Bama survives Manziel magic
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Unable to stop Johnny Manziel, Alabama answered Texas A&M the only way it could: The top-ranked Crimson Tide just kept on scoring, hoping to have the ball last.
When AJ McCarron took a knee to end it in front of 87,596 at Kyle Field, Alabama was finally safe. There was nothing more Manziel could do.
McCarron threw four touchdown passes, Vinnie Sunseri returned an interception 73 yards for a score — sidestepping Manziel on the way to the end zone, too — and Alabama paid back No. 6 Texas A&M with a 49-42 victory Saturday.
Manziel had a career-best 464 yards passing, rushed for 98 more and threw 5 touchdowns. His 562 total yards are the second-most in SEC history, ranking only behind the 576 he had against Louisiana Tech in 2012.
“We knew we were going to have play this way on offense to have a chance in this game,” Tide Coach Nick Saban said. “I didn’t think they were going to score 42 points, but I kind of thought they would score some points and they did.”
Alabama (2-0, 1-0) spotted the Aggies (2-1, 0-1) a 14-0 lead, shades of last season when A&M jumped out to a 20-0 lead on the road en route to a victory that all but won the Heisman Trophy for Manziel.
McCarron and the Tide didn’t take as long to respond this time, ripping off the next 35 points. McCarron threw three touchdowns in the first half to put Alabama up 28-14. Sunseri’s interception return made it 35-14 less than three minutes into the third.
“I’m so proud of our players for the resiliency they showed getting behind 14-0,” Saban said. “Just slowly and methodically coming back in the game and building up the lead.”
Manziel had a magical moment in the second quarter, when he retreated 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage, pulled away from one pass rusher who had a handful of jersey and launched a deep ball down the middle with another Tide player in his face. Edward Pope came down with the 12-yard reception, but Manziel was intercepted in the end zone two plays later and the game swung the Tide’s way.
“I will take that one on me,” Manziel said.
“I thought his play was Johnny-like,” Texas A&M
Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin said. “Anybody who’s seen him play, that’s about right.”
Alabama’s best defense was its offense. The Tide gained 568 yards and kept Manziel pacing on the sideline with a couple of long drives.
“With the type of offense A&M has, you have to eat up some clock and pound the ball,” said McCarron, who passed for 334 yards.
“They’re unbelievable,” Sunseri said. “There’s a reason he won the Heisman. He’s an unbelievable player. He has great receivers and everything. We knew it was going to go back and forth and we just had to try to slow him down.”
A&M’s defense was leaky in its first two games against far weaker opponents. Against Alabama, even with the return of four key players from various suspensions, it put up little resistance. And while the Tide’s offense wore out the Aggies, its defense struck a big blow in the third quarter.
Manziel threw deep down the middle to Malcome Kennedy, but Jarrick Williams had tight coverage for Alabama and tipped the pass into the air. Sunseri came down with it and was off in the other direction, stutter-stepping as Manziel slid by while trying for a one-arm takedown. The safety broke another tackle on the way into the end zone and Alabama was up 35-14.
Alabama was poised to go up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter when Texas A&M’s defense slammed into T.J. Yeldon a couple of yards from the goal line, causing a fumble the Aggies recovered at the 5.
Two plays later, Manziel found Mike Evans deep. The big receiver broke away from a tackler and went 95 yards for a score that made it 42-35 with 8:04 left.
In need of a time-consuming drive, leaned on Yeldon and McCarron. On third-andgoal from the 5, McCarron faked the hand off, rolled right and flipped to Jalston Fowler for the touchdown to make it 49-35 with 2:28 left.
Manziel threw one more touchdown with 15 seconds left, but Alabama grabbed the onside kick to end any threat.
Manziel only answered questions about the game afterward. He was one of many Aggies reminding everyone what happened to the loser of this matchup last year.
“This wasn’t the Super Bowl,” Manziel said. “Alabama lost a game last year and still went on to win the national championship. Our season isn’t over.”
Saban’s defense had given up 628 yards, the most ever allowed by Alabama, and 42 points. Evans finished with 279 yards on seven catches for the Aggies, but the Tide had won.
“I know you tried to make it out to be a 61-year-old guy against that good quarterback but we didn’t have much of a chance in that game,” Saban said. “We had a lot better chance our team against their team.”