Texas A&M upsets No. 4 Florida 41-38 for biggest win under Jimbo Fisher
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Texas A&M finally got its signature win under Jimbo Fisher.
The Aggies, ranked No. 21 after getting trounced a week ago by Alabama, welcomed No. 4 Florida to Kyle Field and pulled out a 41-38 upset victory.
After Kellen Mond hit unknown wideout Caleb Chapman for a 51-yard bomb to tie the score at 38-38 with 4:30 to play, the A&M defense forced its first turnover of the day — stripping Florida RB Malik Davis — to get the ball back near midfield.
From there, Mond led the A&M offense deep into Florida territory to set up the game-winning field goal, a 26-yard chip shot from Seth Small, allowing the A&M faithful to celebrate.
It was a strong performance from the Texas A&M offense that has not been very impressive early in the season. Mond, one of the country’s most-talented players but much-maligned for his inconsistency, played one of the better games of his college career. He threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Chapman.
Chapman had just six catches for 52 yards in 15 career games entering Saturday. In this one, he caught nine passes for 151 yards and two scores. His fourth-quarter score came on a great individual effort as Mond slightly underthrew the deep ball.
Mond and Chapman weren’t the only stars for the A&M offense. While the passing game led the way early and made the play to tie the game, it was Isaiah Spiller who led the way throughout the second half. Spiller rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, including a bruising 19-yard scoring run on a fourth-and-2 play.
That Spiller touchdown gave A&M a 31-28 lead with 12:35 to play, but Kyle Trask and the high-powered UF offense responded.
First, UF tied the game with a 53-yard field goal by Evan McPherson. And on the subsequent drive UF forced a fumble on a big hit on A&M’s Ainias Smith. Five plays later, Dameon Pierce gave the Gators a 38-31 lead with 6:14 to play.
From there, though, it was all A&M. The Mond-to-Chapman connection tied the game, and the offense quickly returned to the field following Davis’ fumble. The play that ultimately sealed the victory for A&M was a 16-yard pitch-and-catch to Chase Lane on third-and-8 from the Florida 35.
Had A&M not converted on that play, Small would have been looking at a much more difficult field goal. Instead, Lane’s reception and an 11-yard Spiller put the Aggies inside the 10. From there, all it took was a 26-yarder from Small to clinch the upset victory.
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