Texas A&M faces off against second ranked Clemson tonight from Kyle Field as A&M boss Jimbo Fisher gets an opportunity to jump start the program with a win versus the Tigers. It will be a 6:00 p.m. CST kickoff on ESPN. Here's the link to the game on Junction. WATCH/LISTEN/STATS FIRST QUARTER Texas A&M drives 66 yards in 11 plays on the opening possession spiced up by multiple big plays by QB Kellen Mond but has to settle for a field goal. However, Daniel LaCamera missed it from 26 yards out. Clemson's first possession ends in a sack by A&M DT Justin Madubuike. The Aggies take over just on their side of the 50. A&M gets the ball back and a pass to TE Jace Sternberger for 20 yards moves the Aggies into field goal range. LaCamera boots it through this time from 40 yards out and the Aggies have a 3-0 lead with 4:28 left in the first. Clemson strikes back as the Tigers covert two third and longs and drive 75 yards in seven plays. Kelly Bryant makes some nice throws and then takes it in himself from the one yard line to give Clemson the lead 7-3 with 1:17 left in the quarter. At the end of the first, A&M has outgained Clemson 107-74 in yardage. Kellen Mond has rushed for 23 yards and is 5-9 for 69 yards. Kelly Bryant is 5-6 for 81 yards. A&M had the ball most of the first quarter and we'll see if that adds up. SECOND QUARTER Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence comes in as part of their predetermined rotation on the third series and lofts a jump ball to WR Tee Higgins who outjumped corner Charles Oliver, kept going across the field, and scored from 64 yards out. Clemson now up 14-3 early in the second. Clemson gets another stop but a 69 yard Braden Mann punt puts Clemson inside its own 25. A&M holds them and gets the ball back with about 8:00 to go in the second. Clemson faces a fourth and goal from A&M's one inside of two minutes in the half but fumbles the snap and A&M avoids another score. The Tigers hold the Aggies but Braden Mann crushes a 73 yard punt to basically end the half with Clemson up 14-3. Clemson has rolled up 216 yards so far to A&M's 142 yards. Their QBs have hit 8 of 14 for 166 yards and two TDs which has keyed their offense. They've also had 6 tackles for loss on defense and A&M has converted just 3 of 10 on third down. Kellen Mond threw the ball well early under duress but is now 7 of 17 for just 97 yards. Trayveon Williams has 10 carries for 13 yards. Clemson will get the ball to start the second half. THIRD QUARTER Clemson gets the ball to start the half but A&M holds them to a three and out. The Aggies then get the ball back and a big throw from Mond to Jhamon Ausbon for 26 yards between two defenders and move inside the Clemson 30. However, the drive stalls on third and short and LaCamera comes on to kick a 40 yard field goal and make it a one score game at 14-6 with 10:37 to go in the third. A&M drives into Clemson territory after forcing a punt but Kellen Mond pulls up with a cramp and backup QB Nick Starkel enters the game for one play in which he is hit and turns over the ball to Justin Foster. Clemson quickly strikes with a 53 yard pass from Kelly Bryant to Tee Higgins and Bryant then hits Overton for an 8 yard touchdown to make it 21-6. A&M promptly strikes right back with a 69 yard catch and run from Mond to Camron Buckley. Mond then hits Kendrick Rodgers in the back of the end zone for a 9 yard touchdown. The Aggies are back in the game at 21-13 as the third quarter nears its end. Bryant returns and hits Clemson wideout Hunter Renfrow with a 40 yard throw on the move to get Clemson back into A&M territory. He hits Renfrow again for a 10 yard pass on third and four and eventually RB Travis Etienne takes a toss one yard for the score and Clemson move back ahead 28-13 with about a minute to go in the third. FOURTH QUARTER We've just started the fourth quarter and the Aggies are driving once again. They're at the Clemson 14 yard line as Mond hit Trayveon Williams for 17 yards and another 15 got tacked on for roughing the passer. From Clemson's 14, Mond gets chased outside as he breaks contain and throws the ball back toward the middle where WR Quartney Davis pulls in his first reception as an Aggie for a touchdown. With about 14 minutes left, it's 28-20 Clemson. Clemson generates one first down but A&M holds and gets the ball back at its 13 yard line with 11:58 to go down one score. A&M is now in Clemson territory at the 27 yard line. 2:52 left. A pass to Quartney Davis is ruled a fumble out of the end zone with 2:13 left and Clemson takes over at its own 20. Aggies get the bal back near midfield with no time outs left and 1:17 to go after a bad punt. Mond throws a ball that gets tipped by a Clemson defender and Kendrick Rodgers comes down with it for his second touchdown catch of the night. The two point conversion is no good so A&M trails 28-26 and has to try the onside. Clemson wideout Hunter Renfrow smothers the onside kick and that will do it. A&M goes down 28-26 but Kellen Mond and his receivers put 0n a show with a 23 for 40 night throwing for 430 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks. Kendrick Rogers has 7 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. A&M outgains Clemson 501 yards to 413 yards but two turnovers and makes a difference.<doc-sep>Before diving right into the score prediction, a few talking points: 1.) Mike Elko is the best defensive coordinator Clemson will face this regular season. I don't think that's subjective, either. He'll have some looks and pressures dialed up that Tony Elliott & Co. will have to account for in terms of in-game adjustments. But, depth. Scheme will only take you so far when you're not as talented, fast or deep and you're playing in middle-of-September Texas heat against an offense that can sub in its third-string running back or third-string boundary receiver and expect no drop-off. 2.) At Notre Dame, Elko liked to play a very top down defense where limiting the big play was priority No. 1. Last season, the Irish ranked 93rd in pass plays of 10+ yards given up but No. 1 in pass plays of 40+ yards given up. Longest pass play on the season that Notre Dame gave up was just 42 yards, and that's taking into account some poor safety play along the way. A&M has NFL-calibre safeties, something Dabo referenced earlier this week. Notre Dame still only ranked No. 53 overall last year in pass defense, allowing almost 215 passing yards per game. The underneath stuff will likely be there tonight, so maybe you see Clemson taking what's given to them and being patient with its downfield looks, to start off at least. 3.) With that said, Clemson is gonna have some opportunities downfield. Elko usually employs man but his corners play off. They're not gonna try to out-physical you at the line, but if your corners can't tackle, you're in trouble. Clemson has so many weapons capable of making life difficult down the field. Jeff Scott likes to say that he prefers his receivers to win 80 percent of 50-50 balls. Clemson didn't meet expectations in this regard in 2017, and it was an emphasis in the offseason. Tee Higgins, this would make a mighty fine coming out party on the national stage. Same to be said for Amari Rodgers. GigEm247's Jeff Tarpley said earlier this week that A&M starting cornerback Charles Oliver was having some difficulty adjusting to the ball in the air. Clemson is not an opponent you wanna face if that's the case. 4.) Run-blocking wise, A&M's defensive line is capable of giving Clemson's offensive line some trouble, especially since A&M's backers are good reinforcement. This will present a good test to see if what should be one of the best Clemson offensive lines in recent memory can go out and assert its will against a good defensive line without having to employ a wealth of horizontal stuff. 5) A&M tight end Jace Sternberger (6-4, 250) is a legit downfield weapon for the Aggies. But Brent Venables has demonstrated an exceptional ability to negate the opposition's best player. And the problem for the Aggies is there's not a wide receiver on that roster with experience that scares a good secondary. Dabo said earlier this week that at the core of it, Jimbo Fisher likes to bloody your nose with the run and hit you with play-action. Well play-action won't be effective if receivers can't get open. Back to Sternberger for a sec: Look for A&M to create mismatches for him against Clemson's safeties, which aren't as capable as its corners, down the middle of the field. Problem is, if you send Sternberger down the field, you automatically lose one of your best in pass protection. And A&M is gonna need all the help it can get in that category. 6.) Depth at linebacker for A&M could be a real problem in the second half. Aggies really only feel comfortable going four-deep, and that's with starting rover (bulked up safety playing outside 'backer) Anthony Hines in the lineup. Fisher said Hines would be back Saturday night after missing the opener and a majority of camp with an injury. Something to keep an eye on. 7.) Trayveon Williams isn't an elite running back. And he certainly appears to be a liability in pass protection. Clemson defensive end Austin Bryant talked him up this past week when he compared his body type and movement to Dalvin Cook. Williams has demonstrated good burst and footwork, but I see Clemson's speed and physicality upfront stifling a majority of his rush attempts whether between the tackles or on the edge, which brings up the next point. 8) Fisher better have some tricks up his sleeve to move the ball, especially on the ground, because A&M's young and inconsistent offensive line is no match for what Clemson will field up front on the other side. Specifically, Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell might make quick work of sophomore left tackle Dan Moore, who's strong but 315 pounds and built more like a guard. Good insight from Tarpley on what A&M might try to do on the ground: "I think you’ll see a lot of 12 personnel with Trevor Wood and Sternberger at tight end and Williams as a single set back. They’ll chip and double team Clemson’s athletic ends, try to extend them to the boundary on outside zone, and then come back the other way with waggles and boots to redirect them or slow them down." Easier said than done against speed and depth. 9.) A shaky offensive line probably factored into why Fisher went with Kellen Mond when he could've gone with Nick Starkel, a more proven passer. (Even though Mond looked accurate and pretty polished throwing downfield vs. Northwestern State.) Fisher went with Mond, though, because he's more athletic and a capable runner and gives the Aggies offense another dimension on offense. Gotta wonder how many designed runs for Mond are part of the game plan. 10.) Clemson is better and deeper on paper on most every position on the field, and the Tigers have played and coached in big-time, away-from-home night games like these before. Take care of the ball, and Clemson leaves Kyle Field with a W and without any real threat of dropping the game come the fourth quarter. (Side note: Clemson hasn't won the turnover battle in consecutive games since 2016's ACC Championship and Fiesta Bowl. Tigers won it vs. Furman last week.) Probably could've just skipped all 9 previous points and only read No. 10 to get the gist of what the outcome should be. A&M covers (and I'm going lower scoring), because of 1.) Elko and 2.) The 12th Man ***** Prediction: Clemson 24, Texas A&M 16 Bonus points: Clemson is going for its fourth straight true road win against a SEC opponent, which would represent the longest such streak in program history. A win would give Clemson an 8-2 mark vs. the SEC in its last 10 games. How and what to watch: Clemson vs. Texas A&M Personnel preview: Texas A&M offense Personnel preview: Texas A&M defense The good/bad edition 1: Texas A&M ACC schedule and notes: Week 2 Dabo Swinney previews Aggies, updates injuries Swinney meets the media on Wednesday evening<doc-sep>There's a showdown deep in Texas tonight, featuring the ACC vs. SEC: It's No. 2 Clemson vs. Texas A&M in College Station. See Texas A&M live score updates, TV channel, time and odds information below. Texas A&M is a big underdog tonight, considering the Aggies are playing at home before a sellout crowd. Clemson plans to mix it up offensively, as the Tigers will use two quarterbacks, coach Dabo Swinney said. Clemson quarterbacks Kelly Bryant and freshman Trevor Lawrence will both play after both performed well in an easy 48-7 win in the season opener last week, the AP reports. "The Aggies will go with Kellen Mond, who competed with last year's first-game starter Nick Starkel throughout camp before getting the nod in the first game. Starkel played in the second half last week with the game out of hand, but Mond is expected to get all the snaps this week against Clemson's rugged defense. "Bryant, who threw for 2,803 yards and 13 touchdowns in leading Clemson to a 12-2 record last season, threw for 127 yards and a touchdown and ran for another last week," the AP reported. "Lawrence took over after that and had 137 yards passing with three TD passes." Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said preparing for two quarterbacks was challenging. "They're probably more similar than they are different in some ways," Fisher said. "You say one throws it better than the other, but the other has been very productive at times. Kelly has, in big games, and Trevor's a very talented guy. They're both good in all aspects." Clemson vs. Texas A&M Time: 7 p.m. ET Odds: Clemson -12; over/under 51.5 TV Channel: ESPN Live Stream: WatchEspn.com Get Clemson vs. Texas A&M live score updates tonight during the game below (you may have to engage the link on a smartphone). Tweets by ClemsonFB<doc-sep>
FOURTH QUARTER - Clemson 28, Texas A&M 26 0:00 - We learned a bit about Clemson tonight. First of all, Kelly Bryant is still the game in crunch time. The fifth-year senior played most of the third quarter and all of the fourth in Clemson's victory, proving the coaches are more comfortable going with experience over upside at this point in the season. Clemson's secondary struggled, giving up 430 yards and three scores to Kellen Mond. Clemson's trio of cornerbacks could have been tired but regardless, Brent Venables is clearly not comfortable playing freshmen LeAnthony Williams, Mario Goodrich, and Kyler McMichael quite yet. We'll learn even more once we talk to the coaches and players post game, stay tuned. 0:46 - Texas A&M knocked on the door late in the fourth quarter and nearly kicked the thing down. After a fumble through the endzone resulted in a touchback, the Aggies forced a punt and scored, bringing them within two points of tying the game. The conversion was intercepted by Mark Fields, however, and the ensuing onside kick was recovered by Hunter Renfrow. Texas A&M is out of timeouts - it's time for Clemson's victory formation. 14:07 - Texas A&M keeps making plays to stay in the game. Kellen Mond was under pressure, rolled to his left and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Quartney Davis. The crowd at Kyle Field is electric, once again. THIRD QUARTER - Clemson 28, Texas A&M 13 1:01 - Look, there's still time. If you tweeted anything about Clemson's quarterback job belonging to Trevor Lawrence after the freshman's impressive second quarter, you can still delete it. Kelly Bryant has led consecutive scoring drives now in the third quarter, the second of which began with a beautiful 40-yard pass to Hunter Renfrow. There's no reason to take him out of the game at this point. 4:22 - That might have been the quickest touchdown Clemson's given up in quite some time. Kellen Mond returns to the game and hits a wide-open Cameron Buckley for a 69-yard catch-and-run before firing a touchdown to Kendrick Rodgers to bring this game back within reach. Kyle Field is rocking. 4:59 - Tough break for Texas A&M as QB Kellen Mond leaves the game after cramping up, and backup Nick Starkel is strip-sacked by Clelin Ferrell on his first play. Clemson recovers the fumble and quickly marches 70 yards in four plays, scoring on an 8-yard pass from Kelly Bryant to Diondre Overton. It appears Clemson is simply going with the hot hand at quarterback and it pays off there. 10:37 - Trevor Lawrence started the half at quarterback for Clemson, but the Tigers' offense lost eight yards in three plays and punted. Texas A&M took advantage of the opportunity and doubled their score with a 40-yard field goal. What Clemson does at quarterback for the remainder of the quarter will be a big indicator of how this staff approaches its two-quarterback system in the future. Will they go with a hot hand or play each quarterback situationally? We'll find out shortly. SECOND QUARTER - Clemson 14, Texas A&M 3 0:00 - The second quarter got off to an electric start but both teams ultimately traded empty drives to end the half. Clemson's speed on defense has controlled the game thus far, closing on seemingly wide-open receivers, stopping runs behind the line of scrimmage and pressuring Aggie QB Kellen Mond. Clemson also blocked an A&M field goal attempt to keep the Aggies at three points. Clemson outgained Texas A&M, 142-35 in the second quarter as three of the Aggies' four drives in the quarter went three-and-out. 14:13 - Wow. Trevor Lawrence entered the game for Clemson and threw a seed to Tee Higgins on his first play from scrimmage. Higgins went way up to grab it before spinning off a pair of Aggie defenders and sprinting to the endzone. One play, 64 yards. Perhaps there's a reason Clemson's staff insists on playing two quarterbacks. FIRST QUARTER - Clemson 7, Texas A&M 3 0:00 - Clemson's ground game hasn't yet arrived, but Kelly Bryant has been sharp in the passing game, completing 5-of-6 passes for 81 yards. He shook Texas A&M DL Otaro Alaka out of his shoes on this touchdown run. 1:23 - That drive was a feather in Kelly Bryant's cap. Although the drive started with a delay of game penalty that's sure to boost Aggie fans' egos, Bryant responded with a 64-yard pass to Amari Rodgers on third down.