After Texas A&M and West Virginia put up a combined 55 points in the first half of the Liberty Bowl, one defense had to step up its effort in half two.
The much-maligned Aggies’ defense (without fired defensive coordinator Mark Snyder) did just that, allowing only 10 second half points en route to a 45-37 win.
While the A&M defense stiffened, coach Kevin Sumlin’s offense continued to go to work, building off a big first half. Using a balanced mix of run (235 yards) and pass, the Aggies dominated time of possession and wore down the struggling Mountaineers defense, putting up 529 yards of offense.
True freshman quarterback Kyle Allen threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns while junior running back Tra Carson racked up 133 yards rushing for the Aggies. Junior Trey Williams added 86 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while also catching a 40-yard touchdown pass. Allen also scored on the ground for the Aggies.
Though the Aggies scored first on a 44-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds, Sumlin’s team played from behind for much of the first half.
West Virginia scored 17 points in a three-minute span midway through the first to go up 17-7, including a pick-six by KJ Dillon, who stepped in front of an Allen pass.
Allen shook off the mistake and went back to work. He hit Williams on a fourth down play for a score and later found Malcome Kennedy in the corner of the end zone to go ahead 21-20 early in the second.
West Virginia kept up the pace and retook a 27-21 lead when Skyler Howard (20/45, 346 yards, 3 TDs), making his second start at quarterback in place of Clint Trickett, hit All-American Kevin White for a 49-yard touchdown.
Allen then scored on a 14-yard scramble, giving the Aggies a 28-27 halftime lead.
The second half was a much different story. A&M forced West Virginia punts on three of its first four possessions. That allowed the Aggies to extend their lead to 45-30 on a Lambo field goal, a Williams touchdown run and Kennedy’s second touchdown catch.
The Mountaineers managed to make things interesting when Howard hit fullback Elijah Wellman on a short touchdown pass to cut the lead to 45-37 with 2:32 to go. Instead of attempting an onside kick, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen – with all three timeouts remaining – hoped his defense could come up with a timely stop. It couldn’t, and the Aggies were able to run out the clock and seal the win.
The win gives the Aggies, who finished 8-5, bowl wins in four straight seasons.
The loss was the fourth in West Virginia’s final five games of the season. The Mountaineers finished 7-6.
For more Texas A&M news, visit AggieYell.com.
For more West Virginia news, visit WVSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
