2012 Texas A&M Aggies football team

2012 Texas A&M Aggies football
Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 41–13 vs. Oklahoma
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 5 (tie)
2012 record	11–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Kevin Sumlin (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Kliff Kingsbury (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid[1]
Defensive coordinator	Mark Snyder (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Marcel Yates (1st season)
Base defense	4–3[1]
Captains	Pat Lewis Sean Porter Ryan Swope Steven Terrell
Home stadium	Kyle Field (Capacity: 82,589)
Seasons ← 2011 2013 →

2012 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 5т Georgia xy		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 9 Florida x%		7	–	1					11	–	2
No. 8 South Carolina		6	–	2					11	–	2
No. 23 Vanderbilt		5	–	3					9	–	4
Missouri		2	–	6					5	–	7
Tennessee		1	–	7					5	–	7
Kentucky		0	–	8					2	–	10
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#		7	–	1					13	–	1
No. 14 LSU		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 5т Texas A&M		6	–	2					11	–	2
Mississippi State		4	–	4					8	–	5
Arkansas		2	–	6					4	–	8
Auburn		0	–	8					3	–	9
Ole Miss*		0	–	5					0	–	6
Championship: Alabama 32, Georgia 28
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * Ole Miss vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2012 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies were led by first-year head coach Kevin Sumlin in their first year as a member of the Southeastern Conference, playing in the SEC's Western Division. They played their home games at Kyle Field. Because the Aggies scheduled two FCS opponents, they needed seven wins in the regular season to become eligible for postseason competition (if they beat both FCS teams); Texas A&M won 10 games in the regular season (including both games against FCS opponents) and thus was bowl-eligible.

During the offseason, in anticipation of the demand for tickets from students and to comply with SEC rules, Texas A&M reallocated some student seating sections, a net gain of 128 seats bringing the student section to 30,284 seats, the largest in the nation.^[2]

On March 27, 2012, Texas A&M announced that season tickets were sold out, making it the earliest sellout in school history.^[3]

The 2012 football season was highly successful for the Aggies. The team went 11–2, with victories over then-#1 Alabama and later Oklahoma in the 2013 Cotton Bowl Classic. Quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to be awarded the Heisman Trophy,^[4] and only the second Aggie player ever to win the Heisman. Texas A&M's 5th-place finish in the AP Poll was the highest for the program since 1956.

Before the season[]

Previous season[]

In 2011, Texas A&M began the season ranked 8th in the AP Poll and 9th in the Coaches Poll. They won their first two games, but fell to ranked opponents Oklahoma State and Arkansas. The Aggies won the next three, including a 55–28 victory over rival and #20 ranked Baylor. However, A&M could not sustain success and fell in its next three, with losses to #7 Oklahoma and #17 Kansas State in 4 overtimes. After beating Kansas, Texas A&M lost its final regular season rivalry game with Texas 25–27. Following this defeat, 4-year head coach Mike Sherman was fired, and replaced by Kevin Sumlin. The Aggies defeated Northwestern in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas with Tim DeRuyter as interim head coach. Texas A&M finished 7–6, unranked, and tied for 6th in the Big XII.

2012 NFL Draft[]

Four Texas A&M players were drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft.^[5]

2012 NFL Draft selections

Round	Pick #	Team	Player	Position
1	8	Miami Dolphins	Ryan Tannehill	Quarterback
5	161	Houston Texans	Randy Bullock	Kicker
6	182	Kansas City Chiefs	Cyrus Gray	Running back
7	246	Pittsburgh Steelers	Terrence Frederick	Corner

After the draft, five Aggies were signed as undrafted free agents.^[5]

Signed as Undrafted Free Agent

Player	Team	Position
Jeff Fuller	Miami Dolphins	Wide Receiver
Coryell Judie	Denver Broncos	Corner
Tony Jerod-Eddie	San Francisco 49ers	Defensive End
Eddie Brown	San Diego Chargers	Defensive Tackle
Lionel Smith	Dallas Cowboys	Corner

Spring practice[]

Spring Practice began on March 31 and ended with the annual Maroon & White game on April 28. It also included an open scrimmage on April 14 and the Friday Night Lights game on April 20.^[6] Senior RB Christine Michael's practice was limited, due to recovering from a torn ACL.^[7]

In the Maroon & White game, the white (offense) edged out the maroon (defense) 48–44, with the offense running over 100 plays in the first half. Ryan Swope had 8 catches for 156 yards and 2 TDs. The game was also a showcase for the battle between quarterbacks Jameill Showers and Johnny Manziel, with the former tossing 2 TDs to Malcome Kennedy and Ryan Swope, and the latter also having 1 TD to Swope. Top RB Christine Michael did not play, but other backs Ben Malena and Will Randolph still combined for 3 TDs behind a dominant offensive line led by tackle Luke Joeckel. Showers finished 20 of 31 for 203 yards and 2 TDs, while Manziel was 13 of 27 for 154 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Mark Snyder's new defense was led in tackles by sophomore Donnie Baggs (8) and senior Steven Jenkins (9). Senior Jonathan Stewart, sophomore Domonique Patterson, and sophomore Johntel Franklin each contributed 6 tackles and senior LB Sean Porter had 2, both sacks.^[8][9]

Fall practice[]

Fall training camp began on August 3 and ended on August 18.^[10] By August, Texas A&M had 8 different players on preseason award watch lists: Sean Porter for the Chuck Bednarik Award; Uzoma Nwachukwu and Ryan Swope for the Biletnikoff Award; Damontre Moore and Sean Porter for the Butkus Award; Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews, and Sean Porter for the Lombardi Award; Christine Michael for the Maxwell Award; Sean Porter for the Bronco Nagurski Award; Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews for the Outland Trophy; Patrick Lewis for the Rimington Trophy; and Christine Michael for the Doak Walker Award.^[11]

Personnel[]

Roster[]

2012 Texas A&M Aggies football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 1 Ben Malena Jr QB 2 Johnny Manziel  Fr WR 3 Kenric McNeal Sr WR 4 Brandal Jackson Sr QB 5 Leroy Soleil Jr QB 6 Matt Davis Fr WR 7 Uzoma Nwachukwu Sr WR 8 Thomas Johnson Fr WR 9 Nate Askew Jr WR 10 LeKendrick Williams  So WR 11 Derel Walker Jr WR 13 Mike Evans  Fr QB 14 Conner McQueen Fr WR 15 Travis Labhart Jr QB 16 Matt Joeckel  So QB 17 Joshua Stump Fr WR 18 Edward Pope Fr TE 19 Michael Lamothe Sr RB 20 Trey Williams Fr RB 21 Tra Carson (I) So RB 23 Sabian Holmes Fr WR 25 Ryan Swope (C) Sr RB 26 Sam Giamfortone  So RB 27 Brice Dolezal Fr RB 28 Brandon Williams (I) So RB 29 D'Cardio Cottonham Fr RB 33 Christine Michael Sr WR 35 Matt Wilkins So RB 37 Garrett Graham  So TE 47 Daniel Inglett  Fr OL 50 Justin Ortega  So OL 51 Jarvis Harrison  So OL 53 Caden Smith  Fr OL 56 Mike Matthews Fr OL 57 Dylan Guthrie  So OL 59 Allen Woodum Sr OL 60 Nathan Gutekunst  Fr OL 61 Patrick Lewis (C) Sr OL 65 John-Albert Arechiga Fr OL 68 Ben Compton So OL 70 Cedric Ogbuehi  So OL 71 Kimo Tipoti Fr OL 74 Germain Ifedi Fr OL 75 Jake Matthews Jr OL 76 Luke Joeckel Jr OL 77 Shep Klinke Jr OL 78 Garrett Gramling  So OL 79 Joseph Cheek  Fr TE 81 Nehemiah Hicks Jr WR 82 Boone Niederhofer Fr WR 83 Colton Beardmore  Fr WR 84 Malcome Kennedy  So WR 85 Kyle Aubuchon So TE 86 Caleb Little  So WR 88 Gaston Lamascus  Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 De'Vante Harris Fr DB 2 Steven Campbell Sr DB 4 Toney Hurd Jr. Jr DB 6 Desmond Gardiner  Jr DB 7 Tramain Jacobs Jr LB 10 Sean Porter (C) Sr LB 11 Jonathan Stewart Sr DB 14 Floyd Raven Sr. So DB 15 Kenneth Marshall Fr DB 19 Matt Fritsche  Fr DB 20 C.J. Jones Sr DB 21 Steven Terrell (C) Sr DB 22 Dustin Harris Sr LB 23 Domonique Patterson Jr DB 25 Clay Honeycutt  So DB 26 Devonta Burns  Fr LB 27 Michael Osadebey Sr DB 29 Deshazor Everett So DB 30 Johntel Franklin  Jr DB 31 Howard Matthews So DB 32 Rylan Riney  Fr LB 33 Michael Richardson Fr LB 34 Jordan Richmond Fr LB 35 Tyrell Taylor So LB 36 Donnie Baggs So DB 39 Marvin Taylor Fr LB 40 Shaun Ward So LB 43 Justin Bass So DB 44 Sam Moeller  Fr LB 45 Steven Jenkins Jr LB 46 Jake Russell Jr LB 49 Brandon Hoff Fr LB 50 Tyrone Taylor Fr DL 55 Alonzo Williams Fr LB 57 Alvin Munrose Fr LB 58 Cody Johnson  Fr DL 67 Tyler Godwin Fr DL 72 Gavin Stansbury  So DL 73 Rhontae Scales  Jr DL 89 Ivan Robinson  So DL 90 Polo Manukainiu Fr DL 92 Jonathan Mathis Sr DL 94 Damontre Moore Jr DL 95 Julien Obioha Fr DL 98 Shayvion Hatten  Fr DL 99 Spencer Nealy Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 24 Taylor Bertolet  Fr PK 31 Seth Wicks Fr PK 36 Davis Plowman Fr P 38 Drew Kaser So PK 40 Seth Hiddink Fr P 48 Ryan Epperson Sr PK 49 Josh Lambo So DS 62 Nick Brown Fr DS 64 Jonathan Puffer So	Head coach Kevin Sumlin (1st season) Coordinators/assistant coaches  – Defensive Graduate Assistant  – Offensive Line  – Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator Kenny Bell – Director of Recruiting  – Special Teams Quality Control  – Director of Football Sports Performance Kliff Kingsbury – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Clarence McKinney – Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs  – Associate Athletic Director for Football Brian Polian – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends  – Defensive Line  – Offensive Quality Control Gary Reynolds – Director of Football Operations Mark Snyder – Defensive Coordinator  – Defensive Graduate Assistant  – Linebackers  – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: May 24, 2013

Recruiting class[]

In the 2012 recruiting class, Texas A&M recruited 19 players, 5 of which were included in the ESPN 150. The class was ranked 15th in the nation by ESPN and Rivals, and 21st nationally by Scout.^[12][13][14]

US college sports recruiting information for 2012 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Matt Davis QB	Houston, TX	Klein Forest HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.40	Apr 16, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
De'Vante Harris CB	Mesquite, TX	Horn HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	4.40	Jan 16, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Sabian Holmes CB	Southlake, TX	Carroll HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.50	Jan 8, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Germain Ifedi OG	Houston, TX	Westside HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	304 lb (138 kg)	–	Oct 25, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Otis Jacobs CB	Covington, LA	Mississippi Gulf Coast CC	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	–	Dec 21, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade:  –
Thomas Johnson WR	Dallas, TX	Skyline HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.40	Feb 1, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Polo Manukainiu DE	Euless, TX	Trinity HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	256 lb (116 kg)	4.90	Jan 29, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Kenneth Marshall S	South Houston, TX	South Houston HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	4.50	Jun 13, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Mike Matthews C	Missouri City, TX	Elkins HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	5.00	Feb 23, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Julien Obioha DE	New Orleans, LA	Brother Martin HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.84	Jul 28, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Edward Pope S	Carthage, TX	Carthage HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.54	Jan 27, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Edmund Ray DT	Saint Louis, MO	Ritenour HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	5.10	Feb 1, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Michael Richardson DE	DeSoto, TX	DeSoto HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	224 lb (102 kg)	4.95	Feb 18, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Jordan Richmond OLB	Denton, TX	Billy Ryan HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.63	Feb 20, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Tyrone Taylor DE	Galena Park, TX	Galena Park HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.80	Dec 18, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Kimo Tipoti OT	Hurst, TX	L. D. Bell HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	330 lb (150 kg)	5.67	Feb 20, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Derel Walker WR	Athens, TX	Trinity Valley CC	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.40	Dec 22, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade:  –
Alonzo Williams DE	Long Beach, CA	Long Beach Polytechnic HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	–	Feb 23, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Trey Williams RB	Houston, TX	Andy Dekaney HS	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.37	Apr 16, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 21   Rivals: 15  ESPN: 15
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Texas A&M Football Commitment List 2012". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013. "Texas A&M College Football Recruiting Commits 2012". Scout.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013. "Texas A&M Aggies Commits 2012". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013. "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013.

Returning starters[]

Depth chart[]

• Source:^[15]

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 8	2:30 pm	No. 24 Florida		Kyle Field College Station, TX (College GameDay)	ESPN	L 17–20	87,114
September 15	2:30 pm	at SMU*		Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, TX	FSN	W 48–3	32,016
September 22	6:00 pm	South Carolina State*		Kyle Field College Station, TX	SECRN	W 70–14	86,775
September 29	11:21 am	Arkansas		Kyle Field College Station, TX (Southwest Classic)	SECN	W 58–10	86,442
October 6	6:00 pm	at Ole Miss		Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	ESPNU	W 30–27	55,343
October 13	8:15 pm	at No. 23 Louisiana Tech*	No. 22	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA	ESPNU	W 59–57	40,453
October 20	11:00 am	No. 6 LSU	No. 20	Kyle Field College Station, TX (rivalry)	ESPN	L 19–24	87,429
October 27	6:00 pm	at Auburn	No. 22	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	ESPNU	W 63–21	85,119
November 3	11:00 am	at No. 17 Mississippi State	No. 16	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN	W 38–13	55,240
November 10	2:30 pm	at No. 1 Alabama	No. 15	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	CBS	W 29–24	101,821
November 17	2:30 pm	Sam Houston State*	No. 9	Kyle Field College Station, TX	PPV	W 47–28	87,101
November 24	6:00 pm	Missouri	No. 9	Kyle Field College Station, TX	ESPN2	W 59–29	87,222
January 4	7:00 pm	vs. No. 12 Oklahoma*	No. 10	Cowboys Stadium Arlington, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	FOX	W 41–13	87,025
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Coaching staff[]

Name	Position	Season at Texas A&M
Kevin Sumlin	Head coach	1st
Mark Snyder	Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach	1st
	Co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach	1st
	Defensive line coach	1st
	Linebackers coach	1st
Kliff Kingsbury	Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach	1st
Clarence McKinney	Running backs coach	1st
David Beaty	Wide receivers coach	1st
	Offensive line coach	1st
Brian Polian	Special teams coordinator and tight ends coach	1st
Larry Jackson	Director of football sports performance	1st
Reference:[16]

Rankings[]

Ranking movments
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	22	20	22	16	15	9	9	10	10	5 т
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	21	19	21	16	14	10	10	8	9	5
Harris	Not released						23	19	21	18	15	10	10	9	9	Not released
BCS	Not released							18	20	16	15	8	9	9	9	Not released

Game summaries[]

Florida[]

1 2 3 4 Total • #24 Florida 7 3 3 7 20 Texas A&M 3 14 0 0 17 Location: College Station, Texas (Kyle Field) Game start: 2:37 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 87,114 Game weather: 83°, clear, winds N at 21 mph Referee: Matt Moore TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (commentary), Heather Cox (sideline reporter) Sources:[17][18] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)[permanent dead link]

Scoring summary 1 10:34 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 27 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 3–0 1 3:51 Florida Mike Gillislee 4 Yard Run (Caleb Sturgis Kick) Florida 7–3 2 13:39 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 11 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 10–7 2 7:01 Texas A&M Christine Michael 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 17–7 2 1:49 Florida Caleb Sturgis 51 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 17–10 3 11:02 Florida Caleb Sturgis 25 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 17–13 4 13:05 Florida Mike Gillislee 12 Yard Run (Caleb Sturgis Kick) Florida 20–17

After Texas A&M's season opener against Louisiana Tech was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac, the Aggies began the season against SEC opponent #24 Florida. This was a historic start for redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, who won the job in Fall practice. Manziel was the first freshman QB to start a season-opener for the Aggies since 1944. Texas A&M played well in the first half and saw promising performances from both the offense and defense, but they could not sustain the success and were held scoreless in the second half, ultimately falling 20–17 to lose their first ever SEC conference game.

Texas A&M received the ball on the opening kickoff. Their first play from scrimmage in the SEC was a false start on center Patrick Lewis; however, the offense was not slowed by this misstep and had a 14-play, 66-yard opening drive, highlighted by a 16-yard run from Johnny Manziel. On 3rd and goal from the 7, Manziel completed a pass into the endzone to an open Mike Evans, but Manziel was past the line of scrimmage, causing an Illegal Forward Pass penalty and a 4th down. Fellow redshirt freshman Taylor Bertolet made the 27-yard field goal to put the Aggies on the board first. Texas A&M's defense struggled early, though, and with the help of a few long passes from Florida QB Jeff Driskel, the Gators had a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped of by a Mike Gillislee 4-yard TD run to take the lead 7–3. But the Aggies' offense showed no signs of slowing, as they drove all the way to the Florida 14 before the 1st Quarter ended.

Three plays into the 2nd Quarter and the Aggies had scored their first SEC touchdown—an 11-yard scramble by Johnny Manziel. Texas A&M took the lead back 10–7. Florida's next series began with Jeff Driskel being sacked by DE Damontre Moore. The Gators didn't move far before Driskel was sacked twice more, first by Steven Jenkens and then a second time by Moore, forcing a punt. On A&M's next drive, Manziel connected with freshman RB Trey Williams for 28 yards and then on a trick play, WR Kenric McNeal completed a pass to Mike Evans for 27. Near the goal line, the Aggies pounded the ball in with senior RB Christine Michael to extend the lead, 17–7. On the next possession, Driskel was again sacked by Moore, but made up the yardage with a long 30-yard pass to Jordan Reed. At the A&M 28, Driskel was sacked for the fifth time of the game by senior DT Spencer Nealy. On 4th and 12 at A&M's 33, the Gators' Caleb Sturgis attempted a long 51-yard field goal and missed; however, Texas A&M took a timeout prior to the snap, and on his second try Sturgis knocked it home to reduce the Aggies' lead to 17–-10. Back on offense, the Aggies could not get down the field before the half ended; the score still 17–10 Texas A&M.

Florida received the ball coming back from the half, and wasted no time moving the ball downfield on the ground, highlighted by Mike Gillislee rushing for 24 and Driskel scrambling for 12. Ultimately the drive stalled inside the 10 and Florida had to settle for another Sturgis field goal, chipping the lead down to 17–13. Texas A&M's offense never got going in the second half however, and their first possession gained only 8 yards, forcing the first put of the game for Ryan Epperson. The teams traded defensive blows for the next few possessions: Florida's 2nd of the half gained only 11 after Driskel was sacked 2 more times by Nealy and Porter. A&M totaled −1 on their ensuing drive, and after the Gators received the punt, they could not sustain the ground attack and gave the ball back to the Aggies for a possession stifled by a personal foul penalty to end the 3rd Quarter. The Aggies were clinging to a 4-point lead, 17–13.

The 4th Quarter began with Manziel being sacked by Lerentee McCray, and the Aggies promptly punting. Starting with good field position at their own 38, the Gators' passing game came through and Driskel completed a 39-yard bomb to Omarius Hines down to the A&M 18. After a short Solomon Patton rush, Mike Gillislee took a pitch to the right side and tip-toed in bounds to score a 12-yard TD and take the lead 20–17. The A&M offense could not find an answer to the tough Gator defense and had to punt on the next drive. The Aggie defense did prevent Florida from extending the lead (due in part to yet another Driskel sack, his 8th of the game, this time by safety Floyd Raven Sr.) and gave the offense another chance. After 2 no-gain plays, Manziel scrambled for just over 9 yards and was marked just short of the 1st down. Unable to convert, they gave it back to Florida, who was again held to only 3 yards to give the Aggies one last chance with 6:10 remaining in the game. The drive looked hopeful: a few short gains moved the sticks twice, but after a false start on Lewis, the Aggies could not convert. On their own 39, they were forced to punt with only 3:13 left on the clock. Once the Gators got the ball, the Aggie defense could not slow them, giving up a 15-yard facemask penalty, a 12-yard Patton run, and a 21-yard Driskel rush, which allowed Florida to kneel the ball and take the rest of the time off the clock, ending the game 20–17.

Johnny Manziel finished the game 23-of-30 for 173 yards (his lowest total of the season) with no touchdowns or interceptions. He led the team in rushing yards with 60 on 17 attempts, averaging 3.5 (his 2nd lowest of the season). Mike Evans led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 60 yards. Notably, Damontre Moore had a career-high 3.0 sacks and a then-career-high 10.0 tackles, pitching in to the Aggies' 8.0 total sacks for a loss of 48 yards. He received the SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week award for his performance.^[19] The loss dropped A&M's all-time record against Florida to 1–2.^[20] Although the Aggies began their SEC debut with a tough loss, hopes were still high for Kevin Sumlin's new team, and freshman QB Johnny Manziel looked promising.

SMU[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Texas A&M 0 20 21 7 48 SMU 0 0 3 0 3 Location: Dallas, Texas (Ford Stadium) Game start: 2:35 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:36 Game attendance: 32,016 Game weather: 73°, partly cloudy, winds WNW at 5 mph Referee: Penn Wagers TV announcers (FSN): Ron Thulin (play-by-play), Shaun King (commentary), Desmond Purnell (sideline reporter) Sources:[21][22] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)[permanent dead link]

Scoring summary 2 8:38 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 29 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 2 3:26 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 48 Yard Run (PAT Blocked) Texas A&M 13–0 2 1:03 Texas A&M Uzoma Nwachukwu 26 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 20–0 3 10:31 Texas A&M Kenric McNeal 42 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 27–0 3 7:01 SMU Chase Hover 25 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 27–3 3 4:27 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 15 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 34–3 3 0:58 Texas A&M Uzoma Nwachukwu 12 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 41–3 4 9:31 Texas A&M Trey Williams 2 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 48–3

Following their loss to Florida, the Aggies took on non-conference opponent SMU. The offense got off to a slow start, but came to life in the 2nd Quarter. After the Aggies scored 27 unanswered points, SMU made a field goal to get their only points of the game. A&M scored 21 more afterwards to make it a 48–3 rout. Johnny Manziel set an A&M freshman passing record with 294 yards and helped improve the Aggies' record to 1–1.

Texas A&M received the ball to start the game; however, the offense struggled for the first few possessions of the game. After losing 6 yards on a pass to Thomas Johnson, Manziel rushed for 11 but could not convert the 3rd and 16, forcing the first drive of the game to end in a punt. The Aggie defense looked strong though, and with SMU on 3rd and 8, DE Damontre Moore shined again, sacking quarterback Garrett Gilbert for a loss of 9. A&M then moved the chains once, but after a Manziel sack by Taylor Reed and a false start, they once again could not convert a 3rd and long. Deep in their own territory, the Mustangs put together a stronger 33-yard drive, but a series of incompletions forced yet another punt from Chase Hover. The Aggies' next drive was the most disastrous of the game, with a 7-yard Manziel sack by Margus Hunt and a False Start penalty, giving the drive a net gain of −12 yards. On SMU's next drive, Gilbert was sacked by DE Julien Obioha and fumbled the ball into the hands of SMU OL Ben Gottschalk for a loss of 5. With the ball back, Manziel completed a 38-yard pass to Mike Evans who bounced off of tackles to go down to the SMU 42-yard line. After failing to be able to run the ball, A&M attempted to convert a 4th and 2, but Manziel's pass to Malcome Kennedy was incomplete. After the Mustangs' offense was again stopped, they ended the quarter with a punt to A&M's Dustin Harris, who made a return for 20 yards before Kevin Pope forced a fumble into the hands of the Aggies' RB Trey Williams, who made an additional 17 yards on the return. The defense-dominated 1st Quarter ended at 0–0.

In the beginning of the 2nd Quarter, it looked as if the A&M offense was finally threatening, with Manziel completing another long 30-yard pass down the right sideline to Mike Evans at the SMU 12. Unable to convert, however, the Aggies had to kick a short field goal from the 5, but freshman Taylor Bertolet missed the 23-yarder. After holding SMU to 9 yards and a punt, A&M seemed to struggle on offense again, until Manziel completed a 22-yard pass to Evans on 4th and 4. They finally started to click, and a few plays later Manziel completed a slant to senior WR Ryan Swope who split the safeties and gave A&M the first points of the game on a 29-yard TD. After a pair of SMU punts, Manziel started the drive with a 48-yard scramble TD, but Bertolet's PAT was blocked by Hunt. Only 3 plays later Aggie DB Tramain Jacobs intercepted Garrett Gilbert to let the Aggies go on a 7-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a 26-yard TD pass slung on the run by Manziel to senior WR Uzoma Nwachukwu. After driving 44 yards, the Mustangs attempted a field goal but Chase Hover missed the 48-yarder to end the half with Texas A&M leading 20–0.

The Aggies forced a punt on SMU's first possession of the half. Back on offense the Aggies drove 37 yards, when, on 3rd and 9, Manziel shook off a would-be sack and threw an off-balance pass to Kenric McNeal, who avoided defenders to take the pass into the end zone for a 42-yard TD. On the Mustangs' next possession they drove 67 yards and scored their only points of the game on a Hover 25-yard field goal. On the ensuing drive, the Aggie offense continued to roll when Manziel ran for 25 yards and a 15-yard TD. For SMU, Gilbert was sacked by Moore, and then Dustin Harris returned the following punt for 36 yards. Later, Manziel connected with Nwachukwu for a 12-yard TD to extend the lead. The Mustangs finished the half down 41–3.

In the 4th Quarter the Aggies subbed in the 2nd string offense. Quarterback Jameill Showers led the offense 80 yards down field (with impressive passes to Thomas Johnson for 15 and 22 yards) and Trey Williams scored on a 2-yard run. The Aggies forced a punt and took time off the clock. To finish out the half, A&M held SMU to a turnover on downs and took the rest of the time off the clock to finish the game 48–3.

Johnny Manziel finished 20-of-36 for 294 yards and 4 TDs. He also rushed for an impressive 124 yards on 13 carries and 2 TDs. Evans and Swope had 6 catches for 123 yards and 5 catches for 70 yards and 1 TD, respectively. Damontre Moore had 2.0 sacks for a loss of 14. The victory improved A&M's all-time record against SMU to 43–29–7.^[23] Sumlin's Aggies seemed to be heating up, and the offense was looking more and more explosive being led by Manziel.

South Carolina State[]

1 2 3 4 Total South Carolina State 7 0 0 7 14 • Texas A&M 14 35 7 14 70 Location: College Station, Texas (Kyle Field) Game start: 6:07 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:12 Game attendance: 86,775 Game weather: 94°, clear, winds SE at 6 mph Referee: Matt Austin TV announcers (FSN): Bob Rathbun (play-by-play), Tim Couch (commentary), Elizabeth Moreau (sideline reporter) Sources:[24][25] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)[permanent dead link]

Scoring summary 1 8:39 Texas A&M Ben Malena 4 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 3:22 Texas A&M Uzoma Nwachukwu 9 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–0 1 0:35 SC State Jalen Simmons 17 Yd Run (Nick Belcher Kick) Texas A&M 14–7 2 12:02 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 39 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 21–7 2 8:10 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 20 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 28–7 2 5:24 Texas A&M Kenric McNeal 30 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 35–7 2 3:05 Texas A&M Uzoma Nwachukwu 37 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 42–7 2 1:20 Texas A&M Ben Malena 50 Yd Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 49–7 3 8:18 Texas A&M Dustin Harris 96 Yard Punt Return (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 56–7 4 14:50 Texas A&M Christine Michael 5 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 63–7 4 12:09 SC State Lennel Elmore 39 Yard Pass From Richard Cue (Nick Belcher Kick) Texas A&M 63–14 4 7:16 Texas A&M Deshazor Everett 22 Yd Interception Return (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 70–14

After a convincing win over SMU, the Aggies took on non-conference opponent and FCS team South Carolina State. The Bulldogs were 1–2 heading into the competition, and the Aggies 1–1.

The Aggies took the field on offense first and started strong, but stalled out after a −2-yard run by Ryan Swope and a sack on Manziel by Justin Hughes. SC State's first drive yielded 0 yards and resulted in a punt by Nick Belcher. After a 19-yard return from A&M senior DB Dustin Harris, the Aggies started their drive on the SC State 33-yard line. They ran the ball successfully, and scored the first touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run by Ben Malena. The teams traded a few punts before the ball was back in the hands of Manziel and the A&M offense. The Aggies worked downfield, and Johnny Manziel capped off the drive by flipping 9-yard TD pass on the run to Uzoma Nwachukwu. When SC State went back on offense, they finally moved the ball effectively and had an explosive 17-yard run by Jalen Simmons for their first touchdown.

Texas A&M began the 2nd Quarter with a punt after struggling on offense, but it would be their last punt for the next 5 series. Following an unsuccessful drive by SC State, the Aggies had an explosive possession, highlighted by a 39-yard TD scramble by Manziel. After another Bulldog punt, the A&M offense exploded again. This time including a 23-yard pass to Thomas Johnson and yet another Manziel scramble, in which he went 20 yards and dove inside the right pylon for the touchdown. Once again South Carolina State failed to get a 1st down, and the Aggies had another great drive capped off by Johnny Manziel zipping a pass to Kenric McNeal for a 30-yard TD. The Bulldogs had to punt again, and after a 35-yard return from Dustin Harris, the Aggies had the ball. On the first play of the drive Manziel tossed a screen pass to Nwachukwu, who hurdled a defender and went 37 yards for the TD. After forcing another punt (the Bulldogs' 5th in a row), A&M's offense had the ball with 2:08 left in the half. However, it was only about 30 seconds until Manziel handed the ball off to Ben Malena, who exploded up the middle, broke a tackle, and went for a 50-yard touchdown. The Aggies scored an incredible 35 points in the 2nd Quarter, and headed to halftime in the lead 49–7.

South Carolina State opened up the 2nd half on offense with a 16-yard drive which stalled out and ended with a punt. The Aggies came into the half playing much of the 2nd string offense, including QB Jameill Showers. Showers threw 2 incomplete passes, and then an interception to Dominique Mitchell. However, when SC State had the ball, they once again could not get a first down and were forced to punt. Nick Belcher made a rugby style punt to the A&M 4-yard line. The ball was picked up by Dustin Harris, who swung to the right side of the field, cut through defenders, and sprinted up the right sideline for a 96-yard touchdown return (The 2nd longest in school history). The Bulldogs punted on their next possession, and the 2nd string Aggie offense went to work. They worked methodically worked their way down to the SC State 5-yard line to end the 3rd Quarter in the lead 56–7.

A&M began the 4th quarter with a 4th and 1 from the SC State 5-yard line. Showers handed the ball off to Christine Michael, who ran up the middle and pounded through SC State linebacker Joe Thomas for a 5-yard TD. When the Bulldogs got the ball back, they finally found success in the passing game: a 27-yard completion to Marcus Lloyd and a 39-yard touchdown throw to Lennel Elmore, which gave SC State their first points since the 1st Quarter. The Aggies returned on offense giving experience to younger players, and ran 9 plays before turning the ball over on downs. On the first play of the ensuing drive for SC State, QB Richard Cue attempted to find TE Temarrick Hemingway, but sophomore Aggie DB Deshazor Everett jumped the route, picked off the ball, and ran it 22 yards for the touchdown. On the following SC State possession, the Aggies played many 2nd string defenders who made some impressive plays including back-to-back sacks by Tyrell Taylor and Ivan Robinson. After moving the ball 30 yards, they punted to the Aggies, who ran out the last minute on the clock to win the game by a whopping 70–14.

The Aggies were led in passing by Manziel who completed 15 of 20 for 174 yards and 3 TDs, and led in rushing by Malena who had 11 carries for 88 yards and 2 TDs. He was followed closely by Manziel himself who had 8 attempts for 78 yards and 2 TDs. A&M was led in receiving by Nwachukwu and Johnson who had 2 receptions for 46 yards and 2 TDs and 3 receptions for 42 yards respectively. In addition, Dustin Harris broke both the school and 64-year standing SEC record for punt return yards in a game with 246 on 8 returns (an average of 30.75) while making the 2nd longest return in school history.^[26] Finally, Damontre Moore had 3 tackles for a loss including 1 sack. This was the first game Texas A&M ever played against South Carolina State, so their all-time record vs the Bulldogs is 1–0.^[27]

Arkansas[]

The game featured the former Southwest Conference rivals in their first conference matchup since 1991 (Arkansas' last year in the SWC).

Though leading 10–7 after the first quarter, Arkansas would be shut out the remainder of the game in a blowout win for A&M. Johnny Manziel had a total of 453 yards passing and 104 yard rushing with a total of 3 touchdowns to lead the Aggies to a 58–10 win over Arkansas and led A&M to a 3–1 record.

1 2 3 4 Total Arkansas 10 0 0 0 10 • Texas A&M 7 20 17 14 58 Location: College Station, Texas (Kyle Field) Game start: 11:21 a.m. Elapsed time: 3:42 Game attendance: 86, 442 Game weather: 76°,cloudy with light rain, winds S at 13 mph Referee: Hubert Owens TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Andre Ware (commentary), Cara Capuano (sideline reporter) Sources:[28][29] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)[permanent dead link]

Scoring summary 1 12:11 Texas A&M Mike Evans 4 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 6:45 Arkansas Knile Davis 64 Yard Pass From Tyler Wilson (Zach Hocker Kick) Tied 7–7 1 0:37 Arkansas Zach Hocker 26 Yard Field Goal Arkansas 10–7 2 12:44 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 46 Yard Field Goal Tied 10–10 2 8:07 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 26 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 13–10 2 4:37 Texas A&M Ben Malena 11 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 20–10 2 2:31 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 80 Yd Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 27–10 3 11:20 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 21 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 30–10 3 7:18 Texas A&M Christine Michael 10 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 37–10 3 7:06 Texas A&M Tramain Jacobs 28 Yard Fumble Return (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 44–10 4 10:23 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 6 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 51–10 4 2:57 Texas A&M Trey Williams 13 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 58–10

Ole Miss[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Texas A&M 7 10 0 13 30 Ole Miss 10 7 3 7 27 Location: Oxford, Mississippi (Vaught-Hemingway) Game start: 6:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 55,343 Game weather: 55°, clear, winds N at 7 mph Referee: Marc Curles TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (commentary), Angela Mallen (sideline reporter) Sources:[30][31] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)[permanent dead link]

Scoring summary 1 14:11 Texas A&M Ben Malena 59 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 8:32 Ole Miss Jeff Scott 1 Yard Run (Bryson Rose Kick) Tied 7–7 1 6:07 Ole Miss Bryson Rose 46 Yard Field Goal Ole Miss 10–7 2 10:09 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 19 Yard Field Goal Tied 10–10 2 3:39 Ole Miss Bo Wallace 14 Yard Run (Bryson Rose Kick) Ole Miss 17–10 2 0:42 Texas A&M Steven Jenkins 37 Yard Interception Return (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Tied 17–17 3 7:36 Ole Miss Bryson Rose 28 Yard Field Goal Ole Miss 20–17 4 14:56 Ole Miss Donte Moncrief 4 Yard Pass From Bo Wallace (Bryson Rose Kick) Ole Miss 27–17 4 6:24 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 29 Yard Run (PAT Failed) Ole Miss 27–23 4 1:46 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 20 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 30–27

Louisiana Tech[]

1 2 3 4 Total • #22 Texas A&M 21 18 7 13 59 #23 Louisiana Tech 0 16 14 27 57 Location: Shreveport, Louisiana (Independence Stadium) Game start: 8:17 p.m. Elapsed time: 4:28 Game attendance: 40,453 Game weather: 78°, clear, winds S at 17 mph Referee: Penn Wagers TV announcers (ESPNU): Joe Davis (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (commentary), Cara Capuano (sideline reporter) Sources:[32][33] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 13:10 Texas A&M Christine Michael 40 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 7:46 Texas A&M LeKendrick Williams 20 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–0 1 2:17 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 15 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 21–0 2 12:40 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 26 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 24–0 2 8:21 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 54 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 27–0 2 5:32 LA Tech Quinton Patton 11 Yard Pass From Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson Kick) Texas A&M 27–7 2 5:20 Texas A&M Mike Evans 75 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 34–7 2 2:55 LA Tech Kenneth Dixon 6 Yard Run (PAT Blocked) Texas A&M 34–13 2 2:55 Texas A&M Dustin Harris PAT Return Texas A&M 36–13 2 0:45 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 28 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 39–13 2 0:00 LA Tech Matt Nelson 43 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 39–16 3 9:17 LA Tech Quinton Patton 2 Yard Pass From Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson Kick) Texas A&M 39–23 3 5:44 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 2 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 46–23 3 2:53 LA Tech Quinton Patton 5 Yard Pass From Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson Kick) Texas A&M 46–30 4 12:29 LA Tech Kenneth Dixon 22 Yard Run (Colby Cameron Run For Two-Point Conversion) Texas A&M 46–38 4 11:59 LA Tech Shakeil Lucas 5 Yard Interception Return (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) Texas A&M 46–44 4 7:28 Texas A&M Thomas Johnson 17 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 53–44 4 2:04 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 72 Yard Run (PAT Failed) Texas A&M 59–44 4 1:46 LA Tech Quinton Patton 62 Yard Pass From Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson Kick) Texas A&M 59–51 4 0:38 LA Tech Ray Holley 13 Yard Pass From Colby Cameron (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) Texas A&M 59–57

The game was originally scheduled for August 30, 2011. On August 28, 2012 the Louisiana Tech Athletic department announced that the game would be postponed to October 13, 2012 (previously a bye week for both teams) anticipating that Hurricane Isaac could make travel for the teams and fans difficult or that the game time weather could be hazardous.

LSU[]

1 2 3 4 Total • #6 LSU 0 14 0 10 24 #20 Texas A&M 9 3 0 7 19 Location: College Station, Texas (Kyle Field) Game start: 11:00 a.m. Elapsed time: 4:00 Game attendance: 87,429 Game weather: 75°, clear, winds S at 11 mph Referee: Tom Ritter TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Brian Griese (commentary), Jenn Brown (sideline reporter) Sources:[34][35] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 10:46 Texas A&M Christine Michael 2 Yard Run (PAT Failed) Texas A&M 6–0 1 5:41 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 32 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 9–0 2 7:24 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 50 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 12–0 2 1:49 LSU Michael Ford 20 Yard Run (Drew Alleman Kick) Texas A&M 12–7 2 0:11 LSU Kadron Boone 29 Yard Pass From Zach Mettenberger (Drew Alleman Kick) LSU 14–12 4 8:35 LSU Drew Alleman 28 Yard Field Goal LSU 17–12 4 3:12 LSU Jeremy Hill 47 Yard Run (Drew Alleman Kick) LSU 24–12 4 1:17 Texas A&M Ben Malena 5 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) LSU 24–19

Auburn[]

1 2 3 4 Total • #20 Texas A&M 21 21 14 7 63 Auburn 0 7 14 0 21 Location: Auburn, Alabama (Jordan-Hare Stadium) Game start: 6:08 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:00 Game attendance: 85,119 Game weather: 63°, partly cloudy, winds WNW at 12 mph Referee: Matt Austin TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (commentary), Angela Williams (sideline reporter) Sources:[36][37] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 11:18 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 16 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 5:38 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 6 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–0 1 2:02 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 19 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 21–0 2 13:45 Texas A&M Christine Michael 34 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 28–0 2 9:10 Auburn Tre Mason 1 Yard Run (Cody Parkey Kick) Texas A&M 28–7 2 5:22 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 2 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 35–7 2 1:25 Texas A&M Ben Malena 7 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 42–7 3 12:03 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 20 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 49–7 3 9:47 Auburn C. J. Uzomah 27 Yard Pass From Jonathan Wallace (Cody Parkey Kick) Texas A&M 49–14 3 4:31 Texas A&M Trey Williams 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 56–14 3 1:33 Auburn Emory Blake 27 Yard Pass From Jonathan Wallace (Cody Parkey Kick) Texas A&M 56–21 4 6:27 Texas A&M Malcome Kennedy 2 Yd Pass From Jameill Showers (Josh Lambo Kick) Texas A&M 63–21

Mississippi State[]

1 2 3 4 Total • #16 Texas A&M 14 10 7 7 38 #15 Mississippi State 0 0 7 6 13 Location: Starkville, Mississippi (Davis Wade Stadium) Game start: 11:01 a.m. Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 55,240 Game weather: 72°, clear, winds WSW at 5 mph Referee: Matt Loeffler TV announcers (ESPN): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (commentary), Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) Sources:[38][39] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 9:16 Texas A&M Ben Malena 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 3:11 Texas A&M Christine Michael 22 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–0 2 11:51 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 37 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 21–0 2 2:53 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 24 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 24–0 3 12:40 Texas A&M Christine Michael 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 31–0 3 8:01 Miss State Chad Bumphis 14 Yard Pass From Tyler Russell (Devon Bell Kick) Texas A&M 31–7 4 9:11 Miss State Tyler Russell 4 Yard Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) Texas A&M 31–13 4 5:59 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 8 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 38–13

In honor of the 2000 Independence Bowl (dubbed "The Snow Bowl" due to a freak snowstorm that hit the Shreveport area before game time, which was the last game between the two schools), Mississippi State received a waiver to wear all white uniforms despite being the home team. In response to the Mississippi State uniforms, Adidas (the uniform provider for both teams) approached A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin with the idea of an all-black uniform for the Aggies.^[40] The uniform configuration unveiled to the team as a surprise in the locker room before the game.

Alabama[]

1 2 3 4 Total • #15 Texas A&M 20 0 0 9 29 #1 Alabama 0 14 3 7 24 Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Bryant-Denny Stadium) Game start: 2:46 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:29 Game attendance: 101,821 Game weather: 72°, clear, winds SSE at 9 mph Referee: Tom Ritter TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (commentary), Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter) Sources:[41][42] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 10:34 Texas A&M Christine Michael 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 7:59 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 10 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–0 1 0:41 Texas A&M Christine Michael 1 Yard Run (PAT Failed) Texas A&M 20–0 2 10:04 Alabama T. J. Yeldon 2 Yard Run (Jeremy Shelley Kick) Texas A&M 20–7 2 0:19 Alabama Eddie Lacy 2 Yard Run (Jeremy Shelley Kick) Texas A&M 20–14 3 4:56 Alabama Jeremy Shelley 28 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 20–17 4 14:16 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 29 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 23–17 4 8:37 Texas A&M Malcome Kennedy 24 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Two-Point Conversion Failed) Texas A&M 29–17 4 6:09 Alabama Amari Cooper 54 Yard Pass From A. J. McCarron (Jeremy Shelley Kick) Texas A&M 29–24

Texas A&M and Alabama have a long history of football coaches being at both schools (Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings, and Dennis Franchione) and had met 4 times previously, but this was Texas A&M's first-ever trip to Tuscaloosa. This game was also Texas A&M's 12th-ever game against the #1 ranked team. The win catapulted quarterback Johnny Manziel into the national limelight and positioned him for serious Heisman trophy consideration.

Sam Houston State[]

1 2 3 4 Total Sam Houston State 0 0 7 21 28 • #8 Texas A&M 7 27 13 0 47 Location: College Station, Texas (Kyle Field) Game start: 2:30 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 87,101 Game weather: 66°, clear, winds ESE at 1 mph Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers (FSNPPV): Ralph Strangis (play-by-play), Shea Walker (commentary), Will Johnson (sideline reporter) Sources:[43][44] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 10:17 Texas A&M Mike Evans 7 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 2 10:43 Texas A&M Mike Evans 10 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–0 2 4:11 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 4 Yd Run (PAT Failed) Texas A&M 20–0 2 1:49 Texas A&M Trey Williams 6 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 27–0 2 1:24 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 34–0 3 13:34 Texas A&M Uzoma Nwachukwu 89 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (PAT Failed) Texas A&M 40–0 3 10:41 Texas A&M LeKendrick Williams 80 Yard Pass From Jameill Showers (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 47–0 3 1:08 SHSU Tim Flanders 2 Yard Run (Miguel Antonio Kick) Texas A&M 47–7 4 14:20 SHSU K.J. Williams 9 Yard Pass From Brian Bell (Miguel Antonio Kick) Texas A&M 47–14 4 5:37 SHSU Ridgeway Frank 1 Yard Run (Miguel Antonio Kick) Texas A&M 47–21 4 2:40 SHSU Chris Grett 5 Yard Run (Miguel Antonio Kick) Texas A&M 47–28

Missouri[]

1 2 3 4 Total Missouri 0 7 9 13 29 • #9 Texas A&M 21 21 10 7 59 Location: College Station, Texas (Kyle Field) Game start: 6:08 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:50 Game attendance: 87,222 Game weather: 61°, clear, winds ENE at 3 mph Referee: Matt Loeffler TV announcers (ESPN2): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Ed Cunningham (commentary), Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) Sources:[45][46] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 12:47 Texas A&M Christine Michael 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 5:33 Texas A&M Ben Malena 2 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–0 1 3:20 Texas A&M Christine Michael 38 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 21–0 2 12:12 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 4 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 28–0 2 7:23 Texas A&M Mike Evans 5 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 35–0 2 3:33 Texas A&M Uzoma Nwachukwu 8 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 42–0 2 0:16 Missouri Kendial Lawrence 4 Yard Run (Andrew Baggett Kick) Texas A&M 42–7 3 10:43 Missouri Andrew Baggett 43 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 42–10 3 6:39 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 18 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 49–10 3 3:25 Texas A&M Taylor Bertolet 50 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 52–10 3 2:29 Missouri L'Damian Washington 74 Yard Pass From Corbin Berkstresser (PAT Failed) Texas A&M 52–16 4 13:38 Missouri Corbin Berkstresser 1 Yard Run (Andrew Baggett Kick) Texas A&M 52–23 4 12:07 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 1 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 59–23 4 7:15 Missouri Dorial Green-Beckham 25 Yd Pass From Corbin Berkstresser (PAT Blocked) Texas A&M 59–29

For the 3rd year in a row Texas A&M and Missouri played in College Station.

Oklahoma (Cotton Bowl Classic)[]

1 2 3 4 Total • #9 Texas A&M 7 7 20 7 41 #11 Oklahoma 3 10 0 0 13 Location: Arlington, Texas (Cowboys Stadium) Game start: 7:10 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:31 Game attendance: 87,025 Game weather: 72°, indoors Referee: Tom Zimorski TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Charles Davis (commentary), Julie Alexandria (sideline reporter) Sources:[47][48] Official Texas A&M Game Notes (PDF)

Scoring summary 1 12:21 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 23 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 7–0 1 6:38 Oklahoma Michael Hunnicutt 23 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 7–3 2 11:41 Oklahoma Michael Hunnicutt 24 Yard Field Goal Texas A&M 7–6 2 6:14 Texas A&M Johnny Manziel 5 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 14–6 2 1:16 Oklahoma Justin Brown 6 Yard Pass From Landry Jones (Michael Hunnicutt Kick) Texas A&M 14–13 3 10:26 Texas A&M Ben Malena 7 Yard Run (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 21–13 3 6:30 Texas A&M Trey Williams 30 Yard Run (PAT Failed) Texas A&M 27–13 3 3:55 Texas A&M Ryan Swope 33 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 34–13 4 9:03 Texas A&M Uzoma Nwachukwu 34 Yard Pass From Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet Kick) Texas A&M 41–13

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