It’s why you play the games. Texas A&M went to Starkville for an SEC West game that appeared to be on paper a mere formality.

The No. 4 Aggies, a double-digit favorite to continue their run to the College Football Playoff, were ambushed by a 3-5 Mississippi State team that defended its home field with a physical and confident brand of football usually saved for those with championship aspirations.

But after all, it is SEC football, and in the SEC West nothing can be taken for granted. The Aggies, still relatively new to the conference and the nation’s toughest division, learned that the hard way on Saturday.

Here are five reasons for the Aggies’ loss:

  1. They weren’t as imposing – Mississippi State was simply more physical than the Aggies were. Whether that was a lack of will or an accumulation of injuries rendering the defense open to big plays will be debated. The Aggies certainly missed a banged up DE Myles Garrett, who played almost exclusively on third downs only. But for whatever reason, Texas A&M was outplayed in the trenches and had a general look of lethargy until falling behind 28-7 in the second quarter. And though they fought back, the Aggies were not the best team on the football field on Saturday in Davis Wade Stadium.
  1. Trevor Knight injury – When Knight went down with his injury, the Aggies struggled on offense. Knight scored the Aggies’ first touchdown on a 19-yard run in the final seconds of the first quarter. But in diving for the end zone, he landed hard on his right (throwing) shoulder, and that changed the game. Knight gutted it out through the second quarter but clearly couldn’t make the simplest throw. He was out of uniform and his arm was in a sling during the second half.
  1. Defense collapsed – The Aggies were confused on defense from beginning to end. Mississippi State did an excellent job of causing it. Bulldogs QB Nick Fitzgerald did an outstanding job of distributing the football and making the right reads, and when it called for, keeping the ball himself and making explosive plays out of it. His 74-yard touchdown run to open the scoring set the stage for an Aggies defense that yielded 574 yards, including 365 on the ground.
  1. Lack of third down efficiency – The Aggies were bad on third down, converting just 4-of-15 opportunities. That inability to continue drives caused the Aggies to give Mississippi State far too many chances to score with its offense. Texas A&M lost the battle of first downs by a whopping count of 29-14 and were dominated in time of possession. The Aggies held the football for just 22:47 seconds, while the Bulldogs had it for 37:13.
  1. Mississippi State is a good football team – Their record doesn’t indicate it, but the Bulldogs are a pretty good team. Yes, they have five losses on their record, but three of those have been by a field goal or less, and another was in two overtimes. The 4-5 Bulldogs were blown out by a surging Auburn team (38-14), but outside of that, this team has played with everyone else.