Instant reaction: Texas A&M breaks Irish hearts in South Bend with last-second win

This was not exactly how anyone expected this game to go before kickoff, but it quickly took on the shape of a barn-burner. The Aggies scored 28 points in the first half— they could have had more if not for a Randy Bond miss from very long range at the end of the half— which is what I predicted them to score in the entire game.

Marcel Reed was absolutely stellar in this game, delivering over and over again when the time came. His connection with Mario Craver was especially clear in this game, as the receiver transfer went for over 200 yards and had multiple long catch and runs.

Le'Veon Moss was a true warrior for the Aggies here too, notching three total touchdowns in the second quarter alone— the first time an Aggie has done that in thirty years.

Texas A&M sets records, breaks curses in wild finish up againstin South Bend

But the man who stepped up in the final moments was a guy who many did not expect: Nate Boerkircher, a Nebraska transfer TE, pulled down a catch on a pass from Marcel Reed on fourth and goal to put the Aggies ahead.

Special teams gave and took away in this one. The Aggies had a punt blocked for a touchdown after their first drive of the game, putting them in an early hole. They missed a field goal before the half, but they also drilled two from long distance thanks to Randy Bond.

On the consequential final drive of the game, the Aggies actually had a kick returned for a touchdown that eventually got called back for holding, but they drove down the field anyway.

To get it to a guy like Nate Boerkircher, who hadn't hardly gotten any attention all game, on the fourth and goal from the eleven shows just how innovative this staff really is. To make the catch says everything about him as a player, too: it was what looked like a busted play, and he had an awkward angle to catch it, but he pulled it in with sure hands.

This is a win that gives the Aggies the next step as a program. Texas A&M will enter their bye week as a top-10 team and 3-0 in the country, having beaten a top-10 team on the road for the first time since 2014. The future is as bright as it could be in College Station.