Aggies Fall Short in Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State

A painful Texas A&M Aggies season ends in a blowout loss to Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl

HOUSTON, TX -- The Texas A&M Aggies were ready for this season to be over. 

A season that began with SEC West aspirations and looked promising after Week 1, took a nose dive in Week 2, and the Aggies were never really able to recover. 

And despite a heck of a fight from an out-manned squad, that downward trend continued on Wednesday night, with Texas A&M Falling to the Oklahoma State Cowboys 31-23 in the Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium.

It was a game that the Aggies looked to be out of from nearly the beginning, when their starting quarterback, Jaylen Henderson, was knocked out of the game on the first play from scrimmage with a severe injury to his right arm. 

In truth, it may have been over before that, with the Aggies fielding just 55 scholarship players on the roster. But you wouldn't have guessed it after the final two quarters from Texas A&M.

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After the Henderson injury, Oklahoma State took advantage of a shocked Aggies squad and jumped out to a 24-6 halftime lead. 

Coming out of the locker room at halftime, interim coach Elijah Robinson gave the Aggies offense a spark, with Texas A&M turning an interception into a quick score. 

And though Oklahoma State got on the board again on the next drive to take a 31-13 lead, the Aggies continued to fight, with Henderson's replacement Marcel Reed rushing in for another score to make it an 11-point game.

After getting a stop, the Aggies looked to be in business, with the offense driving down the field and Daniels getting inches from the end zone. However, just before he could cross the goal line, Daniels fumbled, giving the ball back to the Cowboys at the one-yard line. 

Aggies QB Jaylen Henderson Suffers Severe Injury, OUT vs. Oklahoma State

The Aggies got another pick after that but were unable to capitalize on the turnover. Then after getting a stop, the Aggies cut it to a one-score game with a field goal. 

After that, however, the Cowboys were able to run the clock all the way down to 17 seconds behind their workhorse running back Ollie Gordon, ostensibly icing the game. 

The Aggies had one last desperation drive from 70 yards out trying for a miracle, but came up just short on a Hail Mary heave.

Following the loss, the Aggies now head into the offseason with a fresh start, a new head coach, and what promises to be a new-look roster in 2024. 

It will take Mike Elko some time, and things could be rough in Year 1. But, if the Aggies fight each and every Saturday next fall as they did on Wednesday night, they could end up surprising a few people in the SEC.