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Ex Alabama Star Blames WR Evan Stewart, Not Jimbo Fisher, For Failed Final Play vs. Crimson Tide

Former Alabama National Champion quarterback Greg McElroy blames Aggies freshman wide out Evan Stewart for the team's failed final play against the Crimson Tide

Matt Galatzan

In this story:

The Texas A&M Aggies lost a heartbreaker to the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, falling just short of a second-straight upset.

And Following the loss, the Aggies, or more specifically head coach Jimbo Fisher, came under fire for the final play of the game, with many, including Texas A&M legend Johnny Manziel, blasting the decision. 

However, ESPN analyst and former Crimson Tide national title-winning quarterback Greg McElroy offered a different perspective following the game, placing the mistake at the feet of star freshman wideout Evan Stewart, rather than Fisher.

"For everyone crushing Jimbo for the final play call, the call was fine," McElroy said. "The route was awful. It was WAY TOO FAST. You have to be REALLY patient on a Pylon Comeback. Gotta get 5yds deep into the end zone to give yourself room. WR rushed it — didn’t get depth — made throw late."

On the play, Stewart ran a short out route to the pylon, cutting it a bit short, with the pass sailing out of bounds for an incompletion, and ending the game. 

And McElroy's main beef was with the route that was run by Stewart. 

"Also, the route really isn’t that complicated and the timing isn’t too complex," he added. "WR rushed it and the QB never had a chance. If he runs a great route, it’s really tough to defend barring a great defensive play or an inaccurate throw, it’s a TD."

To be fair, Texas A&M likely would never have been in a position to win the game without Stewart either, who had eight catches for 106 yards against the Tide, including a highlight-reel contested grab on the final drive to keep the Aggies alive.

Whether it was the right call, or simply a poorly run route, is now immaterial, however, as Stewart, Haynes King, and Fisher all fell short on the play. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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