ARLINGTON, Texas _ Texas A&M senior safety Armani Watts didn't say a word while those in maroon erupted in celebration on Saturday afternoon.
Watts ripped off his helmet, spiked his mouthpiece and merely blinked while his teammates surrounded him in the aftermath of A&M's 50-43 overtime win against Arkansas.
For the second straight year, Watts provided the game-clinching play against the Razorbacks. Last year it was a goal-line tackle on fourth down. This year, it was an interception in the end zone in overtime that sealed A&M's first win over a "Power Five" opponent since last year's win over Tennessee.
That, too, ended with a Watts interception in overtime. In a game where A&M (3-1) trailed twice in the fourth quarter against Arkansas (1-2), an A&M roster filled with freshmen relied on a couple of upperclassmen to win its first game in SEC play.
"Yeah, we have a lot of young guys, but we had enough old guys that have been through it and able to set the tone and attitude," A&M junior wide receiver Christian Kirk said.
Before Watts intercepted Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen, Kirk answered an Arkansas touchdown by returning a kickoff for a 100-yard score, A&M's first kick return score in seven years.
"It gave us confidence," said A&M senior running back Keith Ford, who finished with 102 yards and two touchdowns. "We already knew it was going to be a struggle, but there was just a little bit more fight in us."
It wasn't Kirk's only big play of the game. Early in the game, Kirk hauled in an 81-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Kellen Mond. The junior wide receiver and NFL draft prospect caught five of the six balls thrown in his direction and tallied 110 yards and two touchdowns.
The plays aren't the only contribution team leaders like Kirk and Watts had in the game. They were needed after A&M was on the wrong end of an incorrect call that took a touchdown off the board.
In the second quarter, Mond was ruled to have stepped out of bounds 10 yards shy of the Arkansas goal line, negating an 89-yard touchdown run that would have cut A&M's deficit to seven at the time.
A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said he gathered guys such as Watts and Kirk to keep those on A&M's sideline calm and relaxed after a drive that ended in a field goal and cost A&M a few points.
"The older players are able to step outside themselves and say, 'Hey, look, we're going to be all right,' Sumlin said. 'We got plenty of game left.' "
But talking isn't enough, Sumlin said. Watts and Kirk needed to capitalize on opportunities to make big plays.
Once A&M's offense and kicker Daniel LaCamera forced overtime with a 27-yard field goal, the old guys did the rest.
Kirk hauled in a touchdown pass from Mond, who finished with 309 yards of total offense. Then on the ensuing drive, Watts sealed the win with his interception.
For A&M to be successful in SEC play this season, it'll need more of the same from guys like Kirk and Watts who are used to in-game plot twists and turns during a season.
Once again this season, A&M relied on first-year players at key spots. The Aggies started four true freshmen on the field including Mond, who was among the throng congratulating Watts in AT&T Stadium's west end zone at the end of the game.
"That's what I'm talking about," Mond said.
Before he left the field, Watts emphatically dunked the ball into A&M's aluminum turnover trash can, capping A&M's third overtime win against the Razorbacks in the last four years.
Even after his 39th game for the Aggies, the senior still had plenty left in the tank, which is a good sign for a young team trying to find its way in the SEC.
