No. 10 Miami offense outlasts No. 7 Texas A&M to end Aggies’ historic season
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - Miami freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney walked off the field, head bowed as if he personally had lost the Hurricanes’ first-ever College Football Playoff game.
Minutes later, he became the hero in the No. 10 seed Miami’s 10-3 win over No. 7 Texas A&M in Kyle Field.
With just under two minutes left, Toney took a short pass from quarterback Carson Beck and ran it around the outside for an 11-yard touchdown run, giving Miami its game-winning score. The Hurricanes’ previous drive ended with a Toney fumble on his own 41-yard line that set up the Aggies’ game-tying field goal by Randy Bond.
“I couldn’t stay down forever,” Toney told ABC after the game. “They were dependent on me to make a play. So, that’s what I went out there and did.”
The drive was set up by a 56-yard rush up the middle by Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who finished with 172 yards on the ground.
A&M was left with nearly a full two-minute drill to tie the game up. Quarterback Marcel Reed marched the Aggies 70 yards on 10 plays, but threw a game-ending interception in the end zone on third and 5 with approximately 30 seconds to play.
It was his second interception of the game.
Outside the closing minutes of the game, offense came at a premium for both teams.
Three of A&M’s first four drives found their way into Miami territory. However, the first was cut short by a false start on fourth down that forced A&M to send the punt unit on the field. The other two ended due to a fumble by quarterback Marcel Reed and a blocked 22-yard field goal attempt by Jared Zirkel.
The Aggie defense held firm, despite the offensive miscues, holding Miami to no points and 69 total yards in the first half of the game. They were aided by a pair of missed kicks from Hurricane kicker Carter Davis in the first half and another in the third quarter.
The game went to halftime as a scoreless draw, the first ever College Football Playoff game without a point scored before the break.
Miami more than doubled its total yardage on its first drive of the third quarter, moving the ball 72 yards on nine plays. However, A&M’s defense held the Hurricanes to a 21-yard field goal, Davis’ lone make of the day.
A&M finished with 326 total yards to Mimai’s 278 and held the Hurricanes to a 3-for-12 clip on third down. Miami’s defensive front was able to disrupt Reed’s day in the pocket, sacking the Aggie quarterback seven times.
Reed completed 25-of-39 passes for 237 yards and two picks. He added 27 rushing yards on 15 carries.
The Aggies’ historic season ends with an 11-2 record, missing out on a chance to return to the Cotton Bowl to play No. 2 Ohio State.
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