The Longhorns spoiled the Aggies’ undefeated season and ended their chances of playing for an SEC championship.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns might not be appearing in the College Football Playoff this season, but they will still hold bragging rights over one of their biggest rivals for another year.
The Longhorns topped the Texas A&M Aggies in their regular season finale at DKR Friday night by a score of 27-17, spoiling the Aggies’ undefeated season and ending their chances of playing for an SEC championship next weekend in Atlanta.
The game was a defensive struggle in the first half, with the Longhorn defensive end and Austin native Ethan Burke blocking an Aggie field goal attempt toward the end of the first quarter to keep the game scoreless. Both teams would then trade field goals midway through the second quarter, before Texas A&M scored the game’s first touchdown on an 8-yard run by wide receiver KC Concepcion with just under a minute to go in the first half to take a 10-3 lead into the locker room.
The Longhorns turned it on in the second half, holding the Aggies scoreless in the third quarter while cashing in on a Mason Shipley field goal and a 29-yeard touchdown pass from Arch Manning to Ryan Wingo to turn their seven point halftime deficit into a three point lead.
In a pivotal momentum play, Manning connected with tight end Jack Endries on a 54-yard pass to set up the Longhorns on the Aggies’ 2-yard line just before the end of the quarter. The Longhorns would then punch it in, with freshman tight end Nick Townsend scoring on a reverse to push the lead to 10.
The Aggies fought back in the fourth quarter, with running back EJ Smith scoring on a 13-yard run with just under 10 minutes to go. But the Longhorns responded immediately, with Manning using his legs to scamper for a 35-yard touchdown to stretch the lead back to 10 at 27-17.
The Aggies drove down the field on the ensuing drive, with quarterback Marcel Reed connecting on a number of passes to get the Aggies inside the red zone. But it ended up being all for naught, as Longhorn safety and Austin native Michael Taaffe intercepted Reed on the 3-yard line to kill the Aggie drive.
The Longhorns would stall on their ensuing drive, but did force the Aggies to use all their timeouts after running the ball three straight times. On the next Aggie drive, it was the Longhorn defense that came up big once again, with sophomore defensive back Kobe Black intercepting Reed for a second consecutive drive and allowing the Longhorn offense to ice the game.
Manning finished the game 14-of-29 passing with 179 yards and a passing touchdown, as well as 53 rushing yards and a touchdown. Quintrevion Wisner had his breakout game of the season, finishing with 155 rushing yards against a highly touted Aggies run defense. Jack Endries led the Longhorns in receiving, with 93 yards on four catches.
On the Aggies side, Marcel Reed finished with 180 yards on 20-of-32 passing with two interceptions. He also led the Aggies in rushing with 71 yards. KC Concepcion led the Aggies in receiving, with 57 yards on five catches.
The win gives the Longhorns a 9-3 record to close out the regular season. The team still has a very slim chance to qualify for the College Football Playoff, but it would require a great deal of help elsewhere in games across the country.
The loss is a crushing blow for the Aggies, who are now eliminated from contention to play for the SEC championship. The result also means that Georgia has clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game, where they will face either Alabama or Ole Miss. Despite the loss, the Aggies are still overwhelmingly likely to make the College Football Playoff.