Texas A&M was struggling all afternoon with Arizona State, only leading 17-10 at halftime and with star quarterback Marcel Reed banged up.
But the 10th-ranked Aggies finally busted free in the second half on Saturday in College Station against the stubborn Sun Devils, and in the 4th quarter, already leading 31-20, they got a very huge play from a very huge man.
It was defensive end Marco Jones who provided the unlikely highlight, picking off Arizona State quarterback Cutter Boley and taking it back 55 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly and finally, with 8:50 left in the game, Texas A&M had some breathing room with a 38-20 lead that seemed to put things away for the Aggies in this Week 2 nonconference clash.
Here are the heroics from Jones, the 6-foot-5, 261-pounder who showed off his pure athleticism:
Jones had the presence of mind to see that Boley’s pass had been deflected up in the air when he threw it, and the sophomore was just in the right spot to pick the ball out of the air and take it the other way for a likely game-sealing touchdown.
Texas A&M will soon be getting into the thick of conference season, as it chases an SEC title. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Aggies’ chances to be the last team standing in the SEC come December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
