Two late picks give Aggies' defense last laugh

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Manziel-led second-half comeback, too much for the Blue Devils

 
Criticized for its poor defense the last two seasons, Texas A&M’s defense got the last laugh when it counted most.
Entering each contest, knowing the offense would be put to the test of attempting to out score its opponent, rested on the minds of Aggie defensive players.
Tuesday night defensive back Toney Hurd, Jr. and linebacker Nate Askew had picks, one going for a touchdown while Johnny Manziel orchestrated a second-half comeback to help the Aggies end its season on a high note by beating the Duke Blue Devils 52-48 in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
The victory gave the Aggies their third straight Bowl win.
Aggies’ (9-4) full all-out pass rush pressured Blue Devils quarterback Anthony Boone into a bad decision. Boone’s attempt to get rid of the ball landed in the hands of linebacker Nate Askew with 1:19 left in the game.
A couple of series earlier, Hurd gave the Aggies its first lead of the game when he intercepted Duke Quarterback Anthony Boone and raced 55-yards for a touchdown with 3:33 left.
It sent the Texas A&M sideline into a frenzy, as Manziel celebrated on the sideline by jumping and smiling his way to the field to put the finishing touches on the victory by taking three snaps and kneeling as the clock struck all zeros.
Manziel described the comeback as unreal.
The game-winning touchdown watched Manziel unleash a bomb to receiver Derel Walker, who had gotten behind the secondary, that capped all scoring with the Aggies holding a 52-48 deficit.
Once Manziel caught a blaze, Duke had no way of stopping the rally, while he led the Aggies on four consecutive second-half scoring drives.
Manziel, perhaps one of the best college players ever, finished with 382 air yards on 30-of-38 attempts with four touchdowns and eleven carries for 73 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Could he be headed to the NFL Draft is yet to be answered, with two years of eligibility left.
Walker finished with six catches for 113 yards and a score. Mike Evans, Manziel’s main target’ received blanket coverage for most of the evening, but managed to catch four passes for 72 yards.
A&M survived a miserable first half where it posted only three points on its first three drives while Duke scored 21 points on its first three possessions.
For the Blue Devils, Boone led the way with 467 yards on 29/45 attempts with three touchdowns and two interceptions.  Snead had 17 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown.  Crowder grabbed 12 receptions for 163 yards and a score and Braxton Deaver caught six for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Duke’s Coach Dave Cutcliffe felt like they held the Aggies from the big plays for a while but also admitted the late turnovers led to the loss.