A strong second-half showing by No. 6 Texas A&M proved insurmountable for Mississippi State in the Bulldogs’ conference road test.
In front of 108,579 fans at Kyle Field in College Station, Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2 SEC) could not muster up the momentum it had garnered in its first five contests of the 2025 season. Despite blanking the home Aggies (6-0, 2-0 SEC) in the first quarter, Mississippi State struggled to move the chains in late-down situations, while simultaneously allowing nearly 300 yards rushing in the 31-9 loss.
Starting Bulldog right tackle Albert Reese’s absence was especially noticeable on the field, with Mississippi State being the victim of nine tackles for a loss, four sacks, and two offensive turnovers. Although the maroon and white defended well in the first half with a sack and an interception, the final 30 minutes of action were marred by Texas A&M finding an offensive groove and also capitalizing on its opponent’s turnovers.
Scoring summary
Mississippi State was the first to put points on the scoreboard after 15 plays, when placekicker Kyle Ferrie knocked in a 24-yard field goal with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter. The next series, Mississippi State forced a Texas A&M turnover on downs on a goal-line stand, but the big stop was all for naught. With 1:51 left in the first half, the Aggies scored on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Marcel Reed to KC Concepcion. Texas A&M carried a 7-3 lead into the midway break.
Then, the second half belonged to the Aggies. Following a few changes of possession, Texas A&M scored on four straight drives, with three touchdowns and a field goal accounting for a 24-point surge. Late in the third quarter, Reed found Concepcion again for a two-yard touchdown pass. The next offensive possession, the Aggie quarterback Reed ran into the end zone from seven yards out for a score
The final Texas A&M touchdown came courtesy of Mississippi State transfer Mario Craver running the ball in from seven yards out to give the Aggies a 28-3 lead with under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Mississippi State, finding somewhat of an offensive spark late, amassed its first touchdown of the night when Shapen found speedy wideout Brenen Thompson in the back corner of the end zone.
A late-game field goal by Aggy kicker Randy Bond cemented the 31-9 victory for Texas A&M.
What the coach said
While Mississippi State frontman Jeff Lebby was not displeased with his team’s performance, he acknowledged that his Bulldogs had played a tough opponent in a lively road environment.
“They’ve got two really, really good running backs. And they’ve got a veteran O-line that’s played a lot of ball,” Lebby said. “They, again, were dominant situationally and ultimately why they won the football game without a doubt on third and fourth down.”
The numbers never lie
Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen completed 15 of 20 passes for a touchdown, but threw for only 142 yards, was sacked four times, and tossed one ball to his opponent. Shapen officially has the longest active streak for consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 20 games, claiming the top spot after Iowa State’s Rocco Becht’s streak ended at 22 one Saturday ago.
Bulldog running backs Fluff Bothwell and Davon Booth combined for 119 yards on 22 carries. Bothwell had to be carried off the field on a stretcher in the fourth quarter. Outside of Brenen Thompson’s lengthy touchdown reception, no receiver had more than 41 yards.
Mississippi State safety Jahron Manning led the team in overall tackles with 13, while Kelley Jones had his team’s lone interception, and Kalvin Dinkins recorded a sack. Texas A&M quarterback Reed was 13-23 with two touchdowns, an interception, 30 yards rushing, and a score on the ground. Craver accounted for 115 yards on eight touches and a rushing score.
Up next
Mississippi State will head to its first bye week of the season. The Bulldogs will return to the gridiron on Oct. 18 in a road matchup versus Florida.
