We really thought that the Texas A&M Aggies had the edge in this game coming in, but after a disappointing double-digit, 28-13, loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, the Aggies and head coach Jimbo Fisher realized that any hopes they had to compete for the SEC championship and a College Football Playoff bid went out of the window.
Mississippi State had just been outplayed by the No. 4 LSU Tigers by the final score of 19-3 the week before. Meanwhile, Texas A&M was on their bye week getting healthy and game planning for a battered Bulldogs team. The stars were aligned, and all the Aggies had to do was go out and execute.
The game was close through the third quarter with the Aggies only down a point at 14-13, but the fourth quarter was won by the Bulldogs as they doubled their first half output with two more touchdowns. Texas A&M laid an egg for the rest of the game and the upset was complete. Some of the highlights show that the Bulldogs were not affected by their loss last week.
Although there is a lot of blame to go around for this loss, this game was basically the tale of two quarterbacks. Each defense had an extremely tough assignment, but one QB out-performed the other.
Bulldog quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was responsible for all four MSU touchdowns with two in the air and two on the ground, including a 76-yard quarterback keeper on the read option to seal the game late. He threw for 241 yards and rushed for another 88 yards. The biggest stat is that he did not throw any interceptions.
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Texas A&M's quarterback Kellen Mond struggled a little bit. He only completed 50% of his passes going 23 of 46 for 232 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran the ball for two yards on nine carries. Mond could not move the ball on the Mississippi State defense. Although he found wide-receiver Quartney Davis on the 34-yard screen pass earlier in the second quarter, he missed him open a few times in the second half, when he opted to check down, instead of scanning the field.
It was a tough loss, but all hope is not gone for the Aggies. There is definitely still hopes for a bowl game bid and they are not ready to give up yet. Mond is going to bounce back for sure.
