Texas
Why Texas A&M’s \nCollege Football Playoff, SEC title hopes dissolved in November
COLLEGE STATION — At the conclusion of Week 9, Texas A&M football had just used a second-half comeback to beat the LSU Tigers showing the SEC and the rest of the country that they were a force to be reckoned with.
A&M was 5-0 in the SEC and in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth and a conference championship appearance. Pundits and analysts around the nation began to praise head coach Mike Elko and the job he had done in his first year with the program.
From that point on, things unraveled for the Aggies.
A&M went 1-3 to finish out the last month of the season, with all three of their losses coming at the hands of SEC foes. They finished 8-4 and missed the SEC championship and the playoffs altogether.
“Losing our last three conference games and not being able to close the deal and going to Atlanta. Yeah. I mean, it sucks,” Elko told reporters Saturday following the loss to the Texas Longhorns. “There’s no sugarcoating it. There’s no soft words around it. We had our opportunities, and we didn’t get it done. And so it’s disappointing.”
Each loss to South Carolina, Auburn, and Texas was unique in the way A&M failed. Let’s take a look at what ailed A&M in each of those disappointing results.
Gamecocks run over the Aggies
Texas A&M’s fatal flaw: Tackling
Heading into the matchup, some believed the Gamecocks were better than their 2-3 conference record indicated. South Carolina was led by a big-bodied freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and a proven running back in Raheim Sanders.
Despite that, if the Aggies were as good as many believed they were, winning a night game at William-Brice Stadium would be a challenge but something they would be able to overcome.
However, South Carolina jumped on Texas A&M early, using the running game to score two first-quarter touchdowns. The Aggies were able to head into halftime tied 20-20, but thanks to 24 unanswered points by the Gamecocks, A&M was stunned for its first SEC loss of the season.
South Carolina rushed for 286 yards on the ground and exasperated A&M’s poor tackling in what would become the defense’s Achilles heal, missing 25 tackles in the game, according to Pro Football Focus.
Tigers light Aggies up
Texas A&M’s fatal flaw: Pass defense
Following the South Carolina loss, the Aggies had its final bye week of the season then an inferior New Mexico State team. Despite the sound win over the other Aggies, A&M’s road test against Auburn on the Tigers’ senior night would paint a clearer picture of Texas A&M.
A&M went down 21-0 against Auburn, stunned early by chunk plays in the passing game. They would respond, ended up tying the game, and eventually took the lead late.
It wouldn’t be enough, though, as the Aggies and Tigers went back and forth for a four-overtime thriller. A&M was unable to make one final stop (on a pass play, fittingly enough) while running back Amari Daniels dropped a pass in the endzone to seal its second SEC loss.
The Tigers finished with 301 passing yards while running back Jarquez Hunter added four receptions and three scores on the ground.
Longhorns were just too much
Texas A&M’s fatal flaw: Line play
Despite the downward spiral that was the Aggies’ late-season collapse, all of their goals were still within range ahead of a massive rivalry-renewing matchup against the Longhorns.
All eyes were upon Kyle Field for the highly anticipated matchup. Then the game became a perfect storm of frustration for A&M as much of what has hurt them this season became abundantly clear against its in-state foe.
A&M’s offense was held scoreless, turning the ball over three times. An offensive line that paved the way for at least 134 yards on the ground in every game this season managed just 98 total, and most of that came from the quarterback. A&M had its worst offensive output since Week 1 against Notre Dame, when then-starting quarterback Conner Weigman passed for a measly 100 yards, the Aggies mustering just 13 points in the process.
As bad as the offense was, the defense had very little answers as well. Texas tallied 458 total yards, highlighted by 240 rushing yards, with running back Quintrevion Wisner racking up 186 of them himself. Even backup quarterback Arch Manning ran in for a touchdown.
While A&M was trying to mount a comeback at 17-7, Texas was able to drain almost three minutes of the game clock and picked up a key first down by running the ball with Wisner four straight plays. The next Texas drive: six straight run plays, 20 yards, and 2:30 more gone from the clock.
A&M’s defensive line, thought to be a strength of the team, sacked a hobbling Quinn Ewers just once on 28 dropbacks.
There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the future of Texas A&M football. The Aggies, in a sense, outperformed what many had thought they would in Year 1 of the Mike Elko era. There is plenty to work on still, much of it highlighted in the final month of the year.
But the Aggies head into 2025 understanding what they have and, perhaps even more so, what they don’t.
Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
The College Station Regional has played out almost exactly as projected, and Sunday night’s final comes down to the two teams most expected to be here. Texas A&M vs. USC, with a Super Regional berth on the line.
Texas A&M reached the final in the smoothest way possible, taking care of business early with wins over Lamar and Texas State to secure a 2–0 start. USC’s path was far more chaotic. After dropping their opener to Texas State, the Trojans fought through the losers’ bracket, eliminating Lamar before surviving a wild rematch with the Bobcats.
Advertisement
USC jumped out to an 8–0 lead, but Texas State clawed back with a four‑run fourth inning to tighten the game. The Trojans ultimately pulled away again late, setting up a scenario where they’ll need two wins Sunday night to advance, while the Aggies need just one.
A&M enters the matchup with a significant storyline. Head coach Michael Earley confirmed that ace Aiden Sims is out for the remainder of the postseason after re‑aggravating his injury. Trying to push him further, Earley said, would risk long‑term damage to his career. That leaves the Aggies searching for someone to step up on the mound in the biggest game of their season.
First pitch between the Aggies and Trojans is scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. CT, with the game streaming on ESPN+.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M, USC set for College Station Regional Final showdown
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., on Sunday said the Texas Senate race is “in play” for Democrats after state Attorney General Ken Paxton beat incumbent John Cornyn in last week’s Senate Republican primary.
“Texas is in play. Democrats have never run against a candidate like Ken Paxton that is so corrupt that his own party impeached him,” Beshear told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” adding, “This is someone who does not have the character … to serve as AG or even as dog catcher.”
The Kentucky governor referred to the GOP-controlled Texas state House’s impeachment of Paxton in 2023 on bribery and corruption charges before the state Senate acquitted him. The state Senate trial also touched on allegations that Paxton engaged in an extramarital affair while serving as attorney general.
Last year, his wife, who is also a state senator, announced that she had filed for divorce from the attorney general “on biblical grounds” and “in light of recent discoveries.”
Paxton did not testify at his impeachment trial, but he denied any wrongdoing and characterized the misconduct and corruption allegations as false and politically motivated. After his wife announced their divorce, Paxton wrote in a post on X that the two “decided to start a new chapter in our lives” after “countless political attacks.”
Beshear on Sunday said that if elected, Paxton is a person who “would use his office to enrich himself, that would be a rubber stamp for the president, and would do nothing for the people of Texas. He has shown that as AG.”
Beshear pointed to Paxton’s opponent, Texas state Sen. James Talarico, who won the Democratic primary in the state earlier this year as a better candidate for Senate.
Talarico “is spreading his message about being there for American families, about putting them ahead of the politics, about bringing down prices, expanding access to health care, making sure they feel safe in their community,” the Kentucky governor said. “Those things that make life just a little bit better and a little bit easier as the Trump administration is making things so much harder.”
Beshear accused Paxton of attacking Talarico early in the race because he “knows he has nothing to offer.”
“And so what does he do? He simply attacks his opponent over and over,” Beshear added.
Earlier on “Meet the Press,” former Vice President Mike Pence was asked if he supported Paxton and responded indirectly, saying, “If I was voting in Texas, I could never vote for the Democrat nominee.”
Pence added that he was confident the GOP could keep control of the Senate after November’s elections.
“I think in many respects Republicans have lost our way, but Democrats have lost their mind, and I think the reason why we’re going to hold the Senate.”
In Beshear’s interview, the governor also discussed remarks former first lady Jill Biden made last week about concerns she had about former President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance against Trump two years ago.
“I think it’s fair to look back now, given that Joe Biden did drop out, and say he shouldn’t have run for re-election in the first place,” Beshear said. “You can both compliment him for things he did that helped your state and your people, but also be able to look back and know that was a decision that should have been made differently.”
Also in his interview, Beshear was asked if he himself was considering running for president in 2028.
“I haven’t ruled it out,” he said. “But I haven’t sat down and had that conversation with my family. I’m trying to fire up Democrats to be a voice of reason in the chaos. It is so important that we win right now.”
The Texas A&M Aggies started the season with varying expectations. After a disappointing season last year, this year was a critical chance for the Aggies to once again have another shot at putting it all together.
Earning a top-16 seed and hosting a regional, the Aggies stormed a comeback to take their opening game, leading to their winners bracket matchup against the Texas State Bobcats, who took down the higher-seeded USC Trojans.
Looking to be 2-0 after their second game, head coach Michael Ealrey’s squad found themselves in a close game with the Bobcats. A five-run sixth inning would change the tune of the game, and instead of being a nail-biter, it quickly turned into a blowout.
How One Error Changed Everything
The Aggies were in a close game against the Bobcats, which is a scary place to be against a team that can hit the ball as well as they do. In the fifth inning, Chris Hacopian would get an RBI to give his team a two-run cushion, and he would prove to be the catalyst once again an inning later.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the inning, Hacopian would hit a ground ball to Justin Vossos, the Bobcats’ shortstop. It looked like a routine play, one that would get his team out of the jam, but he would bobble the grounder. Hacopian, to his credit, shot out of a cannon out of the batter’s box and would beat out the play, extending the inning and scoring Terrence Kiel II.
With a three-run lead, the Aggies smelled blood in the water, and they took advantage of the mistake. The next batter, Nico Partida, would be hit by a pitch to score another. Jake Duer would follow that up with a two-RBI single, and Ben Royo would get an infield single of his own to cap off the five-run inning.
From that point on, the Aggies never looked back and would end up winning the game, 17-2, completely breaking the game wide open and dominating their way to a 2-0 start.
What This Means Now For the Undefeated Aggies
The Aggies are the only perfect team in their regional, and have advanced to the regional final for the first time in two years. Because of that, Earley and his squad get the massive advantage of only being tasked with playing one game on Sunday night.
With the Bobcats now heading to the losers’ bracket, they will get a rematch against the Trojans at 3 p.m. CT, with the loser eliminated from postseason play and the winner facing the Aggies at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
Since the Aggies are the only undefeated team left in the bracket, they will get a minimum of two chances to punch their ticket to the super regionals.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
Colorado4 minutes ago
Colorado elections clerk set to be released from prison Monday based on her sentence commutation
-
Connecticut7 minutes agoMan shot while riding a moped in North Haven
-
Delaware12 minutes agoWas Taylor Swift in Dewey Beach, Delaware, this weekend? What we know
-
Florida19 minutes agoFlorida tax proposal seeks to eliminate homestead property taxes by 2028
-
Georgia22 minutes agoWho Mississippi State baseball will play next in NCAA Tournament super regional
-
Hawaii27 minutes agoMan charged with murder in killings of 3 on Hawaii’s Big Island
-
Idaho34 minutes agoAmerica 250: Famous Idaho Ice Cream Potato helps put Boise landmark on the map
-
Illinois37 minutes agoDowntown Springfield revitalization plan passed out of the Senate
