COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M quarterback Jaylen Henderson threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns and the Aggies defeated Abilene Christian 38-10 on Saturday to start the Elijah Robinson era.
Robinson, A&M’s defensive line coach, is serving as the Aggies’ interim coach following last week’s firing of Jimbo Fisher. Robinson also is a candidate to take over full time for Fisher.
The Wildcats (5-6) grabbed an early, short-lived lead on A&M’s first offensive possession. ACU linebacker Cirby Coheley returned what was ruled a fumble by Henderson 49 yards for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game.
Henderson was hit on the play by linebacker Reese Young and the ball popped into the air. Coheley snagged the pop-up and hustled nearly half the field for the surprising early score.
A&M tied the game less than three minutes later on a 7-yard Rueben Owens touchdown run, and the double-digit victory for the SEC team versus its WAC opponent was on.
The Aggies (7-4) added scores on a 34-yard Randy Bond field goal, a 13-yard touchdown catch by Noah Thomas, a 49-yard touchdown catch by Moose Muhammad III, a 3-yard touchdown run by David Bailey and a 13-yard touchdown catch by Jaden Platt from backup quarterback Marcel Reed with 56 seconds remaining.
Owens had a game-high 106 rushing yards on 18 carries and Muhammad III had a game-high 104 receiving yards on four catches. ACU quarterback Maverick McIvor finished 19 of 34 for 149 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Henderson is a transfer from Fresno State and started the season as the Aggies’ third-string quarterback. He moved up the depth chart after starter Conner Weigman was hurt on Sept. 23 against Auburn and his backup, Max Johnson, was hurt on Nov. 4 at Mississippi. Henderson led the Aggies to a 51-10 thrashing of Mississippi State on Nov. 11 at Kyle Field in what turned out to be Fisher’s finale at A&M.
THE TAKEAWAY
The Aggies had a slow start under their interim coach but finally gained some steam in the second quarter and fourth quarter in overwhelming their less-talented visitors. A&M, which lurched at times against ACU, will need to greatly improve over the next week to have a chance to win at LSU for the first time since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012.
UP NEXT
ACU's season is complete.
The Aggies, eligible for a bowl for the first time in two years following last year’s 5-7 finish, wrap up their regular season on Nov. 25 at SEC West rival LSU.
___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
