Comeback kids keep it going
Aggies rally past Gators in tough environment, get to 3-1 in SEC play
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Texas A&M’s high-wire escape act continued in a Southeastern Conference pit stop called “The Swamp” on Saturday night.
As they’ve done much of the season, the resilient Aggies managed another fourth-quarter comeback, this time in their first true road game in SEC action. A&M defeated Florida 1917 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the strength of a 32-yard field goal by Daniel LaCamera with 58 seconds remaining.
“We knew we were going to score, and we knew we were going to win that football game,” A&M center Erik McCoy said. “Christian Kirk’s punt return helped a lot — it gave us good field position.”
Florida native LaCamera added: “The offense set me up for a chip shot. All I had to do was kick it like an extra point.” Keeping composure
Prior to the Aggies’ first hostile environment in SEC action Saturday — they had defeated Arkansas in overtime at a neutral site — A&M (5-2, 3-1) needed to break open a fourthquarter tie with Nicholls State, overcome a thirdquarter deficit against Louisiana-Lafayette and fourth-quarter deficits against the Razorbacks and South Carolina.
“It’s funny, actually, the word of the week was ‘composure,’ ” A&M linebacker Otaro Alaka said of coach Kevin Sumlin harping on that descriptor. “We knew we were going into a place with a crazy crowd. That’s what we focused on all week — just trying to keep ourselves together no matter what happened.”
The game was tied 1010 late in the third quarter when Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks reeled off one of college football’s runs of the year, in dodging and darting his way 79 yards down the field, after Alaka missed a chance for a sack in the backfield.
Franks’ highlight-reel sprint set up a 6-yard touchdown run around the right end by the speedy Dre Massey against what looked like a gassed A&M defense that gave Florida (3-3, 3-2) a 17-10 lead. A&M freshman quarterback Kellen Mond connected with Kirk on a 40-yard completion on the Aggies’ resulting drive, and A&M capped that drive with a 43yard LaCamera field goal after the offense stalled on Florida’s end of the field.
The Aggies weren’t done, however, and thanks to a 43-yard punt return by Kirk, LaCamera’s ensuing field goal and an interception by Tyrel Dodson on Florida’s final desperation drive, the Aggies exited Gainesville with what seemed like at one point an improbable victory.
“These guys have continued to just keep playing,” Sumlin said. “They believe in each other. There wasn’t a bunch of panic from our coaches and players, and that’s what being composed is all about.” Tale of two halves
The teams, meeting for the first time since 2012, played an ugly first half, when the Gators led 10-3 and the Aggies’ drive chart looking like a sleepwalk exhibition: Punt, punt, field goal, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt.
But A&M picked up the pace on its first drive of the second half, buoyed by 12th Man Cullen Gillaspia partially blocking a Florida punt, resulting in a 25-yard boot by Johnny Townsend. Mond hooked up with fellow freshman Camron Buckley for a 33-yard completion, and Mond finished off A&M’s first touchdown drive with a 9-yard run to tie the game 10-10.
Meanwhile, the defense stuffed the Gators time and again in the final quarter, allowing yet another comeback.
“The defense played amazing tonight,” Kirk said. “Those dudes always play their guts out.”
The Aggies are off next weekend before resuming play Oct. 28 against Mississippi State at Kyle Field, the first of three consecutive home games in what’s become a memorable season for a young squad.
“If you went into the bye week with a loss,” a smiling and relieved Kirk said, “then you have to think about that for (two) weeks.”