
Sumlin considers Arkansas coach Bret Bielema a close friend, and the Aggies likely pushed Bielema one step closer to unemployment Saturday. Bielema is 0-5 against Sumlin and A&M, and the Razorbacks (1-2) have dropped consecutive games early in the season, including a three-touchdown setback at home against TCU on Sept. 9.
“Very disappointing,” Bielema said of a third overtime loss to A&M in the last four meetings. “The guys are crushed, but obviously we’re three games into the season and have got a lot of football in front of us.”
So do the Aggies, and both coaches entered the contest fighting for their jobs. A&M (3-1) snapped a six-game losing streak against Power Five opponents dating to last season. The Aggies return home Saturday against South Carolina, and should be decided favorites against the Gamecocks with topranked Alabama on tap Oct. 7 at Kyle Field.
“For a lot of these guys, it was their first SEC game on a big stage and in a big venue,” said Sumlin, whose program has 29 newcomers this season. “I’m proud of how these guys believe in each other. Because of that, and because of their effort, nothing else matters.”