Near Miss: 5 observations from Texas A&M’s 31-28 loss to Ole Miss

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Sam Craft/AP/Shutterstock (13554433i) Texas A&M running back Devon Achane (6) breaks through the line as Mississippi linebacker Troy Brown (8) tries to tackle him during the first half of an NCAA college football game, in College Station, Texas Mississippi Texas A M Football, College Station, United States – 29 Oct 2022

Near Miss: 5 observations from Texas A&M’s 31-28 loss to Ole Miss

Texas A&M continued its downward spiral against No. 15 Ole Miss on Saturday night. The return to the confines of Kyle Field did not help the Aggies snap their losing streak, which now is at four games in a row.

It is the first time Texas A&M (3-5, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) has lost four games in a row since 2005. Check out five observations in the team’s 31-28 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels (8-1, 4-1 SEC) in College Station.

Aggies’ offense starts strong, then disappears in second and third

Texas A&M started off the game by scoring two touchdowns on its first two drives. An eight-play, 77-yard drive was capped off with a three-yard touchdown reception by receiver Moose Muhammad III. The score matched Ole Miss’ opening drive touchdown.

On the Aggies’ second drive of the game, they marched down the field again. This time a six-play, 81-yard drive that ended in a 15-yard connection between freshman quarterback Conner Weigman and receiver Evan Stewart. The play gave Texas A&M a 14-7 lead.

Then, Texas A&M had six consecutive drives not end in a single point. A turnover on downs in the second quarter was the first of the six. The Aggies punted on five straight drives after that until the fourth quarter.

Defense struggles against Ole Miss in second half

The Aggies’ defense did a great job of holding off the Rebels in the first and second quarters. While Ole Miss scored a touchdown on its opening drive, Texas A&M’s defense buckled down and forced a punt, a turnover on downs in the red zone and another punt before allowing a field goal towards the latter end of the second quarter.

That completely changed for the Aggies in the second half. Texas A&M allowed three touchdown drives to Ole Miss in its first four second-half possessions. The only drive that didn’t end in a touchdown was a turnover on downs at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Penalties plague Aggies

Texas A&M’s problems with flags continued against Ole Miss. The Aggies committed nine penalties that cost them 51 yards. The Aggies committed four false start penalties, which was a decrease from a week ago when they were flagged seven times for false starts against South Carolina.

Freshman QB shines

Despite the struggles of the offense as a unit, Weigman, a five-star prospect in A&M’s highly-rated recruiting class, had a strong performance in his first career start for the Aggies.

The Cypress native finished the game with 338 passing yards on 28-of-44 passing, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Fighting to the bitter end

While the game ultimately ended in a loss for the Aggies, Texas A&M did not stop fighting until all of the game clock time expired.

The Aggies scored a touchdown with 1:25 left in the game. Weigman made the most of a second chance he was given when it seemed like he had thrown a game-ending interception on the goal-to-go situation. Instead, Weigman capitalized on the extra opportunity and kept the Aggies’ hopes alive with a seven-yard touchdown to running back Devon Achane.

Texas A&M’s defense followed up the score by forcing an Ole Miss three-and-out and a punt that gave the Aggies’ offense one final chance at driving down the field and either tying the game or pulling an improbable victory. However, the Aggies’ offense could not move the ball down the field.

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