Final field goal for win
Spiller has 174 yards and 2TDs to help A& M upset the Gators
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS » Jimbo Fisher got his first win against a top- five opponent since taking over at Texas A& M.
And just like that, he started looking ahead to next weekend.
“This game shows you what you’re capable of,” the coach said. “Now I want to see what do you follow up with?”
Isaiah Spiller rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 21 Texas A& M beat fourth- ranked Florida 41- 38 on Seth Small’s 26- yard field goal as time expired Saturday.
Spiller helped get the Aggies into position for Small’s decisive kick, sending A& M to its first win over a top- five team since a 41- 38 victory over No. 3 Auburn in 2014. It was the school’s first such victory at home since it toppled No. 1 Oklahoma 30- 26 in 2002.
“I think this is a real big confidence- booster,” Spiller said. “I feel like we really gained our identity.”
Fisher brushed off the notion that it was a signature win or it meant more than anything he’s done in three seasons in College Station.
“It’s a good win,” he said. “It’s a big win ... but they’re all big wins.”
Kellen Mond threw a 51- yard pass to Caleb Chapman for a tying TD with about 4 ½ minutes to go.
The Gators were driving when Buddy Johnson forced a fumble by Malik Davis, and it was recovered by DeMarvin Leal to set up the game- ending field goal.
“We had plenty of opportunities to put the game away,” quarterback Kyle Trask said. “So you can’t blame it all on one play because it shouldn’t even been close if we would have executed on the drives that we didn’t score on.”
Mond passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns to help the Aggies ( 2- 1, 2- 1 SEC) down the previously undefeated Gators ( 2- 1, 2- 1).
“We’ve had some big wins ( but) this is definitely huge,” Mond said. “This definitely I feel like can be a culture- changing win and only can give this team more confidence.”
Trask, who was named after Kyle Field by his A& M- graduate parents, had 312 yards passing and four TDs. But the Gators were done in by the late mistake and another poor performance by their defense.
“We’re playing 10 SEC games in a row,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said. “We have to get over this one quick. It’s more like an NFL schedule.”
Mullen was disappointed that the Gators allowed A& M to convert 12 of 15 third- down opportunities.
“We’re going to evaluate a lot of things defensively, and our ability to make plays and get off the field,” he said.