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The No.5 Texas A&M capped their best season in the Jimbo Fisher era with a 41-27 victory over the No.13 North Carolina at the Orange Bowl on Saturday night. It was the Aggies’ first New Years Six Bowl appearance and their biggest bowling game since the 1998 season, so ending up on the winning side puts an exclamation mark on their argument as one of the best teams in the country in 2020.
Texas A&M was exceptional in the fourth quarter, coming back from a 27-20 deficit with three quick touchdowns to close the game, the last two coming from Devon Achane. Isaiah Spiller, who had 50 yards and two touchdowns in the win, was out of play and it opened the door for Achane, who opened the game with his scoreline of 76 yards.
Achane finished the game with 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 12 attempts, with 24 extra yards on two catches in the passing game.
The Texas A&M defense also deserves a ton of credit for the way the Aggies closed the game, turning a back-and-forth affair into a double-digit victory. Buddy Johnson, DeMarvin Leal and the rest of the defensive front leaned relentlessly on Sam Howell and stopped the rushed offense that Javonte Williams and Michael Carter were missing two 1,000-yard pitchers. Texas A&M finished the game with four sacks and nine tackles for loss, providing the saves needed to seal the victory against a Tar Heels offense who, while exhausted, moved the ball efficiently during the first two and a half quarters of the game. .
North Carolina’s early success was the most notable first-half highlight, punctuated by Howell’s absurd throw and capture at Dazz Newsome to give the Tar Heels a 13-10 lead at the end. of the second quarter.
But Kellen Mond, who tied Johnny Manziel’s school record of 93 total TDs with a rushed fourth quarter score, guided the Aggies’ offense onto the field for a fantastic response to that score to take a 17- lead. 13 at halftime. North Carolina scored the only third-quarter touchdown to regain the lead, forced a field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter, then scored a touchdown on a 75-yard bomb from Howell to Josh Downs.
Texas A&M now points out that they not only ended the year with just one loss, but beat North Carolina by the same margin as Notre Dame, the team that finished a spot ahead of them in the college football qualifiers. It may have been an Aggies squad that felt snubbed on selection day, but they’re poised for a top-four spot in the final polls thanks to this performance against an entertaining Tar Heels squad. rising in ACC.
CBS Sports was with you throughout updating this story with the latest news from the 2021 Orange Bowl with live scores, analysis and highlights for Texas A&M vs. North Carolina.
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