Seniors depart, set foundation
After convincing Orange Bowl victory, Fisher and Texas A&Mcontinue upward trajectory
COLLEGE STATION — Kellen Mond’s wild ride in college was personified by his first and presumably last games for Texas A&M. In Mond’s A&M debut in the 2017 season opener, UCLA scored 35 consecutive points in the second half to beat the Aggies by a point. In his likely finale Saturday night, the senior directed an A&M offense that outscored North Carolina 24-7 in the fourth quarter of the Aggies’ 41-27 comeback victory in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
“I’ve had somuch support from so many different people, the ups and downs … just looking back on … the UCLA game and being able to finish four years later as anOrange Bowl champion, it’s a phenomenal feeling,” Mond said. “I’m thankful for the path that I’ve gone through this whole entire career.”
The loss to UCLA played a big role in the dismissal of then-coach Kevin Sumlin and the hire of Jimbo Fisher from Florida State later in 2017, and the No. 5 Aggies have been on an upward trajectory since.
A&M is 3-0 in bowls under Fisher, and the Aggies’ 24 points against the No. 13 Tar Heels (8-4) were the most they scored in any quarter of a bowl. A&M finished 9-1 and on an eightgame winning streak — the .900 winning percentage was its best since it was 10-0-1 (.955) in 1994 — and narrowly missed competing in the four-team College Football Playoff.
“I’m so proud of this team and what it accomplished,” Fisher said. “And the seniors … I want to say a special thank-you, too.”
Mond, offensive linemen Dan Moore and Carson Green, linebacker Buddy Johnson and defensive lineman Jayden Peevy, among other veterans who helped win the Orange Bowl, were recruited to A&M by Sumlin’s staff.
“I didn’t recruit (all) those guys. But when I got here, they gaveme their hearts, their souls, their everything,” an emotional Fisher said. “This senior group put us in a heck of a position in knowing how to work and how to pass that on to the next generation.”
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA ruled that players did not lose a year of eligibility this season, meaning seniors could return for another round if they choose. Mond is expected to begin preparing for the 2021 NFL draft but did not completely close the door on a return.
“I’ve given it some thought,” Mond said. “No decisions have been made.”
Johnson, another senior leader this season, echoed Mond’s noncommittal sentiment.
“I’m going to pray on it, and wherever God leads me to, that’s where I’ll be,” Johnson said.
Peevy, a former Bellaire High star, announced Sunday night he intends to return for one more season.
Hard to believe based on the final score, but the Aggies trailed the Tar Heels 27-20 a minute into the fourth quarter. A&M coolly responded to a long North Carolina touchdown pass with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 4-yard Mond touchdown run.
The Aggies’ tying score was set up by Mond’s 54yard completion to Ainias Smith to the Tar Heels’ 6-yard line. Smith hauled in a perfect pass and zigged and zagged hisway through a handful of North Carolina defenders.
“Ainias had catches, and he had blocks,” Fisher said of his dynamic sophomore from Dulles High. “The guy does everything. He could sell popcorn at halftime. He played fullback. He caught punts and had 125 yards receiving. He runs the ball. He does everything.”
Sophomore running back Isaiah Spiller of Klein Collins spentmost of the season andmost of the Orange Bowl carrying the load for the Aggies, and on Saturday he fought through a nagging leg injury to rush for 50 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
In the fourth quarter, Fisher turned to freshlegged freshman Devon Achane of Fort Bend Marshall, and Achane responded with the Aggies’ season highlight: a 76-yard touchdown dash along the left sideline. He nearly tripped early before finding his legs for the go-ahead score with 3:44 left.
“I almost fell, but when I broke the (final) tackle and I looked up, there was nobody right there, and I said, ‘Ain’t nobody catching me,’ ” Achane said with a grin.
The A&M defense respondedwith a stop of the Tar Heels on fourth down at the North Carolina 34yard line, and Fisher again turned to Achane. The former high school track star responded with runs of 11 and 22 yards to the UNC 1-yard line, and a play later, he punched in the ball to give the game its final score.
“A&M should be a playoff team,” said North Carolina’s Mack Brown, the former Texas coach. “Watching them and watching Notre Dame, they’re so similar that you feel like we should expand the playoff.”