When Texas A&M had two straight trips well within field goal range early in the game against Miami that ended with a grand total of zero points— a fumble by Marcel Reed and a blocked Jared Zirkel kick— every Aggie fan was hoping against hope that those eventualities would not come back to bite them.
As it turns out, that's exactly what happened. Coming away from two deep drives with zero points loomed large in a game that was 3-3 with under two minutes to go in the game.
There are a lot of things you could point to other than that— Reed missing Concepcion on what should have been a wide-open touchdown in the fourth quarter, failing to capitalize on a gift of a turnover at midfield later in that same quarter, or whatever else catches your eye— but at the end of the day, coming away from those two drives with no points is what cooked the Aggies' goose.
Thanks to early miscues, Texas A&M falls to Miami at home after late-game touchdown by Malachi Toney
The defense had an admirable effort throughout the day, completely bottling up the Hurricanes in the first half. Carson Beck was running for his life, the Hurricanes couldn't hold onto the ball for more than about two series at a time, and the Aggies were getting their opportunities.
Failing to convert on those opportunities was the dagger. Even late in the game, when the Aggies got the ball at midfield off of a Malachi Toney fumble, if they had just been able to possess it a little longer, things could have gone differently. The Aggies may have been able to run some clock, pick up some yardage, and kick a field goal to take the lead.
Given that it was the run game that gashed the Aggies on that final drive, had Miami been pressing, it could have been that the Hurricanes elected to pass. In that vein, the Aggies may have only needed a field goal in those final moments, rather than needing a touchdown.
The interception by Reed in the end zone was a product of those moments throughout the game. People will point to that moment, but it was a combination of things that came beforehand.
The Aggies fall to 11-2 and their season has concluded. There will be a lot of eyes on the coaching ranks and portal to see how this Aggie team will look to reload, as they are losing a lot of seniority after this year.