Credit to Rachel Perreault | Director, Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M rolled to a 38-10 win over ACU on Senior Day at Kyle Field. The Aggie offense totaled 448 yards, while the defense held its opponent from scoring an offensive touchdown for the fourth time this season.
Twenty-four unanswered points propelled Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3) past ACU (5-6, 3-3). Jaylen Henderson completed 16-of-23 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns, while Moose Muhammad III led the receiving corps with four catches for a season-high 104 yards and a score. Rueben Owens posted his first career 100-yard rushing game with 106 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
Bryce Anderson, Jarred Kerr and Edgerrin Cooper recorded five tackles apiece to pace the defense, while Deuce Harmon led the team with a pair of broken up passes.
Texas A&M trailed early in the opening quarter following an ACU interception return for touchdown. The Aggies answered back on the ensuing drive with a 7-yard rushing touchdown by Owens. Randy Bond added a 34-yard field goal to give the Maroon & White a 10-7 lead with 7:59 left in the second quarter. Henderson connected with Noah Thomas for a 13-yard passing touchdown to extend the Aggie lead to 17-7 with 3:26 remaining in the first half.
The Aggies came out of the half attacking through the air as Henderson hit a streaking Muhammad for a 49-yard touchdown pass to make it 24 unanswered points as Ole Sarge’s charges took a commanding 24-7 lead into the final stanza.
ACU nailed a 40-yard field goal to make it a 24-10 Texas A&M lead at 14:06. The Aggies tacked on two late scores from a 3-yard David Bailey Jr. rushing touchdown and a 13-yard Jaden Platt touchdown reception from Marcel Reed in the final minute.
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Texas A&M Football Post Game Notes
Texas A&M 38, ACU 10
Kyle Field (Bryan-College Station, Texas)
Team Notes
The Texas A&M offense racked up 448 yards of total offense in the victory, marking the seventh time this season it has eclipsed the 400-yard mark.
The Aggies held ACU to just 93 yards on the ground, keeping the opposition under 100 yards in the category for the sixth time this season.
The A&M defense made it back-to-back weeks without allowing an offensive touchdown, marking the fourth time this season the unit has not given up a TD.
A&M limited its opponent to less that 250 yards of total offense for the seventh time this year, giving up just 244 to the Wildcats.
One of the best defenses in the nation at limiting opponent third downs, the Aggies held the Wildcats to just 4-of-15 on third down conversions.
A&M improved to 17-0 against in-state schools since joining the SEC ahead of the 2012 season.
The Maroon & White tallied 6.0 tackles for loss in the victory marking the 10th time this season they have made 6.0-or-more TFLs in a game.
The Aggies utilized a new 12th Man Kickoff Team composed of all walk-ons plus the placekicker late in the fourth quarter. The last time an all-volunteer group covered a kickoff at Kyle Field was Sept. 9, 2006, against Louisiana Lafayette.
Today’s captains against ACU were OL Layden Robinson, DL McKinnley Jackson, DL Fadil Diggs and WR Ainias Smith.
Individual Notes
Graduate WR Ainias Smith made it 38 consecutive games with a reception, extending his streak with an 18-yard grab early in the game. He boasts the seventh-longest streak in the nation and the longest by an Aggie since Christian Kirk (2015-17) caught a pass in 39 straight games.
Smith’s two receptions in the game upped his career total to 172 and put him in a tie for fourth with Terrence Murphy (2001-04) for fourth all-time at A&M.
Junior WR Moose Muhammad III caught the 10th touchdown pass of his career, using a season-long 49-yard reception to move into a seven-way tie for 18th on A&M’s all-time receiving touchdowns list.
Muhammad finished the game with 104 yards on four catches to register the third 100-yard game of his career.
Sophomore WR Evan Stewart added an 8-yard catch on the day to help him move into a three-way tie for 22nd all-time at A&M with 98 career receptions.
True freshman RB Rueben Owens had a career day, racking up 106 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, registering the first 100-yard game of his career and the first by an A&M true freshman running back since De’Von Achane tallied 104 yards on the ground in the Orange Bowl win over North Carolina to cap off the 2020 season.
Sophomore DBs Jarred Kerr and Bryce Anderson, along with junior LB Edgerrin Cooper led the defense with five tackles apiece.