Aggies learning how to ‘fight’
Close loss gives hope as team prepares for SEC
COLLEGE STATION — A year ago, Texas A&M football had become a national punch line after the Aggies blew a 34-point second-half lead, second most in college football history, in their opener at UCLA.
On Saturday, with a new coaching staff running the show, they played the No. 2 team in the nation to within two points in cobbling together a comeback against Clemson at Kyle Field.
“We have more grit, and we’re playing hard-nosed football,” A&M junior linebacker Tyrel Dodson said after the Tigers’ 28-26 victory. “We know what to do and are more knowledgeable of the game.”
A&M fired Kevin Sumlin in part because of his team’s blowing that 34-point lead at UCLA last September and hired Jimbo Fisher from Florida State with games like Saturday night against Clemson in mind.
“There’s a lot of fight in this team,” Fisher said.
That fight was evident in the fourth quarter. The Aggies trailed 28-13 but shut down the Tigers over the final 15 minutes and scored two touchdowns behind budding sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond.
“The moment was not too big for him, and I love it,” Fisher said of the fourthquarter frenzy.
Mond finished 23-of-40 passing for 430 yards and three touchdowns, and he especially came alive with the game on the line. In the final quarter, Mond was 11of-17 for 206 yards — nearly equaling his yardage production through the first three quarters — with touchdown passes to Quartney Davis and Kendrick Rogers.
The last came with 46 seconds remaining, and the Aggies’ two-point conversion attempt failed. Clemson, which won a national title two years ago and made the College Football Playoff last season, ran out the clock and exhaled. The Tigers entered the game as double-digit favorites against the Aggies, who haven’t won at least 10 games since 2012.
“We were in a dogfight,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “It’s a shame someone has to lose a game like that.”
A&M gained more yards than Clemson (501-413) but lost two fumbles, while the Tigers were free of turnovers. Mond exited the game briefly in the third quarter after suffering from cramps following a 23-yard scramble, and fellow sophomore Nick Starkel entered the game.
Fisher, who calls the plays, immediately called for a pass, and Starkel was hit from behind on a Clemson pass rush and fumbled. Clemson’s Justin Foster caught the fumble, and the Tigers quickly marched four plays and 70 yards for a touchdown, lifting them to a 21-6 lead late in the third quarter.
“I take the blame when we try to be too aggressive at times,” Fisher said of that particular sequence. “But you’ve got to play hard, and you’ve got to play to win, and our kids did that. It hurts, there’s no doubt, because you can see how close you were against the No. 2 team in the country.”
The Aggies (1-1), who opened their season with a 59-7 victory over Northwestern State on Aug. 30, earn a reprieve from an otherwise rugged September schedule when they host Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. A&M then opens SEC play at No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 22 before facing Arkansas in another SEC West contest on Sept. 29 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
“We showed what we can do,” A&M senior defensive lineman Kingsley Keke said of the Aggies’ close call against Clemson. “We can compete at a high level with any team. We have to keep on building from here, and we’ll see what happens.”
The Aggies finished 8-5 over three consecutive seasons from 2014-16 before slipping to 7-6 in 2017. They’re trying to reach at least nine victories for the first time since 2013 and compete for their first league title in 20 years, when they were in the Big 12.
“We gained a lot of respect, honestly,” Dodson said of Saturday’s thriller before a national audience. “I don’t think anyone thought that game would be as close as it was. I wasn’t surprised, because I know the work and the numerous hours we’ve put in throughout the summer.
“We’ve got to keep going and keep gaining that respect throughout the country every game.”