Manziel puts on show for home crowd
NO. 11 TEXAS A&M 51, MISSISSIPPI STATE 41
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Johnny Manziel threw for 446 yards and tied a career-high with five touchdown passes to lead No. 11 Texas A&M to a 51-41 victory Saturday over Mississippi State in what could be the Heisman Trophy winner’s last home game.
The crowd chanted “one more year” late in the game for Manziel, who is eligible for the draft after this season. Whether he comes back remains to be seen, but he went into the stands to celebrate with the student section when the game was over.
Among the crowd of 88,504, third largest ever at A&M, on hand to see Manziel play at Kyle Field was former President George H.W. Bush and former Texas A&M and current St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha.
Mississippi State cut the lead to 10 points early in the fourth quarter, but Manziel threw his fifth touchdown pass to make it 44-27 for A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC). The defense grabbed an interception and Ben Malena’s 2-yard touchdown run extended the lead to 51-27.
Dax Prescott threw for 149 yards and 2 scores and ran for 154 yards for Mississippi State (4-5, 1-4).
Malcome Kennedy and Travis Labhart had two touchdown receptions each. Mike Evans had 116 yards receiving to break the school single-season record with 1,263.
Manziel set a school career record for total yards with 9,040 and a single-season record with 31 touchdown passes. He became just the second A&M quarterback to run for 2,000 yards in a career and has 3,313 yards passing this year to become the first Aggie with two 3,000-yard passing seasons.
The Bulldogs got within 10 points again after a touchdown throw by Tyler Russell with 2:19 remaining. But the onside-kick attempt was recovered by A&M.
Bulldogs receiver Jameon Lewis threw a touchdown pass to Joe Morrow on a reverse early in the fourth quarter to get Mississippi State to within 37-27.
Trey Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. But it was negated by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he flipped into the end zone. The Aggies got the ball at the 18 and Manziel threw his fifth touchdown pass three plays later.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 10 points late in the third quarter on a touchdown pass by Prescott. But A&M made it 37-20 two plays later on a 15-yard run by Williams. That scored was set up by a 75-yard reception by Evans.
Russell started the game in place of Prescott, who missed practice this week after his mother died of cancer on Sunday. Prescott entered the game on Mississippi State’s third drive and got the majority of the snaps after that.