Aggies Take Over Late to Topple Cats

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M scored 24 unanswered points to take an insurmountable lead as the Aggies took a 38-10 win over ACU in front of 94,749 fans at Kyle Field in the Wildcats' 2023 season finale.
 
The Wildcats finish their season at 5-6, but 5-4 against NCAA Division I FCS teams. The Aggies – who fired head coach Jimbo Fisher last Sunday morning – are now 7-4 on the season after winning Saturday's game under interim head coach Elijah Robinson. They will close out the regular season next Saturday at LSU and await a bowl bid and a new head coach.
 
ACU jumped out to a 7-0 lead just 1:56 into the game when Reese Young sacked Aggie quarterback Jaylen Henderson just as he threw the ball. ACU junior linebacker Cirby Coheley picked the ball out of midair and went untouched for a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown and early ACU momentum.
 
But the Aggies scored 17 straight points to take a 17-7 halftime lead and then added a 49-yard touchdown pass from Henderson to Moose Muhammad III early in the third quarter to push their advantage to 24-7. ACU cut the lead to 24-10 on a Kyle Ramsey 40-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, keeping the Wildcats in the game.
 
ACU's defense forced a three-and-out on A&M's next possession, but the ACU offense went backward on its three plays and punted the ball back to the Aggies. A&M went 73 yards on 12 plays to another touchdown to make it 31-10, and then after ACU punted, the Aggies poured a little salt in the wound with a deep throw on first down and then a 13-yard touchdown pass with 56 seconds left in the game for the points of the afternoon.
 
ACU quarterback Maverick McIvor finished 19 of 34 through the air for 149 yards, while Jay'Veon Sunday carried the ball 18 times for 87 yards. 
 
GAME SUMMARY
How They Scored
1Q (13:04) – After a punt on their opening possession, the Wildcats grabbed an early lead thanks to a tremendous defensive play. On A&M's second offensive play, Reese Young sacked Aggie quarterback Jaylen Henderson, who lost the ball. ACU's Cirby  Coheley picked the ball out of mid-air and ran 51 yards untouched for a touchdown and an early lead.
            Scoring Play: Cirby Coheley 51 interception return (Kyle Ramsey PAT)
            ACU 7, Texas A&M 0
 
1Q (10:20) – The Aggies responded with a six-play touchdown drive to tie the game. The big play was a 40-yard pass from Henderson to Jahdae Walker on third-and-5 from the A&M 30. Henderson followed it up with an 18-yard completion to Ainias Smith to the ACU 12-yard line. Two plays later, Reuben Owens scored from seven yards out.
            Scoring Play: Reuben Owens 7 run (Randy Bond PAT)
            Scoring Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:44
            ACU 7, Texas A&M 7
 
2Q (7:59) – The Aggies took their first lead of the afternoon at the end of a six-play drive keyed by a 28-yard run up the middle by Owens, who scored the first touchdown of the day for the Aggies. That run got the ball to the ACU 20, but the Aggies only picked up three more yards and were forced to settle for a field goal and a 10-7 lead.
            Scoring Play: Bond 34 field goal
            Scoring Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 2:04
            Texas A&M 10, ACU 7
 
2Q (3:26) – ACU punted on its possession after the Bond field goal, and the Aggies set out on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended in their second touchdown of the first half. Henderson kept the march alive early with a 10-yard scramble on third-and-9 from his 36-yard line. He then completed passes of 6, 9, 9, and 9 to help move the ball to the ACU 13-yard line. Henderson finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas.
            Scoring Play: Noah Thomas 13 pass from Henderson (Bond PAT)
            Scoring Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:37 TOP
            Texas A&M 17, ACU 7
 
3Q (12:39) – The Aggies needed just six plays and 2 minutes, 21 seconds to put another touchdown on the board, this time coming courtesy of a 49-yard pass from Henderson to Moose Muhammad III, who caught the ball at the 10, and rolled untouched into the end zone. That pass was the only one of the drive, which featured four straight runs by Owens to open the drive, picking up gains of 0, 10, 8, and 5 yards.
            Scoring Play: Moose Muhammad III 49 pass from Henderson (Bond PAT)
            Scoring Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:21 TOP
            Texas A&M 24, ACU 7
 
4Q (14:06) – The ACU offense scored its only points on its best, a 13-play, 67-yard march that ended with a Kyle Ramsey field. Quarterback Maverick McIvor completed passes of 13, 10, 16, 17, and 15 yards on the drive. The Wildcats stalled at the A&M 23-yard line after a sack of McIvor, but Ramsey drilled a 40-yard field goal for ACU's final points.
            Scoring Play: Ramsey 40 FG
            Scoring Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards, 7:02 TOP
            Texas A&M 24, ACU 10
 
4Q (5:25) – After an ACU punt, the Aggies moved 12 yards to the clinching touchdown, using the ground game for most of the yards. Henderson completed one pass on the drive, but the other 11 plays all came on the ground, and the drive ended on a 3-yard touchdown run by David Bailey.
            Scoring Play: David Bailey 3 run (Bond PAT)
            Scoring Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:35 TOP
            Texas A&M 31, ACU 10
 
4Q (0:56) – The Aggies scored a meaningless touchdown with less than a minute left in the game, and they did so after throwing deep and getting a questionable roughing-the-passer call on Henderson. That 30-yard pass and 15-yard penalty carried the ball to the ACU 18-yard line. Three plays later, backup quarterback Marcel Reed threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Platt for the final points.
            Scoring Play: Jaden Platt 13 pass from Marcel Reed (Bond PAT)
            Scoring Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:33 TOP
            Texas A&M 38, ACU 10
 
POST-GAME NOTES
• The Wildcats had the ball eight times in the first half and only crossed the 50-yard line once against the A&M defense. ACU had four three-and-outs, one four-play drive, one five-play drive, and a two-play drive to close out the half. ACU's best offensive drive of the half was an eight-play, 30-yard march that reached the A&M 37-yard line. Kyle Ramsey – who has 4 for 4 on field goals of at least 50 yards entering the game – missed the first field goal of his tremendous season, this time from 54 yards.
• ACU's defense was tremendous throughout the first half, forcing an interception-return-for-a-touchdown on the first drive, and three three-and-outs on A&M's eight possessions.
• ACU junior linebacker Cirby Coheley entered the game with 2.5 sacks on the season but had two sacks of A&M quarterback Jaylen Henderson in the first half to go along with his 49-yard interception return for a touchdown. Coheley finished his day with 13 tackles, three sacks, and the interception return for a touchdown.
• Texas A&M entered the game leading FBS football in sacks with 39 through 10 games, but ACU's offensive line played its best game of the season in terms of pass protection, allowing just one sack in the game, which didn't happen until the fourth quarter. Edgerrin Cooper entered the game with a team-high seven sacks, but he was limited to just one quarterback hurry.
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH KEITH PATTERSON
 
… on what stands out the most from Saturday's game: "I'm so proud of the way our guys represented the university and the football program in such a positive way by how they competed. We're not into moral victories, but there are a lot of positives you can take out of a game when you go toe-to-toe with an SEC program. Our kids displayed a lot of toughness and kept competing play after play. I'm very proud of our young men and coaching staff."
 
… on the play of ACU's offensive line: "They are extremely talented on the front seven. They've got great players at defensive end and linebacker who can get after the quarterback. But our guys up front showed a lot of toughness and grit, and that's what our program is going to be about moving forward. We want tough, strong, gritty players who play hard, and we're going to pour into them and develop them in every way."
 
… on playing on the big stage at Kyle Field: "I just wanted to see us compete (Saturday), and we moved our program forward. Even though the result on the scoreboard may not show that, I thought the effort, the way our guys handled ourselves, the way they prepared for this football game … they could have cashed it in and that would've been the easy thing to do. They earned my respect (Saturday) on both sides of the ball and special teams … everything. They showed toughness and grit, especially in the first half."
 
… on Cirby Coheley's big game: "He has become a big-time linebacker. I think he has only scratched the surface of what he can become."
 
… on the future of the ACU football program: "The 2024 season starts (Sunday) with meetings, and we'll celebrate our seniors one last time. We've already identified the areas where we need to concentrate on recruiting, and we'll start getting out on the road. Our better days are in front of us. It didn't show up on the results column this year, but there are a lot of positives in our program right now. We're moving this thing in the right direction."
 
QUOTING LINEBACKER CIRBY COHELEY
 
… on his big game against the Aggies: "It was a cool experience playing the big environment like Kyle Field. Coach Patterson says all the time, 'Just go out there and act like you're 10 years old running around and you play football.' That's basically what I did today and I had fun doing it."
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will be back in action on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, when they are in Lubbock to take on Texas Tech in Jones AT&T Stadium in the season opener. The Wildcats are 3-6 all-time against the Red Raiders. The teams haven't met since a 20-0 Texas Tech win in Lubbock on Sept. 10, 1949.