This is how you get your team back into the game, folks. Late in the third quarter as Texas A&M trailed Alabama 24-3, Aggie freshman quarterback Kellen Mond threw a two-yard touchdown pass after he scrambled for what felt like a good 10 seconds before throwing it to Christian Kirk in the end zone, who made a brilliant catch.
The impressive throw and catch made it a two-score game, and brought back the crowd at Kyle Field to life. Mond was able to capitalize off of his defense forcing a turnover, the first Alabama fumble since last year’s Auburn game. Mond went 4-of-4 on the drive, and he converted two fourth downs on it, too. Kirk has been quite impressive against Alabama in the past, to say the least:
In the Johnny Manziel years of 2012 and 2013, Texas A&M played the Crimson Tide tough, even beating the team 29-24 the first time around. But Alabama won the last three games by a combined score of 133-37.
Kirk, a true junior, finished his first two career games against the Alabama defense with 16 receptions, 148 receiving yards, 11 rushing yards, 88 punt return yards, 57 kick return yards, one receiving touchdown, and one punt return touchdown.
While that sounds like a player who never comes off the field, that yardage came on a combined 24 touches.
Yeah, we’ll be hearing this guy’s name on Sunday’s. In his very first college game, he scored a receiving touchdown and a punt return touchdown. He had a punt return touchdown in his first game against Alabama, too:
That 68-yard punt return touchdown is one of 15 plays for Kirk at Texas A&M that have gone for at least 50 yards. Kirk was one of only five players with at least six plays of 60 or more yards last season.He scored a receiving touchdown and a punt return touchdown in his first college game and had a punt return touchdown in his first game against Alabama a little over a month later.
We’ll see if Mond and the Aggie offense can make this a one-score game with just one quarter of football left.