I left the house around 9:30 and met Scott, Devin and Scott’s nephew John in San Marcos. We loaded up into the van and headed for College Station where we met Josh and Nick and a friend of Nick's from El Campo.
Going into the game we had no idea what we were in for. We knew it would be hot (and it was, about 90 degrees at kickoff with a heat index of 98 degrees) and we knew Fresno State wouldn’t go away quietly. The 12th Man was back in full force for another round. Attendance was 75K+.
The first half it was all A&M. They did a good job, defensively, of clamping down on Fresno State. They forced a couple of turnovers and even managed a Safety. The Ags also found their rhythm offensively with several long scoring drives. Of course, the passing game was nearly non-existent, but they were moving the ball fairly well and scoring points. Both teams missed a pair of field goals.
The third quarter was definitely the worst quarter of football we’ve seen so far this season. The Ags had taken a 19-0 lead into halftime and gave up nearly all of that in the 3rd. Despite another A&M field goal, Fresno State tied the game early in the fourth at 22-22. The third quarter was just ugly. The Ags couldn’t get off the field on defense and the offense just couldn’t get anything going.
In the fourth, A&M had a good long drive (with Jorvorskie's Lane's second rushing TD) for the go-ahead score, but they left too much time on the clock and Fresno State scored on a fourth-and-goal from the three to tie the game and send it into OT.
Overtime
Now, for those of you that don’t know, the guys and I are well-versed in the rules of the College Overtime. We’ve been to 7 overtime games in the last five years. They are very exciting and they’re one of the best experiences college football has to offer. We like the College Overtime better than the NFL’s because both teams get an opportunity to win. But it’s a little scary to think that the game can end abruptly on one play. You leave either very happy or very unhappy, there’s no middle-ground.
A&M opened it up in the North end of Kyle with a field goal. That was a little frustrating, but Fresno State was also held to a field goal. However, this was after some officiating/coaching drama. Fresno State threw a pass to start their drive. The receiver went out of bounds at the one, but let go of the ball and it fell in the end-zone where it was recovered by Devin Gregg. A&M thought they had the touchback – game over. But it wasn’t. The Ags were called for a personal foul on the same play. The play was reviewed and reviewed and then reviewed again. It got to the point where Fresno State coach Pat Hill walked all the way across the field to where Francione and the Refs were ‘discussing’ the review. It was heated and animated. This was a WAC crew officiating. In the end the two plays cancelled each other out, but it revved up the crowd. The noise was deafening.
The second OT resulted in a pair of matching TD’s. By rule, Fresno State went first and moved to the South end of Kyle field. That didn’t stop the students who crowded together in the South end of the stands to yell. Again, Jorvorskie Lane just abused the Fresno State line to get the yardage he needed. He would score his third rushing TD on this drive.
A&M started the Third Overtime period. They headed North and the crowd followed. Jorvorskie and McGee moved the ball to the 3-yard line where Lane pushed through again for his fourth TD of the game. Since this was the third overtime they had to go for two. What did they do? From the 3, Lane again mauled the Fresno State line for the conversion.
Fresno State didn’t go away without a fight though. They worked their way to the 9-yard line. On a third and 5 pass play, the Fresno State QB was hit as he threw. The receiver made a great catch up high and just barely fell into the end-zone for the TD. Fortunately for the Ags though, the Fresno State two-point conversion pass attempt was too high for the receiver to get (A&M tipped it) and the game was over. Wow, what a finish.
Fresno State played a great second half. In the end, the Ags were able to execute like they needed to and came away with the win. The guys spent a little time running around on the field again...this time in the rain that started just as the game was ending. We had a great time and we're looking forward to next week.
BTHO Louisiana-Monroe.
Patrick
3 comments:
The announcer guys on t.v. didn't see the flag on the play that caused all the controversy until it was reviewed the second time. They finally got a video that showed the flag in the lower left hand corner and it was barely visible. One of the camera men had heat related issues and, per the announcer, they didn't have all the camera views they were accustomed to as they analyzed the call.
dona
Patty, great picture of Kyle Field and the rainbow! Glad to see we squeezed out a win against a tough opponent at home.
Great shots of the game and of you guys. Good summary of the game, I got to see the late night replay on FSN here on the east coast. Although I am a true Aggie and never root against them, Fresno State hails from the San Joaquin Valley where I am from. The big green V on the back of their helmets stands for that. They also haev a young running back Ryan Matthews that hails from my former high school and broke all the records in the South Yosemite League.
3 major concerns that we need to rectify if we are going to really compete this year. Passing game downfield is non-effective. We may be trying to hold back our offense for future games and to be a little unpredictable but this is worrisome. Intensity seems to be non-existent. Maybe it is from not being there but we just seem to be flat all the time, I want to see passion and heart for an entire game. Finally, defensively we can't make the big stop. When we needed 1 play to win, we did not do it on several occasions during this game.
Definitely some positives too. O-line seems to have matured. Defensive backfield seems to have upgraded and the runningback tamndem has good mix. BTHO LAMO
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