Tag: Texas A&M

No. 10 Miami tops No. 7 Texas A&M in CFP first round; Ohio State next

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for a career-high 172 yards — 91 in the fourth quarter — and Malachi Toney scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:44 left to help No. 10 Miami post a 10-3 win over No. 7 Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas, in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Fletcher broke off a career-long 56-yard run from the 14-yard line with about four minutes left. He carried the ball on the first five plays of the Miami drive for 75 yards before Toney took a jet sweep around the right corner for an 11-yard rushing score.

The running back accounted for well over half of Miami’s 278 yards of offense. For the Hurricanes (11-2), quarterback Carson Beck completed 14 of 20 passes for a season-low 103 yards and a touchdown.

Texas A&M (11-2) moved down to the Miami 5-yard line on the ensuing drive before Bryce Fitzgerald came away with his second interception of Marcel Reed with 27 seconds left to clinch the victory.

The Hurricanes advance to a CFP quarterfinal matchup with No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on New Year’s Eve.

Reed completed 25 of 39 passes for 237 yards and the two interceptions, also rushing for a team-high 27 yards. Mario Craver had a game-high 92 receiving yards on seven catches.

After an eventful but scoreless first half — the first in the 12-year history of the College Football Playoff — where Miami was largely outclassed, the Hurricanes broke through with a 21-yard field goal from Carter Davis on the opening drive of the second half to take a 3-0 lead.

Miami had more yards (72) on that drive than it did on six first-half possessions (69).

The Aggies were staring down being shut out at home for the first time since 1971 before Randy Bond got the Aggies on the board with a 35-yard field goal with 8:03 left, paying off a 16-play, 67-yard drive that took 7:30 off the clock.

However, Texas A&M was largely unable to move the ball in the second half, managing 151 yards of offense. Miami’s defense tied season highs with seven sacks and three forced turnovers for the game.

While Texas A&M had far more success moving the ball in the first half, it squandered multiple scoring chances, scoring no points in three first-half trips across midfield. The latter two ended on a strip sack by Keionte Scott and a blocked field goal.

Miami finally took control for the first time after a slow start when Toney broke off a 55-yard punt return to the Aggies’ 25-yard line. However, Davis missed the 47-yard field goal to keep the game scoreless, adding another missed kick from 40 yards on the final play of the half.

That led to just the second scoreless first half in an FBS game this season.

–Field Level Media

CFP debutants Miami, Texas A&M welcome playoff proving ground

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Few teams came closer to the top of the sport without reaching the College Football Playoff than Texas A&M and Miami.

After failing to make the playoff field in the first 11 years the bracket was in place, the Aggies and Hurricanes are first-time playoff competitors this season.

They’ll face off Saturday afternoon in College Station for a right to take on No. 2 seed Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve.

No. 7 seed Texas A&M (11-1) was trending towards a top-four seed and a first-round bye before the team stubbed a toe in the regular-season finale, losing 27-17 at rival Texas on Nov. 28.

Instead of an extra week off, the program’s first playoff game will be in its home stadium in front of a capacity crowd of over 102,000. An Aggies win pushes them 150 miles up the road to the Cotton Bowl in Arlington to play the Buckeyes.

The second half of that Texas loss, in which the Longhorns amassed 285 yards of offense and 24 points, was a stunning turn for Texas A&M’s defense. The Aggies are tied for the FBS lead in sacks (41), have the nation’s best opposing third-down conversion percentage (22.7) and are 19th in total defense (309.8 yards per game).

“We’ve looked at the tape. We’ve seen the areas that we were deficient and made the proper adjustments,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said of the Texas loss. “At the end of the day, we’re just excited to get back out on the field and know there’s a really big game in front of us to play on Saturday.”

The 10th-seeded Hurricanes (10-2) appeared destined to narrowly miss the CFP for the second straight year when they were left out of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game due to a tiebreaker.

However, the CFP committee elected to flip Miami and Notre Dame, giving the Hurricanes the final spot thanks to their head-to-head win after they had trailed the Irish in all previous rankings.

Miami is led by its defense under first-year coordinator Corey Hetherman. The Hurricanes rank sixth in scoring defense (13.8 points), seventh in rushing defense (86.8 yards) and 11th in total defense (277.8 yards).

After a pair of losses in a three-week span, Miami finished the season on a four-game winning streak in which it outscored those opponents 151-41.

“They love to work. They love the grind. They find opportunities to get better on their own by pushing, they push coaches,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said of his team.

He added: “Very hungry, driven team. It’s a team with tremendous heart as it relates to football and off the field.”

That defense could get even better this week, with Cristobal saying he feels “very strongly” that standout nickelback Keionte Scott will return after missing the last three games.

Those defenses have helped each team’s quarterbacks in Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed — who announced on Dec. 12 he’s returning for 2026 — and Miami’s Carson Beck. The two have similar statlines, each throwing 25 touchdowns along with 10 interceptions, tied with Oklahoma’s John Mateer for the most of any CFP QB.

Reed has the benefit of his legs (466 rushing yards, six touchdowns) and a pair of very productive transfer receivers in KC Concepcion (866 yards, nine TDs) and Mario Craver (825 yards, four TDs).

Beck doesn’t have much mobility, but he does have one of the best freshmen in the country in receiver Malachi Toney (970 yards, seven TDs).

This will be the third time in four years Texas A&M and Miami face off. They played a home-and-home in 2022-23, with each team winning at home. Miami leads the all-time series 3-2.

–Field Level Media

Report: Kentucky hiring Texas A&M’s Jay Bateman as DC

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Kentucky is hiring Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman to fill the same role in Lexington, ESPN reported Thursday.

Bateman, 52, directed the Aggies’ defense for the past two seasons on Mike Elko’s staff and previously held coordinator duties at North Carolina, Army, Ball State, Elon and Siena.

Per the report, Bateman will remain with No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1) for the College Football Playoff. The Aggies have a first-round home game against No. 10 seed Miami (10-2) on Dec. 20 in College Station.

Bateman is one of the first hires for new Wildcats head coach Will Stein, who replaced Mark Stoops after spending the past three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Oregon.

Texas A&M will replace Bateman with associate head coach for defense Lyle Hemphill, according to the report. He has worked with Elko since their time at Duke from 2022-23.

Texas A&M ranks 19th in total defense and 41st in scoring defense this season.

Aggies offensive coordinator Collin Klein also left to become the head coach at Kansas State.

–Field Level Media

Oregon new No. 5 in AP Top 25, Ohio State stays No. 1

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Oregon moved back into the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, while the first four spots remained unchanged Sunday.

Oregon (10-1) moved up one spot to No. 5 following a dominating 42-27 home victory over Southern California on Saturday. The Ducks leapfrogged Ole Miss (10-1), which fell one spot while on its bye week. Oregon was ranked as high as No. 3 in early October.

Ohio State (11-0), Indiana (11-0), Texas A&M (11-0) and Georgia (10-1) remained the first four teams in that order.

With Oregon jumping two spots, Texas Tech (10-1) also dropped a spot to No. 7 while on a bye week. Oklahoma (9-2), Notre Dame (9-2) and Alabama (9-2) round out the top 10 in that order. Notre Dame crushed Syracuse 70-7 on Saturday, while Alabama was a 56-0 winner over Eastern Illinois.

Michigan (9-2) made the most forward progress this week, jumping three spots to No. 15 following a 45-20 victory over Maryland. Georgia Tech (9-2) tumbled eight spots to No. 23 following a 42-28 home loss to Pittsburgh.

Missouri and Houston dropped out of the Top 25, while Pittsburgh entered at No. 24 and SMU entered at No. 25.

Associated Press Top 25

1. Ohio State (11-0)
2. Indiana (11-0)
3. Texas A&M (11-0)
4. Georgia (10-1)
5. Oregon (10-1)
6. Ole Miss (10-1)
7. Texas Tech (10-1)
8. Oklahoma (9-2)
9. Notre Dame (9-2)
10. Alabama (9-2)
11. BYU (10-1)
12. Vanderbilt (9-2)
13. Miami (9-2)
14. Utah (9-2)
15. Michigan (9-2)
16. Texas (8-3)
17. Virginia (9-2)
18. Tennessee (8-3)
19. USC (8-3)
20. James Madison (10-1)
21. North Texas (10-1)
22. Tulane (9-2)
23. Georgia Tech (9-2)
24. Pittsburgh (8-3)
25. SMU (8-3)

–Field Level Media

Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts receives new 6-year deal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Texas A&M’s board of regents announced a new six-year contract for athletic director Trev Alberts on Friday.

Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal. It will run through 2031 to coincide with the term of head football coach Mike Elko, who received an extension through the same season last week.

“As we navigate the changing college athletics landscape, Trev Alberts’ professionalism, knowledge and business-minded approach is just what we need to compete boldly in the future,” said Tommy Williams, the university’s interim president. “His new, extended contract reflects our confidence in a leader who embodies our core values and understands the heartbeat of Aggie Athletics is the 12th Man.”

Alberts, 55, was hired away from Nebraska in March 2024 to replace Ross Bjork, who accepted the same position at Ohio State.

During his tenure, the Aggies’ women’s tennis team and the men’s outdoor track and field team have won national titles.

Alberts, a former All-American linebacker at Nebraska, is currently overseeing a football team that is ranked No. 3 in the nation and is 10-0 (7-0 Southeastern Conference). With two games remaining on the regular-season schedule, the Aggies are poised for their first College Football Playoff appearance.

Elko said Alberts has been key to the success of the football program.

“We’re building something special here at Texas A&M, and my partnership with Trev is an integral part of that,” Elko said. “I’ve truly appreciated his leadership, especially the open dialogue he maintains with his coaches to gather feedback and elevate Texas A&M as one of the nation’s premier brands. This contract ensures continuity in the momentum we’ve already created, and I’m excited about our future.”

–Field Level Media

Unbeaten Texas A&M (10-0) draws Samford for first of two games in six days

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Celebration of a second one-point win this season was short-lived for undefeated Texas A&M.

A fourth victory by six points or less became reality in a stirring comeback by the Aggies (10-0) to take down South Carolina, 31-30. It sets up the SEC leaders for a stretch of two games in six days, starting Saturday at home against Samford (1-10).

The looming monster to close the regular season is a Black Friday trip to Austin where rival Texas would be thrilled to play Grinch and boost its shrinking at-large playoff chances.

Aggies coach Mike Elko said this week won’t be about combined prep for two games. His focus is stressing to players the risk of distraction — Senior Day at Kyle Field among them, talk of a trap or getting caught peeking ahead to the Longhorns — and using the opportunity to exemplify the team standard regardless of opponent.

“We talk a lot about playing to our standard, regardless of opponent. I told the guys this morning: It’s not something we’ve been good enough at,” Elko said. “So this is an opportunity for us to take a maturity step and go out there and play the game at the level that we’re capable of playing it regardless of who we’re playing. That’s gonna matter a lot for me in terms of how we approach this one.”

Elko isn’t completely ignoring the thrilling 27-point comeback to beat the Gamecocks and spare the season’s biggest goals of reaching the SEC Championship, College Football Playoff and the big game at the end in Miami.

“You can think back to a lot of our recent seasons, and you can point at games that we lost. That had we won would have completely changed the script on the season, right?” Elko said. “Whether that was last year against Auburn or last year against Notre Dame, where we had chances in the fourth quarter and we didn’t get the job done. And that ultimately was the reason why it was not as successful a season, right?”

The Aggies are 10-0 for the first time since 1992.

An immense amount of ground is left for Texas A&M to cover to reach its first SEC Championship game. With wins over Samford and Texas, the Aggies are in that game. But a loss in the final two weeks would mean A&M can only play for the conference title if both Alabama (vs. Auburn) and Ole Miss (vs. Mississippi State) trip in their rivalry weekend games.

A comeback bid for Samford fell short last week.

Under the direction of interim head coach Scot Sloan, who was promoted from defensive coordinator on Nov. 10 for the final two games of the season, Samford hasn’t won in a month. The Bulldogs have lost four in a row and sit eighth in the Southern Conference on the heels of a two-touchdown loss against Austin Peay (30-16) last week. Samford trailed 30-3 entering the fourth quarter, the same deficit A&M faced at halftime against South Carolina.

Playing up a level wasn’t pretty. Samford opened the season with a 42-7 loss at Baylor.

Sloan is looking for a team willing to finish with fight even against the best team on Samford’s schedule. He said last week’s game boiled down to three plays that turned the outcome.

“In a football game, you never know when they’re going to happen,” Sloan said. “It may happen in the first quarter, or it may happen at the end in a two-minute drive when the game’s on the line. I thought our guys did fight.”

But they are not shy about airing it out, and have a conference-high 483 passing attempts to average 287.2 yards per game with 15 touchdowns. Turnovers — including 19 picks — have contributed to the Bulldogs’ undoing.

It’s a senior day of sorts for Bulldogs linebacker Jaden Mosley, who leads the team in tackles and looked the part against Baylor with a team-best 12 tackles and nine solo stops. He has 97 tackles this season and 25 total tackles for loss the past two seasons. This week, he’ll get a shot at taking down a Heisman candidate.

By knocking back South Carolina, Texas A&M stands atop of the SEC and redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed might have cemented his spot as a Heisman Trophy finalist in a three-TD, 439-yard day, overcoming two interceptions. Reed has 28 total touchdowns (six rushing) and 2,632 passing yards this season.

“When we’ve needed him to step up and make plays to win football games, he’s done it,” Elko said. “There’s been a lot made of some other people across the country when they’ve had opportunities to step up and make plays, and they were rewarded for it. I’d like to see our quarterback rewarded for it the same way.”

Reed credits the Aggies’ defense for constantly coming up with stops and sees nothing between Texas A&M and its goals — except for the Aggies.

“I think just our biggest competition all year has been ourselves,” he said.

Elko said wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman, who had 139 receiving yards last week, is planning to play through a sore ankle. It’s possible senior running back Le’Veon Moss could play in his first game since Oct. 11 vs. Florida. Rueben Owens, who was banged up in the South Carolina game, also is on track to play.

Moss had three TD runs at Notre Dame and six rushing scores in six games played in 2025. Owens has 570 rushing yards, five TDs and averages 5.8 yards per carry in 2025.

–Field Level Media

Texas A&M loses 1st-place votes in AP Top 25; Georgia climbs to No. 4

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After hammering Texas in SEC play on Saturday, Georgia climbed into the No. 4 spot vacated by Alabama in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released Sunday.

Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas Tech and Oklahoma also made jumps in the top 10 while Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M – college football’s three undefeated teams – maintained the top three spots in the Week 13 poll.

Texas A&M, however, lost most of its first-place support after needing to score 28 unanswered points in the second half to claim a 31-30 home victory on Saturday against South Carolina. The Aggies received four of the poll’s 66 first-place votes in Week 12, but two of those votes switched to the Hoosiers (eight first-place votes) and one defected to Ohio State (57).

SEC rivals Georgia and Ole Miss round out the top five. Oregon and Texas Tech share sixth place while Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama close the top 10. The Crimson Tide plummeted six spots after falling 23-21 to the Sooners at home.

The second 10 consists of BYU, Vanderbilt, Utah, Miami, Georgia Tech, USC, Texas, Michigan, Virginia and Tennessee. The Longhorns dropped from 10th to 17th after suffering a 35-10 loss at Georgia that ended their four-game winning streak.

James Madison moved up from 24th to No. 21 while North Texas, Missouri, Tulane and Houston jumped into the Top 25. The Mean Green and Cougars won on the road while the Tigers and Green Wave claimed home wins.

Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and South Florida dropped out of the poll.

These rankings could have an effect on the updated College Football Playoff ratings that will be issued at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Associated Press Top 25

1. Ohio State (10-0)
2. Indiana (11-0)
3. Texas A&M (10-0)
4. Georgia (9-1)
5. Ole Miss (10-1)
T6. Oregon (9-1)
T6. Texas Tech (10-1)
8. Oklahoma (8-2)
9. Notre Dame (8-2)
10. Alabama (8-2)
11. BYU (9-1)
12. Vanderbilt (8-2)
13. Utah (8-2)
14. Miami (8-2)
15. Georgia Tech (9-1)
16. USC (8-2)
17. Texas (7-3)
18. Michigan (8-2)
19. Virginia (9-2)
20. Tennessee (7-3)
21. James Madison (9-1)
22. North Texas (9-1)
23. Missouri (7-3)
24. Tulane (8-2)
25. Houston (8-2)

–Field Level Media

Report: Texas A&M finalizing extension with Mike Elko

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Texas A&M is finalizing a contract extension with Mike Elko that would make him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college football, ESPN reported Saturday.

The third-ranked Aggies (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) are off to their best start since 1992 heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash with South Carolina (3-6, 1-6) in College Station, Texas.

Elko, 48, is in his second season at Texas A&M and has a 17-5 record there. He was 16-9 in two seasons at Duke from 2022-23 before replacing Jimbo Fisher.

His new deal is in its final stages, per the report.

According to USA Today, Elko’s salary this season is $7 million. He would need to earn more than $10.8 million to crack the top 10, per the publication’s coaching salary database.

Kirby Smart of Georgia tops USA Today’s list at $13.3 million.

–Field Level Media

Texas A&M, Texas Tech gain ground in AP poll following Top 25 wins

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Texas A&M remained No. 3, while picking up additional first-place votes, and Texas Tech moved up a spot in the latest Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday after each team earned Top 25 wins over the weekend.

The Aggies (9-0) won at previous No. 19 Missouri 38-17, while the Red Raiders (9-1) shut down previously undefeated No. 8 BYU 29-7 in a high-profile game in the Big 12. Those results gained the Aggies three additional first-place votes (now up to four) to help them gain ground on No. 2 Indiana and allowed the Red Raiders to move up a spot to No. 8.

The state of Texas loomed particularly large in the polls this week, as preseason No. 1 Texas (7-2) made its return to the Top 10, jumping three spots during its bye week.

Indiana (10-0) averted disaster with a dramatic, last-minute comeback victory at struggling Penn State, winning 27-24. The Hoosiers lost five first-place votes after the result, yet remained No. 2 behind first-place Ohio State (9-0), which downed Purdue 34-10.

Oregon was similarly punished for a win, after the Ducks (8-1) rallied for an 18-16 road victory over Iowa. Oregon fell to No. 7 behind 9-1 Ole Miss, the new No. 6 after the Rebels’ 49-0 win over The Citadel.

No. 4 Alabama (8-1) and No. 5 Georgia (8-1) were unaffected following one-sided wins, while Notre Dame (7-2) moved up to No. 9 after blasting Navy 49-10.

Along with BYU, which dropped to No. 12, the biggest falls this week came from No. 19 Louisville (previously No. 14) and No. 20 Virginia (from No. 12). Both were both upset in ACC play, creating a logjam of five teams at the top of the league standings with a single loss.

New additions to the poll this week were No. 23 Pittsburgh (7-2), No. 24 James Madison (8-1) and No. 25 South Florida (7-2).

Dropping out following losses were Missouri, Memphis and Washington.

Associated Press Top 25

1. Ohio State (9-0)
2. Indiana (10-0)
3. Texas A&M (9-0)
4. Alabama (8-1)
5. Georgia (8-1)
6. Ole Miss (9-1)
7. Oregon (8-1)
8. Texas Tech (9-1)
9. Notre Dame (7-2)
10. Texas (7-2)
11. Oklahoma (7-2)
12. BYU (8-1)
13. Vanderbilt (8-2)
14. Georgia Tech (8-1)
15. Utah (7-2)
16. Miami (7-2)
17. USC (7-2)
18. Michigan (7-2)
19. Louisville (7-2)
20. Virginia (8-2)
21. Tennessee (6-3)
22. Cincinnati (7-2)
23. Pittsburgh (7-2)
24. James Madison (8-1)
25. South Florida (7-2)

–Field Level Media

No. 3 Texas A&M shuts down No. 22 Missouri in Matt Zollers’ first start

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Marcel Reed passed for two touchdowns, and Dalton Brooks made two big plays to help No. 3 Texas A&M record a 38-17 victory over No. 22 Missouri in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday afternoon at Columbia, Mo.

Rueben Owens II rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and EJ Smith also had a score on the ground for the Aggies (9-0, 6-0 SEC), who have won their first nine games for the first time since 1992.

KC Concepcion and Ashton Bethel-Roman added scoring receptions for Texas A&M. Reed completed 20 of 29 passes for 221 yards to help the Aggies hold a 464-284 edge in total offense.

Jamal Roberts rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown, and Ahmad Hardy added 109 yards and one score for the Tigers (6-3, 2-3), who have dropped three of their past four games. All of those losses were against ranked opponents.

Matt Zollers struggled in his first career start for Missouri and completed just 7 of 22 passes for 77 yards, fumbling twice. The freshman became the starter due to Beau Pribula sustaining a dislocated ankle in the Tigers’ most recent game, a 17-10 loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 25.

Brooks’ first big play occurred when Missouri had the ball late in the first half. Texas A&M’s Daymion Sanford notched a strip-sack of Zollers, and Brooks caught the ball in the air at the Tigers’ 28-yard line and returned it to the 2-yard line with 57 seconds left.

Two plays later, Smith scored from the 1 with 20 seconds left, and the Aggies led 14-0 at the break.

Texas A&M added on early in the third quarter as Concepcion caught the ball just behind the line of scrimmage and broke free. He raced 48 yards for the score to give the Aggies a 21-point advantage with 11:21 left in the third quarter.

The Tigers found the end zone for the first time when Roberts scored from the 4 with 6:50 left in the third quarter.

Missouri then forced a punt, and Brooks delivered another big play for the Aggies. He was the up-back and caught the snap, weaving his way to the Missouri 16 for a 48-yard gain on the fake punt.

The successful fake set up a 32-yard field goal by Randy Bond to give Texas A&M a 24-7 lead with 3:10 left in the period.

The Tigers tacked on a 49-yard field goal by Oliver Robbins with 11:17 left in the contest.

However, Owens broke loose for a 57-yard scoring run to give the Aggies a 31-10 lead with 7:40 remaining.

Hardy answered with a 45-yard scoring scamper with 6:45 left.

But Owens’s 1-yard scoring run with 2:36 left sealed Texas A&M’s victory.

–Field Level Media