Texas A&M takes down LSU in thrilling 7-overtime, 74-72 game that included a premature Gatorade bath and the catch of the year
- Texas A&M defeated LSU 74-72 on Saturday night in one of the wildest college football games ever played.
- LSU initially thought they had won the game in regulation, even dumping Gatorade on head coach Ed Orgeron, but a review gave the Aggies the chance comeback.
- In the fourth overtime, A&M receiver Kendrick Rogers made the catch of the year to extend the game.
- When the dust settled, the Aggies took down the Tigers after seven overtimes and the most combined points in FBS history.
After seven overtime periods and 146 points combined, the Texas A&M Aggies took down the LSU Tigers at College Station to win the most thrilling college football game of the 2018 season thus far.
In the fourth quarter, it looked as though the game might already be over.
With LSU holding a 31-24 lead in the game's waning seconds, the Tigers simply needed to hold off one final attack to take the victory.
On third-and-18, it looked as though LSU had sealed the victory with a game-clinching interception. The Tigers were so sure they had the win that they soaked head coach Ed Orgeron in a Gatorade bath.
But the interception would be reviewed, and ultimately, overturned, leaving Texas A&M with fourth-and-18 to convert with the game on the line. They would make the play, and though receiver Quartney Davis looked short of the marker, the officials called the play a first down, prompting the Aggies to rush to the line to spike the ball and stop the clock.
Initially, the refs ruled that the clock had run out before A&M got their spike down, but after another review, a single second was put back on the clock, giving the Aggies one final shot at the end zone.
Quarterback Kellen Mond made the most of the opportunity, finding Davis again in the end zone to extend the game.
The touchdown made it 31-31 heading to overtime - a fun game, but far from an oddity in terms of the chaos that college football shows us on a weekly basis.
There's was no telling just how out of hand this game would get.
Both teams would settle for field goals in their first overtime possessions, and then go on to score touchdowns in the second extra period.
In the third overtime, with both sides now forced to attempt two-point conversions after scoring. LSU struck first, scoring on their very first play and converting their two-point attempt to take a 49-41 lead.
It would only take two plays for the Aggies to answer, with Mond tossing up a ball to Kendrick Rogers, who made a miraculous catch in the end zone that immediately became the catch of the college football season.
The catch only becomes more impressive on repeated viewings - Rogers was mugged by his LSU defender, but still found a way to fight through the coverage and secure the ball.
A&M would match LSU's two-point conversion to force a fourth overtime. The chaos continued, with neither side able to take advantage of the other's mistakes.
Fourth overtime: Teams trade field goals, 52-52.
Fifth overtime: Teams trade touchdowns, missed two-point attempts, 58-58.
Sixth overtime: Teams trade touchdowns, made two-point attempts, 66-66.
Bringing us to the seventh overtime period.
LSU got the ball first and found the end zone once again, but failed on the ensuing two-point conversion to take a 72-66 lead.
After A&M scored their subsequent touchdown, it looked for a moment that we were heading for an eighth overtime period when their two-point pass fell incomplete. But the Aggies were bailed out by a questionable, yet understandable pass interference call that gave them another shot to win the game.
Both sides would awkwardly trade penalties, leaving the Aggies with five yards to go to convert for the win, but the extra didn't matter for A&M. Mond found Rogers yet again for the game-winning score, bringing the game to its thrilling conclusion.
Almost two hours after LSU dumped Gatorade on their coach in premature celebration, the Texas A&M Aggies prevailed, 74-72.
Barring a literal miracle on the field come bowl season, the Aggies and Tigers played the game of the year.