Second Half Comeback Falls Short at No. 11 Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. – Texas A&M's second-half comeback fell short in the final seconds as the Aggies dropped a nail-biter to No. 11 Ole Miss, 38-35, Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

A blocked 47-yard field goal in the final seconds proved to be the deciding factor as the tipped ball landed short of the uprights. Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3) tallied two fourth quarter scores courtesy of Amari Daniels lunging it in from 1-yard out with 12:04 left and Max Johnson diving over the line from 1-yard out to put the Aggies up 35-31 with 4:34 left. Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1) countered and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard rush with 1:40 left. 

Johnson was 31-of-42 for 305 passing yards and one score, while Daniels led the ground attack rushing 12 times for 70 yards and a touchdown. Jahdae Walker led the receiving corps with eight catches for 100 yards. Bryce Anderson paced the Maroon & White with eight tackles, including five solo takedowns, while Demani Richardson and Edgerrin Cooper each tacked on seven tackles. 

Trailing 14-0 midway through the second quarter, Ole' Sarge's charges came alive after Shemar Turner blocked a 41-yard field goal attempt that landed in the hands of Jacoby Mathews who returned it 75 yards to the house. 

Ole Miss extended the lead to 20-7 on the ensuing drive before Le'Veon Moss answered back with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to bring the Aggies within one score heading into the half. 

The Maroon & White threatened to take their first lead in the third quarter before Ole Miss capitalized with an interception in the end zone. Down 28-14, Max Johnson connected with Jake Johnson for a 28-yard touchdown reception to bring the Aggies within a score. Ole Miss extended its lead to 10, 31-21, heading into the final stanza. 








Team Notes        
 

• Texas A&M surpassed 400 yards of total offense for the sixth time this season with 457 yards against Ole Miss. 
• One of the best teams in the nation at limiting opponent third down conversions, the Aggies held Ole Miss to just 4-of-11 on third down. 
• The Aggies scored three rushing touchdowns in the game, marking the fourth time this season they have scored multiple times on the ground.  
• Sophomore DB Jacoby Mathews' first half touchdown marked the first time the Aggies have scored on a blocked field goal attempt since 2018 when Tyrel Dodson (2016-18) ran a blocked attempt back 78 yards in the 48-10 win over ULM.
• The 38-35 final score marked the fourth straight game in the series that has been decided by 10-or-fewer points. 
• Today's captains at Ole Miss were OL Layden Robinson, DL McKinnley Jackson, DL Fadil Diggs and WR Ainias Smith.

 
Individual Notes    

• Graduate WR Ainias Smith made it 36 consecutive games with a reception, extending his streak with an 11-yard grab early in the third quarter. He boasts the eighth-longest streak in the nation, and it is the longest run by an Aggie since Christian Kirk (2015-17) caught a pass in 39 straight games.  
• Smith moved up A&M's all-time receiving charts, currently sitting in seventh with 2,264 career yards and sixth with 166 catches after posting 83 yards on six receptions against Ole Miss. 
• Smith broke his tie with Kirk and took sole possession of sixth all-time, upping his career punt return yards total to 818 yards. 
• Sophomore QB Max Johnson registered the first 300-yard passing game of his A&M career, seventh of his college career, throwing for 305 yards with a career-high 31 completions.
• Max and sophomore TE Jake Johnson connected on a scoring pass for the third time this season when Max sent a 28-yard pass toward the end zone for Jake's third score of the season.
• Sophomore RB Le'Veon Moss scored his fourth touchdown of the season, fifth of his career, on a 13-yard run into the end zone. 
• Junior transfer WR Jahdae Walker registered his second 100-yard game of the season, racking up 100 yards on eight catches. 
• Sophomore DB Bryce Anderson led the defense and matched his career high with eight tackles, including 1.5 for loss, at Ole Miss. 
• Junior LB Edgerrin Cooper finished the game with seven tackles, 1.0 for loss. He has recorded at least 1.0 TFL in all six of A&M's SEC games.
• Sophomore transfer DB Sam McCall and freshman DB Jayvon Thomas got the first starts of their young Aggie careers, as both finished with five takedowns in the game.
• Junior DL Shemar Turner registered the first blocked field goal of his career, batting down a 41-yard attempt into the hands of sophomore DB Jacoby Mathews, who took it 75 yards to the house for the first score of his career and the Aggies' third non-offensive touchdown of the season.