Texas A&M Football: Last Minute Rally to Beat Duke

No. 20 Texas A&M rallied late in at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Tuesday to beat Duke after trailing 38-17 at halftime. Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel finished his college career with...
Texas A&M Football: Last Minute Rally to Beat Duke
Written by Pam Wright

No. 20 Texas A&M rallied late in at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Tuesday to beat Duke after trailing 38-17 at halftime.

Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel finished his college career with a bang by throwing four touchdown passes, scoring a touchdown, running 73 yards and completing 30 of 38 passes for 382 yards.

When asked if this was the best way to end his career, he said: “I don’t know. It’s an unreal feeling, I know that. The way these guys fought, it was unreal. I’m proud of them.”

Toney Hurd Jr returned an interception 55 yards, giving them their first lead with 3:33 remaining and the game ended 52-48, making it the highest-scoring game in the bowl’s history.

“I was in a zone I haven’t been in before,” Manziel said. “Ever. I just wanted this game.”

Heading into the fourth quarter, No. 22 Duke (10-4) had a 41-31. With this loss, the Blue Devils are still looking for their first bowl win since beating Arkansas 7-6 in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.

Hurd stepped in front of receiver Johnell Barnes for the interception, the first turnover for either team. Texas A&M linebacker Nate Askew ended Duke’s next possession with another interception.

Duke quarterback Anthony Boone passed for 427 yards and three touchdowns, but the two interceptions certainly played into the loss.

“It hurt,” Boone said. “It was a very unfortunate play on my part.”

Manziel, a third-year sophomore won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman last season and is likely he will be a first-round pick if he decides to enter the NFL draft.

“I can’t even talk about anything other than this game,” Manziel said. “This was unreal. … I haven’t made (the decision) yet. I’m in the moment right now.”

Image via Wikimedia

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