Marcel Reed threw two touchdown passes to KC Concepcion and ran for another touchdown, and No. 6 Texas A&M defeated Mississippi State 31-9 on Saturday night in College Station, Texas.
Reed passed for only 180 yards while completing 13 of 23 with an interception, but the Aggies (5-0, 2-0 SEC) rushed for 299 yards, led by Rueben Owens II’s 142 yards on 21 attempts.
Blake Shapen passed for just 142 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2) totaled 219 yards.
Texas A&M held the Bulldogs to one conversion on 10 third downs. A week earlier in a 16-10 win against Auburn, the Aggies didn’t allow any conversions on 13 third-down and two fourth-down attempts.
Both teams punted on their first two possessions of the second half before Owens’ 17-yard run and Reed’s 42-yard completion to Mario Craver set up Reed’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Concepcion. That increased the Aggies’ lead to 14-3 at the end of the third quarter.
On the sixth play of the fourth quarter, Reed’s 7-yard touchdown run expanded the lead to 21-3. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Dalton Brooks recovered Anthony Evans III’s fumble and Texas A&M took over at the Mississippi State 24. Four plays later, Craver ran 7 yards for a touchdown.
Four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Shapen threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Brenen Thompson for the Bulldogs’ only touchdown before Randy Bond kicked a 27-yard field goal for the Aggies to complete the scoring.
On its second possession of the game, Mississippi State drove 88 yards to the Texas A&M 1-yard line before stalling, and Kyle Ferrie kicked a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead that held up through the end of the first quarter.
The Aggies drove 82 yards in 17 plays but failed to score when they turned the ball over on downs at the Bulldogs’ 2 midway through the second quarter.
Reed’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Concepcion gave the Aggies a 7-3 halftime lead.
