Photo by Stewart Wade
Texas A&M Football
Post-Game Review: Texas A&M 52, Duke 48
December 31, 2013
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ATLANTA — Johnny Manziel’s likely last game as an Aggies was one of his best.
Manziel threw four touchdown passes and ran for another to rally Texas A&M from a 21-point halftime deficit to an astonishing 52-48 Chick-fil-A Bowl victory over Duke.
Ironically, the game-winning points were provided by senior defensive back Toney Hurd, who stepped in front of an Anthony Boone pass and returned the interception 55 yards for a touchdown with 3:33 remaining in the game.
The Aggies clinched the victory when Boone, under pressure from blitzing cornerback Deshazor Everett, threw an interception to linebacker Nate Askew.
TexAgs
In what was probably his final game as an Aggie, Manziel rose to the occasion in a come-from-behind win.
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Manziel, who is expected to opt for early entry into the NFL draft, passed for 382 yards and rushed for 73. He fell just 11 short of reaching 10,000 yards of total offense for his career.
Rising: Manziel’s draft stock. Sure, there are those who doubt Manziel can be effective in the NFL, but then there once were those who thought the world was flat. Manziel demonstrated yet again his incredible ability to improvise and also showed he’s capable of making NFL type throws, particularly on a 44-yard bomb to Derel Walker that brought the Aggies within 48-45 with 5:44 remaining in the game.
Falling: Atlantic Coast Conference teams. A&M’s come-from-behind victory over Duke (10-4) dropped the ACC’s bowl record to 3-6. However, the ACC still has another chance with Florida State facing SEC champion Auburn in the national championship game.
Manziel threw four touchdown passes and ran for another to rally Texas A&M from a 21-point halftime deficit to an astonishing 52-48 Chick-fil-A Bowl victory over Duke.
Ironically, the game-winning points were provided by senior defensive back Toney Hurd, who stepped in front of an Anthony Boone pass and returned the interception 55 yards for a touchdown with 3:33 remaining in the game.
The Aggies clinched the victory when Boone, under pressure from blitzing cornerback Deshazor Everett, threw an interception to linebacker Nate Askew.
TexAgs
In what was probably his final game as an Aggie, Manziel rose to the occasion in a come-from-behind win.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"In what was probably his final game as an Aggie, Manziel rose to the occasion in a come-from-behind win.","MediaItemID":39134}
Rising: Manziel’s draft stock. Sure, there are those who doubt Manziel can be effective in the NFL, but then there once were those who thought the world was flat. Manziel demonstrated yet again his incredible ability to improvise and also showed he’s capable of making NFL type throws, particularly on a 44-yard bomb to Derel Walker that brought the Aggies within 48-45 with 5:44 remaining in the game.
Falling: Atlantic Coast Conference teams. A&M’s come-from-behind victory over Duke (10-4) dropped the ACC’s bowl record to 3-6. However, the ACC still has another chance with Florida State facing SEC champion Auburn in the national championship game.
By the way, the SEC is 3-0 in bowls with six games remaining.
Best hit: Everett didn’t make a bone-jarring hit, but he was able to get his hands on Boone as he was trying to pass on second-and-10 late in the fourth quarter. As Everett was pulling him to the ground, Boone tried to throw the football away. Instead, it went into Askew's hands for a victory-clinching interception.
Best hands: Travis Labhart, the former walk-on receiver, is perhaps the most underappreciated player on A&M’s roster, but he’s been consistently productive. However, he was never more productive than he was against Duke — he hauled in seven passes for 76 yards and three touchdowns.
Turning point: How ironic that a 52-48 offensive shootout was clinched on a defensive play. Although there were dramatic swings in momentum, the offenses were dominant for vast majority of the game. But then with just under six minutes remaining, Hurd jumped in front of Boone’s pass to Johnell Barnes and returned it 55 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The Aggie defense then ended Duke’s next possession with a victory-clinching interception.
Standing O: Manziel broke Ryan Tannehill’s Texas A&M season passing record of 3,744 yards set in 2011. Manziel finished this season with 4,114 yards. … A&M has now won three consecutive bowl games for the first time in the program’s history.
Best hit: Everett didn’t make a bone-jarring hit, but he was able to get his hands on Boone as he was trying to pass on second-and-10 late in the fourth quarter. As Everett was pulling him to the ground, Boone tried to throw the football away. Instead, it went into Askew's hands for a victory-clinching interception.
Best hands: Travis Labhart, the former walk-on receiver, is perhaps the most underappreciated player on A&M’s roster, but he’s been consistently productive. However, he was never more productive than he was against Duke — he hauled in seven passes for 76 yards and three touchdowns.
Turning point: How ironic that a 52-48 offensive shootout was clinched on a defensive play. Although there were dramatic swings in momentum, the offenses were dominant for vast majority of the game. But then with just under six minutes remaining, Hurd jumped in front of Boone’s pass to Johnell Barnes and returned it 55 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The Aggie defense then ended Duke’s next possession with a victory-clinching interception.
Standing O: Manziel broke Ryan Tannehill’s Texas A&M season passing record of 3,744 yards set in 2011. Manziel finished this season with 4,114 yards. … A&M has now won three consecutive bowl games for the first time in the program’s history.
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