Wake Forest defeats Texas A&M in wild Belk Bowl

The SEC is now 0-2 in this bowl season after their latest defeat Friday afternoon. The Texas A&M Aggies fell to the ACC’s Wake Forest Demon Deacons 55-52 in a wild edition of the Belk Bowl.

The two teams traded punches for a majority of the afternoon. After A&M went up 14-0, the Demon Deacons scored 31 unanswered points. Then, by the time the second half ended, Christian Kirk’s two touchdown receptions cut the deficit to 10. Kirk shot out of the gate and had another TD reception early in the third quarter to bring the deficit to three. After a field goal by Wake Forest, Keith Ford rushed into the end zone to give the Aggies their first lead since the first quarter.

After that, it was a back and forth volley. A&M would increase the lead to four after a field goal, and then Wake answered with a TD. Jhamon Ausbon scored a touchdown at the 5:52 mark, giving the Aggies a 52-48 lead. However, that lead wouldn’t last long, as nearly three minutes later, Matt Colburn II scored the go-ahead (and eventual game-winning) score to make it 55-52.

A controversial play on the Ags’ final drive tipped the scales in Wake’s favor. It sure looked like the aforementioned Ausbon was interfered with, but the referees claimed the pass from Nick Starkel was uncatchable. The Ags weren’t able to convert later on, and the Demon Deacons picked up the dub as a result.

So ends a tumultuous, topsy-turvy season in College Station. Now the attention turns to 2018, with new head coach Jimbo Fisher taking the reins soon. The Aggies may look a little more different next year, depending on how the NFL Draft impacts them. But the time for a fresh start at A&M has now arrived. We’ll see how it plays out.