Second Half Comeback Falls Short at No. 11 Ole Miss

Saturday, November 4

Oxford, Miss.

11:00 AM

Texas A&M

5-4 , 3-3

Ole Miss

8-1 , 5-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Texas A&M

Ole Miss

Photo by: Evan Pilat/Texas A&M Athletics

Nov 04, 2023 | Football

Box Score

By: Athletics Communications

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.