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Texas A&M needed over 57 minutes to score a touchdown.
Isaiah Spiller caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Zach Calzada with 2:41 left to put Texas A&M ahead for the first time of the day against Colorado and a 10-7 victory over the Buffaloes at Denver Saturday.
A&M wrestled offensively most of the day with and without QB Haynes King. He left the game in the first half with a left leg injury and did not return. He was seen on the sidelines with a boot on his left foot and crutches.
Calzada walked in and worked hard to find his touch and precision. But he made some big shots in the second half and the Aggies threw in just enough to win.
A&M needed that TD Spiller after Calzada thought he scored a green light TD earlier in the fourth quarter. But he fumbled a few inches from the goal line.
The game was initially considered a TD, but it was clear on resumption that Calzada had groped just before the ball crossed the plane.
Colorado’s chance to equalize or take the lead after A&M touchdown has gone nowhere. Brendon Lewis completed a fourth pass to Dimitri Stanley, but he was stopped two yards from the sticks and A&M was able to run the time from there.
Aggie’s defense shines
Both defenses deserve a ton of credit for the way they played on Saturday. Yes, the offensive execution wasn’t great, but that was partly down to the performance of the defenses. Neither team had more than 300 yards of offense.
A&M’s defense was particularly suppressed after Colorado scored in the first quarter. The Aggies held the Buffs on a fourth down at the 5-yard line in the second quarter and limited Colorado to a single first down in the second half.
The Buffs have had the ball six times in the past 30 minutes. The offense ran a total of 21 plays on those five drives – the longest drive was a five-play possession that covered 24 yards.
A&M look to their RBs in the passing game
King completed a pass before leaving the game and Calzada finished 18 of 38 for 183 yards. Only six of their 19 completions went to wide receivers. Nine, meanwhile, went to running backs Spiller and Devon Achane.
A&M struggled to throw the ball against the Buffaloes all day. The Aggies had 29 carries for 98 yards. This forced coach Jimbo Fisher to involve his running backs in different ways and both made hugely significant contributions as receivers. Achane had three catches for 24 yards and Spiller has six catches for 56 yards.
What is the Aggies limit?
A&M could likely stay in the top five after the game due to Ohio State’s loss to Oregon. But it’s hard to decipher what the team’s ceiling is, especially without knowing the severity of King’s injury. If he’s out for a while, the offense will have to revolve around Calzada shooting fastballs and a much more efficient running game than against the Buffaloes.
And even though the running game only got one short-term hit on Saturday, it’s hard to see how this attack is able to hang on to Alabama or follow a shootout with a team like Ole Miss though. the defense does not repress the rebels’ offense. A&M’s chances of being a legitimate threat to win SEC West and the college football playoff challenge may ultimately depend on King’s prognosis.
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