Overtime after overtime. Touchdown after touchdown; as last Saturday’s game in College Station drug out into the waning hours of the night, Texas A&M won what is perhaps the greatest SEC football game ever.

When most people think of the greatest SEC games of all time they will conjure up images of  Chris Davis running down the sideline at Jordan-Hare in the “Kick-6,” or Marcus Randall crossing the goal line in the Bluegrass Miracle in Kentucky, however these games pale in comparison to what occurred last Saturday night.

The game was a back and forth affair that never ceased to amaze. The 7 overtime marathon was the longest game in SEC history lasting 4 hours and 53 minutes. It was also the highest scoring game in FBS history with a combined 146 points scored. Among the many things that made the game outstanding were the performances of the Quarterbacks. Kellen Mond accounted for 7 total touchdowns and 329 total yards, in what was possibly his best game ever in an Aggie uniform. However, what stood out most about his performance was his poise in the big moments. As a freshman, Mond was jittery, and seemed afraid of making a mistake. This game, as he has all season, found Mond growing up right in front of our eyes,  firing clutch pass after clutch pass down the stretch to lead the Aggies  74-72 upset over the Tigers.

Not to be outdone, LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns. But where Burrow had his greatest impact was in the running game, in which he had 100 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on 29 carries, all of which were career highs.

In any marquee match-up, there is always an unheralded player that has a profound impact on the game, on this night it was Langham Creek alum, Quartney Davis. Davis led the way with 7 receptions for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns (all were team highs), including the game tying touchdown as time expired in regulation. That catch in traffic, down the middle was a massive play for a player who, just a season ago was near the bottom of the depth chart, after coming off a major injury. 

The game did not lack controversy either; with A&M converting a 4th down late that looked like it could go either way, but wasn’t reviewed. There was also the issue of the spike at the end of regulation, in which it was ruled that Mond had spiked the ball with 1 second remaining on the game clock, while some believe that the clock had struck zero before the ball hit the ground. However these controversial plays only added to the greatness of the game as controversy is at the heart of college football, and is part of what makes the sport so special.  

The greatest part of the game however, was the atmosphere. The vaunted crowd (aka the 12th man) seemed to dwindle out of the stadium after LSU Safety Grant Delpit had seemingly sealed the game with an interception, culminated with a Gatorade bath for Coach Ed Orgeron; this would prove to be premature, as Mond was ruled down, and the Aggies would end up tying the game and winning in the 7th overtime. Throughout the comeback the 12th man was roaring as loud as ever providing a backdrop that was as unique and exceptional as the game itself.

In the end, who won the game Saturday night is irrelevant, because we were all witnesses to one of the greatest college football games ever. There’s no doubt that there was something magical in the air in Kyle Field Saturday night.