Texas A&M rallies, tops Ole Miss

Published 12:01 am Sunday, October 7, 2012

OXFORD (AP) — Johnny Manziel threw for 191 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 129 yards and another score and Texas A&M rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Mississippi 30-27 Saturday night.

Manziel suffered through a tough night until late in the fourth quarter, when he led two touchdown drives. He rushed for a 29-yard touchdown on the first and then found Ryan Swope for a 20-yard TD pass with 1:46 remaining for the go-ahead score.

Texas A&M (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) won despite a season-high six turnovers, including four fumbles and two interceptions.

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Ole Miss (3-3, 0-2) made a final drive but Texas A&M’s Toney Hurd Jr., intercepted a Bo Wallace pass and the Aggies were able to run out the clock.

The Rebels lost their 16th straight conference game dating back to 2010. Jeff Scott rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown. Wallace completed 20 of 34 passes for 305 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown.

Ole Miss had a 27-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter and Texas A&M pinned on its own 1-yard line with less than eight minutes remaining.

But Manziel connected on a 32-yard, third-down pass to Mike Evans to give the Aggies some breathing room. Then in just two plays, Texas A&M drove the rest of the field for a stunning touchdown. Ben Malena gashed the Rebels’ defense for 36 yards before Manziel rushed for a 29-yard score — dancing past several Ole Miss would-be tacklers — to make it 27-23.

On the ensuing drive, first-year Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze made a questionable decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 in his own territory.

It turned out to be a disastrous call.

Scott was stuffed at the Ole Miss 39 and Texas A&M needed just four plays for Manziel to find Swope for the game-winning score.