Aggies Top Bruins in Overtime

image_handler (2) — (Source: Texas A&M Athletics)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Trevor Knight threw for 239 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores, including one in overtime to lead Texas A&M to a 31-24 victory over No. 16 UCLA on Saturday in his debut with the Aggies.

The Aggies had a fourth-and-1 from the 1 in overtime when Knight waltzed into the end zone untouched for the score in the opener for both teams.

Texas A&M sealed the victory when Justin Evans knocked down Josh Rosen’s pass at the goal line on fourth down.

Knight, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, outplayed Rosen.

Rosen threw three interceptions while working under heavy pressure from a defense led by Myles Garrett.

The Aggies looked to have this one wrapped up when they led by 15 in the fourth quarter after using two third-quarter touchdowns.

But UCLA’s offense finally got going after that, scoring twice in two minutes with the second one coming on a 62-yard pass by Rosen to cut it two 2. A 2-point conversion after that TD tied it with 2:39 remaining.

The Bruins were driving again after a third straight punt by A&M when Evans intercepted Rosen’s pass for the second time to give A&M a chance to win it in regulation.

But Knight’s pass was knocked down in the end zone to force overtime.

Knight wasn’t the only former Sooner to shine for the Aggies on Saturday. Running back Keith Ford had a touchdown and 65 of A&M’s 203 yards rushing in his first game since setting out a year following his transfer from Oklahoma.

POSTGAME NOTES

GARRETT PACES PASS RUSH

• Junior DE Myles Garrett was a thorn in UCLA QB Josh Rosen’s side all game and finished the game with a sack, three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two QB hurries.

• Garrett’s sack was the 25th of his 26-game career and it moved him into a tie for No. 8 on A&M’s career QB sacks list with two-time All-America Ray Childress. Garrett is now just three sacks from entering the SEC’s career sacks top 10 list.

• As a team, the Aggies generated five QB sacks and seven QB hurries against the Bruins. Last year, UCLA’s high game for sacks allowed was three (twice).

• With the Aggies’ Wrecking Crew defense in his face all day, UCLA’s Rosen was limited to 56.5 completion percentage and had three interceptions (matching his career high).

REYNOLDS TALLIES 19TH TD

• Senior WR Josh Reynolds moved into a tie for No. 3 on A&M’s career receiving TD list with the 19th TD catch of his career.

TAMU Career Receiving TDs

Jeff Fuller 34 2008-11

Ryan Swope 24 2009-12

Uzoma Nwachukwu 19 2009-12

Bob Long 19 1966-68

Josh Reynolds 19 2014-

REVAMPED RUSHING ATTACK

• The Aggies lost 1,000-yard rusher Tra Carson from 2015, but used a couple of newcomers to fortify their rushing attack in 2016. Leading the Aggies’ rushing attack, which generated 203 ground yards against UCLA, were true freshman Trayveon Williams and junior transfer Keith Ford. In their first career action at A&M, Williams rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries, including a 42-yard jaunt, while Ford, who played two seasons at Oklahoma, chipped in 65 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

INTERCEPTIONS

• Senior DB Justin Evans, who logged one INT last season, registered two INTs.

• Junior DB Priest Willis added an INT to give Texas A&M three picks on the afternoon, the most since logging three at Ole Miss on Oct. 24, 2015.

• The three INTs were the most for the Aggies at Kyle Field since logging three against UTEP on Nov. 2, 2013.

KASER WHO??

• Junior Shane Tripucka has an impressive debut as the Aggies’ starting punter with a 47.3 average on seven boots, including two 50-plus boots and two punts that were downed inside the 20. Tripucka has spent the past two seasons backing up two-time All-American Drew Kaser, who was drafted by the San Diego Chargers earlier this year.

OVERTIME FACTS

• The Aggies improved to 10-6 all-time in overtime games, including three consecutive OT wins.

• Texas A&M improved to 6-3 in OT games at Kyle Field.

• It marked the first time Texas A&M played OT in a season opener. The earliest A&M played an OT game was in 2007 when the Aggies beat Fresno State in 3OT (47-45) in the second game of the season.

FIRSTS

• Making the first starts of their Texas A&M careers were true freshman Colton Prater (LG), redshirt freshman Erik McCoy(C), sophomore Connor Lanfear (RG) and graduate transfer Trevor Knight (QB) on offense and junior transfer Priest Willis(CB) on defense.

• The Aggies’ first score of 2016 came on a 7-yard run by junior transfer RB Keith Ford in the second quarter. The TD also marked Ford’s first touchdown in the maroon and white.

• Knight, who rushed for eight touchdowns in three seasons at OU, tallied his first rushing score of his Texas A&M career with a 1-yard burst in the third quarter and added the game-winning 1-yard run in OT. Knight also connected on his first passing TD with a 40-yard pass to Josh Reynolds.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Game captains for the Aggies were junior DE Myles Garrett, junior WR Ricky Seals-Jones, senior LB Shaan Washingtonand graduate QB Trevor Knight. UCLA won the toss and deferred their choice to the second. Texas A&M received the opening kickoff while defending the south endzone.

• The Aggies’ 12th Man representative was sophomore LB Cullen Gillaspia (Katy, Texas in his first-ever 12th Man start. A former walkon, Gillaspia was awarded a scholarship at the end of fall camp.

Gillaspia Facts

Parents: Joy and Dan Gillaspia

Brother: Carson Gillaspia

Major: Environmental Geoscience

All District LB and Return specialist at Katy Taylor HS

Also played baseball

Vice President of the student body

Member of the National Honor Society all four years.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics