What Kevin Sumlin had to say following the loss to Kansas State in the Texas Bowl
The bowl game heroics of senior receiver Josh Reynolds (12 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns) were not enough to lift Texas A&M to a win over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl, as the Aggies fell by a score of 33 to 28 late Wednesday night. With the loss to the Wildcats, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin’s bowl record drops to 3-2 in College Station – the Aggies lost the Music City Bowl last season to Louisville.
During his post-game press conference, Sumlin acknowledged Reynolds outstanding individual performance in the losing effort and noted the decision to return to school ultimately paid off for him in the end:
Sumlin: [Reynolds] is a heck of a player. Last year at this time, he decided to come back and it was worth it. He's increased his value.
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) December 29, 2016
When asked about A&M’s final offensive play of the game (Kansas State brought a heavy blitz, forcing quarterback Trevor Knight to throw it off his back foot – leading to an incompletion on fourth down), the Aggie head coach broke it down as such:
Sumlin: [Last play] was man-to-man and 0 coverage. It was man-to-man and we've got to beat that.
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) December 29, 2016
Sumlin wasn’t willing to make any excuses following the loss, saying his program is “not near where we want to be”:
Sumlin: Every year and every team is different. As a program, you want to try to get better every year. We're not near where we want to be.
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) December 29, 2016
Kansas State quarterback Jesse Ertz had an overall solid performance, throwing for 195 yards on 14 of 20 throws and one touchdown. Ertz also chipped in 67 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Sumlin shared his thoughts on the KState quarterback:
Sumlin: [Ertz] has been doing it a lot. He got loose on QB draws. We either stopped him or gave up the home run. Couldn't get enough stops.
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) December 29, 2016
For the third season in a row, Texas A&M started the season hot and got off to a perfect 5-0 record, only to finish the season at 8-5. This season may have been the worst, however, as Texas A&M’s only wins since Oct. 8 have been against UTSA and New Mexico State.
Considering Sumlin commands the second highest annually salary in the SEC, it’s fair to ask if Texas A&M is getting a good return on its investment in its head coach. The fact that Texas just hired Tom Herman won’t help Sumlin’s cause either if the Longhorns soon challenge the Aggies for state superiority starting in 2017.