No. 10 Texas A&M beats Arizona State 48-20 as defense scores twice in fourth
Marcel Reed had three touchdown passes and the defense scored twice in the fourth quarter as No. 10 Texas A&M pulled away late for a 48-20 win over Arizona State
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Marcel Reed had three touchdown passes and the defense scored twice in the fourth quarter as No. 10 Texas A&M pulled away late for a 48-20 victory over Arizona State Saturday.
The Aggies led by 4 before Reed threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Mario Craver on the second play of the fourth quarter to make it 31-20.
Tyler White fumbled before a punt later in the fourth and Arizona State recovered on the Texas A&M 34. But A&M's T.J. Searcy hit Cutter Boley as he threw on the next play and 261-pound defensive end Marco Jones grabbed the ball and rumbled 55 yards for the score.
A&M led 41-20 later in the fourth when Julio Humphrey intercepted Boley and returned it 45 yards for another score.
Texas A&M’s offense struggled to get going and was inconsistent at times, with Reed going 15 of 25 for 163 yards with an interception before the defense turned this game into a blowout.
Isaiah Horton had two touchdown receptions after scoring once in his Texas A&M debut last week following his transfer from Alabama.
Boley was 21 of 34 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Reed Harris, a Boston College transfer, had a career-high 189 yards receiving with two scores after he had 137 yards receiving and two TDs last week.
Lyrik Rawls made a diving interception on Reed’s first throw of the second half and the Sun Devils added a field goal on the ensuing drive to cut the lead to 17-13.
Reed found Horton in the corner of the end zone on a 13-yard reception on A&M’s next possession to push the lead to 24-13.
Harris got in front of safety Dalton Brooks for a reception later in the third and simply outran him to the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 24-20 before Boley's late mistakes doomed the Sun Devils.
Arizona State muffed a punt with about six minutes left in the first quarter and Texas A&M recovered the ball on the 8. Rueben Owens gave the Aggies an early lead on his 2-yard scoring run three plays later.
A 21-yard TD catch by Harris tied it 7-7 near the end of the first.
The Aggies regained the lead when Reed found Horton wide open in the end zone for a 4-yard score with about nine minutes left in the second.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils have a dynamic offense and if they can cut down on their mistakes, they could be a contender in the Big 12.
Texas A&M: The Aggies must limit big plays and Reed will need to be more accurate if they hope to stay undefeated as they begin Southeastern Conference play next week.
Arizona State: Opens Big 12 play against Kansas in the Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium in London next Saturday.
Texas A&M: Hosts Kentucky next Saturday.
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