Comebacks fast becoming Aggies’ calling card
Defense clamps down on Florida in fourth win that overcame deficit
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Coach Kevin Sumlin was proud of his All-American punt returner, Christian Kirk, for helping set up Texas A&M’s game-winning field goal late Saturday night at Florida.
But Sumlin was quick to point out what set up the setup in the Aggies’ 19-17 comeback victory, when A&M’s defense clamped down on Florida in the second half, and particularly the fourth quarter.
It’s become the Aggies’ calling card after overcoming four deficits seven games into the season.
“That punt return was a great play at the end of the game,” Sumlin said of Kirk’s 43-yard sprint to the Florida 39-yard line following a 46-yard punt. “But all of that was set up by our defense.”
A&M’s defense played solid throughout, but saved its best with the outcome in the balance. The Gators rushed for 141 yards in the first half while building a 10-3 lead, and finished with 242. But 79 of those 101 yards in the second half came on one rush by Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks.
Putting on the pressure
Save for a 6-yard Gators touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Gators managed 21 yards in the fourth quarter and on its final three drives, with all 21 yards coming on the same series. The Gators led 17-10 in the fourth quarter prior to Florida native and A&M kicker Daniel LaCamera booting field goals of 43, 25 and finally 32 yards following stops by the A&M defense.
“They want to put pressure on you,” Florida offensive lineman Martez Ivey said of the Aggies’ aggressive approach on defense. “That’s where they create problems.”
A week prior, A&M’s defense held top-ranked Alabama to a lone field goal over the game’s final 25 minutes, as the Aggies sliced a 24-3 deficit to the final score of 27-19. Linebacker Tyrel Dodson had 16 tackles against the Crimson Tide, and he capped the win over Florida with an acrobatic interception of Franks with 52 seconds remaining.
“That was just a great play, and he’s been making great plays through the weeks — just something we really expect from him now,” fellow A&M linebacker Otaro Alaka said of Dodson. “He’s been playing his butt off.”
The Aggies (5-2, 3-1 SEC) have off this Saturday before playing their final five games of the regular season, with the first three at home against Mississippi State, Auburn and New Mexico, the last one A&M’s final non-conference contest of the year.
A&M closes out its regular season with games at Mississippi and LSU.
Looking to finish strong
The Aggies have finished 8-5 in three consecutive seasons and would need to finish the regular season 4-1 to top eight victories in the regular season for the first time since 2012. They finished 11-2 in 2012 and 9-4 in 2013 behind quarterback Johnny Manziel, with the ninth victory in 2013 coming over Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
A&M started this season with a 44-10 lead at UCLA late in the third quarter before the Bruins put together the secondlargest comeback in major college football history with a 45-44 shocker of the Aggies. That game is something A&M hasn’t forgotten — and they say it has spurred them throughout the season.
“This team has definitely changed from the first week to this week,” Alaka said. “We focus on finishing games. As we’ve gone through each week, we’ve gotten better and better. We knew it was going to come down to a tight game in the fourth quarter (against Florida), and I’m really proud of how our defense stepped up.”
The Aggies also avoided the “Alabama swoon” this season, at least in the immediacy and with the week off at hand, after having trouble with opponents coming off losses to the Crimson Tide in years past.
A&M has finished 3-8 against SEC opponents in the past three seasons after playing powerhouse Alabama, including losing all three last year against Mississippi State, Mississippi and LSU.
“We’re just trying to shift the culture,” Alaka said. “To change how people perceive us, and how we play as a team. The word of the year has been ‘finishing.’ ”