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Aggies' mood at the half pic.twitter.com/y6OnK58oI3— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) September 4, 2017
From a sheer logistical standpoint it should not have been possible. Literally, there wasn’t enough time: The Aggies kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 44-10 with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter. That left UCLA with 19 minutes of game time to make up a five-score deficit.
Do the math on that. In other words, from that point on the Bruins’ only chance was to score a touchdown every 3 minutes, 48 seconds, including the time that the ball belonged to A&M. Offensively, the Aggies didn’t commit any turnovers down the stretch (or at any point in the game) and continued to earn first downs.
The Bruins didn’t attempt any sort of onside kick, double pass, hook-and-lateral, or Hail Mary. They didn’t benefit from a big punt or kickoff return, and started every possession in their own territory — the soon-to-be-legendary scoring drives in the third and fourth quarters covered 75, 85, 96, 74, and 66 yards, respectively. (More.)
