By Albert Alvarado / Twitter: @Alvarado_Sports
Mond silences critics with win: Quarterback leads A&M to upset of Florida
Kellen Mond helped Texas A&M win its biggest home game of the season with a 41-38 upset of then-No. 4 Florida on Saturday.
The former San Antonio Reagan star completed 25 of 35 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Texas A&M (2-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) jumped 10 spots to No. 11 in the latest Associated Press polls while Florida (2-1, 2-1) dropped down to No. 10.
It was Mond’s clutch play that helped make the upset possible.
Mond connected with Caleb Chapman (Friendswood Clear Brook) for a 51-yard touchdown to tie the game at 38-38. A&M would get the ball back at the 50-yard-line seconds later after a Florida fumble and set the stage for Mond to engineer the game-winning drive.
He helped extend the drive with a two-yard run on 3rd down & 1 and later had a 16-yard pass on 3rd & 8 to set up a more manageable field goal attempt. Junior kicker Seth Small (Katy) nailed a 26-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.
Mond played at Reagan before finishing out his prep career at the IMG Academy in Florida. Mond was the District 26-6A Offensive MVP as a junior after throwing for 1,991 yards and 26 scores while rushing for 900 more yards.
A&M visits Mississippi State (2-1, 2-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
Johnson’s strip helps Aggies upset Gators
Buddy Johnson’s forced fumble gave Texas A&M the final possession and ultimately a 41-38 upset of Florida on Saturday at Kyle Field.
Johnson finished with 11 tackles, including one for loss, but his key s gave the Aggies possession at the 50-yard-line with 3 minutes, 40 seconds remaining.
Kellen Mond (San Antonio Reagan) would ultimately engineer the winning drive that ended with a Seth Small (Katy) 26-yard field goal as time expired.
The Aggies jumped from No. 21 to 11 in the latest Associated Press poll with the victory, while Florida dropped from third to 10th.
Johnson was a two-time all-district selection during his high school career at Dallas Kimball.
A&M plays at Mississippi State (2-1, 2-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
Tune leads Houston to season-opening win
Clayton Tune and the Houston Cougars made the wait worthwhile by beating Tulane 49-31 on Saturday in the team’s season opener.
The Carrollton Hebron alum completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 319 yards and two touchdowns to go with another score on the ground. He finished with 12 rushes for 33 yards for Houston (1-0, 1-0 American Athletic Conference).
Houston faced a 10-point deficit in the first half, but scored the final 21 points against Tulane (2-2, 0-2).
Tune’s 41-yard touchdown strike to Marquez Stevenson 57 seconds into the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.
He started the final seven games of the 2019 season and was the incumbent starter heading into 2020. Tune passed for 6,686 yards and 66 touchdowns at Hebron and rushed for 1,074 yards and 20 rushing scores.
Houston hosts No. 15 BYU (4-0) at 8:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN.
Darden stands out in UNT loss
Jaelon Darden caught 13 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns in North Texas’ 49-21 loss to Charlotte on Saturday.
The former Houston Eisenhower standout was on the receiving end of scoring passes from Austin Aune (Argyle) from 28, 43 and 9-yards out for UNT (1-3, 0-2 Conference USA) against Charlotte (1-2, 1-1).
Darden played quarterback at Eisenhower earning a District 18-6A First Team honor as a junior and a District 16-6A Honorable Mention as a senior.
UNT visits Middle Tennessee (1-4, 1-2) on Saturday.
Amaewhule creates havoc for La Tech offense
Redshirt sophomore defensive end Praise Amaewhule helped wreck Louisiana Tech’s game plan despite UTEP losing 21-17 on Saturday.
The Katy Taylor alum had five tackles, including 3.5 for loss and deflected four passes in the UTEP (3-2, 0-1 Conference USA) loss. Louisiana Tech (3-1, 2-0) snapped the Miner three-game win streak.
Amaewhule and the UTEP defense held Louisiana Tech to 210 yards of offense and registered a season-best four sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
He had 70 solo tackles as a senior at Katy Taylor to go along with 23 tackles for loss.
UTEP hosts Southern Mississippi (1-3, 1-1) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
