Aggies finish on a high note
Offense finally finds footing to end six-game SEC skid and squash Tigers’ playoff aspirations
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M finally got its act together on offense — just in time for its season to end.
The upset-minded Aggies on a cold, windy night at Kyle Field decked No. 5 LSU 38-23, in squashing the SEC West champion Tigers’ hopes of making the four-team College Football Playoff.
When Texas enters the Southeastern Conference in the next couple of years, A&M vs. UT likely will return to its traditional slot around Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend. In the meantime, however, A&M vs. LSU has provided plenty of entertainment in its place during recent Thanksgiving weekends.
Take Saturday night, when the Aggies defied the odds in what amounted to their bowl game in this otherwise adrift season. A&M (5-7, 2-6 SEC), which is ineligible for a bowl because of its losing record, wound up with bookend victories in Southeastern Conference play — with six setbacks in between.
The Aggies defeated Arkansas 23-21 in their league opener on Sept. 24 before capping their season with Saturday’s stunner. LSU was about a 10-point favorite, although A&M fifthyear coach Jimbo Fisher moved to 3-0 at Kyle Field against the Tigers with the upset.
“They’ve overcome a lot of tough situations, they kept on fighting and doing the things they needed to do,” Fisher said of his players.
The deflated Tigers (9-3, 6-2), their hopes of making the CFP extinguished, will take on top-ranked Georgia on Saturday in the SEC title game in Atlanta, Ga.
Saturday’s turning point occurred midway through the third quarter, when A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper forced a fumble by LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, and A&M safety Demani Richardson scooped up the ball and returned it 27 yards for an abrupt 24-17 A&M lead.
“That momentum swing, I don’t know that we recovered from it,” LSU first-year coach Brian Kelly said.
The Aggies on Saturday against LSU then added to their lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when quarterback Conner Weigman heaved a perfect 21yard touchdown pass between two LSU defenders to receiver Moose Muhammad, who coolly pulled in the ball with one hand in the end zone.
The highlight-reel play lifted A&M to a 31-17 lead with 14:54 left in the contest.
The Aggies were aided by the return of dynamic running back Devon Achane, who in the first half alone rushed for 119 yards on 18 carries, in averaging 6.6 yards per carry over the first two quarters against one of the SEC’s better defenses under Kelly.
Achane had missed the two previous games because of an injury, and he could have chosen to sit out the finale with the idea of beginning preparation for the NFL draft. Although he has not made an official announcement, Achane is expected to bypass his senior season for the draft as one of the nation’s top-rated running backs.
Achane finished with 215 yards on 38 carries. For his part Weigman, who has gained loads of experience over the past month, did not look like a true freshman for much of the night in finishing an efficient 12 of 18 for 155 yards and two touchdown passes against no interceptions.
The unflappable Weigman offered a stark example of why he was a fivestar prospect out of Bridgeland a year ago on one play in particular, which gave the Aggies a 17-10 lead just before halftime.
Under pressure from an LSU pass rush, Weigman calmly flipped the ball to fellow true freshman Donovan Green, a rangy tight end who hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 to the break.
Fisher now will turn his attention to finding a true offensive coordinator and chief play-caller, and the sooner the better for the Aggies with the early signing period starting on Dec. 21.
The Aggies have only one pledge from a skill player on offense in Shiner’s Dalton Brooks, who could play running back in college but primarily projects as a safety.
A&M this mostly forgettable season lost six consecutive games for the first time in 50 years, causing the Aggies to not be eligible for a bowl for the first time since 2008, which was then-coach Mike Sherman’s first season when they finished 4-8.
The current Aggies snapped the streak that included losses to Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida and Auburn on Nov. 19 in a nonconference home victory over Massachusetts.
The Aggies carried over that bit of momentum into the first quarter against LSU, in quickly showing the Tigers they had no intention of heading meekly into what might be a captivating offseason, depending on Fisher’s moves with his offensive staff.
Five of A&M’s seven losses were by an average of 3.8 points per game, giving the Aggies hope they could pull the upset and ruin the Tigers’ surprising season.
The Tigers wound up with a bad taste in their mouths late Saturday night — one that they’ll retain all the way to Atlanta.