The only game that wasn’t a blowout, Texas A&M beating West Virginia 45-37 in the Liberty Bowl, will mostly be remembered for Mike Richardson, an Aggies assistant who spent his time on the sidelines doing his best to elbow, hit and hurt Mountaineers players before being taken off the field.
Kevin Sumlin didn’t notice it at first, but someone must have said something, because Richardson was taking advantage of every opportunity to hit any West Virginia player who came anywhere near him. The 20 year old who is a former player didn’t really make an impression of someone the football program might like to keep around with his abysmal performance on national television and 51,000 in the stands attending Memorial Stadium in Memphis.
There was also some football in this game, quite a lot actually. Skyler Howard, the sophomore quarterback playing for the now retired Clint Trickett, threw three touchdown passes and showcased how big of an arm he has for Mountaineers fans to get excited about heading into next season. However, he completed just 20-of-45 passes as he and his team went cold in the second half, held without a touchdown until the closing moments of the game after taking a 27-20 lead in the second quarter.
It’s been a weird season for Texas A&M, but it ended well and with plenty of promise for the future after relying on freshmen and young players all season and often burnt by that dependency. Kyle Allen was great, just like he was when the Aggies shocked everyone on opening week in South Carolina. Allen completed 22-of-35 passes and connected four times for touchdowns. Tra Carson helped out with 133 rushing yards, while Allen ran for one himself.