Texas A&M vs. Kansas State: Score and Reaction for 2016 AdvoCare Texas Bowl

The Texas A&M Aggies were the SEC representatives with the potential No. 1 pick anchoring their defense, but the Big 12's Kansas State Wildcats were the better team during Wednesday's Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Quarterback Jesse Ertz spearheaded the 33-28 victory with his arm and legs. He threw for 195 yards and a score and added 67 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as the difference in the game. Kansas State took control in the second quarter and used a crucial fourth-down stop on Texas A&M's final drive to earn the win.

The Wildcats moved to 9-4 on the season thanks to six wins in their last seven games, while Texas A&M dropped to 8-5 after a 6-0 start.

To the victor go the spoils, and Kansas State celebrated with head coach Bill Snyder in a unique way, as Max Olson of ESPN.com shared:

In addition to Ertz, Kansas State benefited from 107 receiving yards and a touchdown from Byron Pringle and 77 rushing yards from Justin Silmon. What's more, the offensive line neutralized the pass rush of NFL prospect Myles Garrett and created the rushing lanes for Silmon and Ertz.

On the other side, Trevor Knight threw for 310 yards, three touchdowns and one interception but couldn't put together a touchdown drive on Texas A&M's final chance. Keith Ford added 86 rushing yards and a score, while Josh Reynolds tallied 154 receiving yards and two scores.

Despite the loss, Texas A&M wasted little time jumping out to a lead with a dominant 10-play, 75-yard drive. Knight completed all five of his passes, and Ford capped the march with a seven-yard run.

Ryan Wallace of Rivals.com reacted to the quick strike:

Kansas State showed off speed of its own when Ertz hit Pringle in stride for a 79-yard touchdown. Pringle outran multiple Texas A&M defenders in the open field to complete the second-longest touchdown pass in the program's bowl history, per Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle.

The Wildcats maintained their momentum when Kendall Adams intercepted Knight. They didn't score off the turnover but seized the lead on their next possession with a 55-yard touchdown drive. Ertz demonstrated his running ability with a five-yard score, although Texas A&M blocked the extra point.

The Aggies answered right back when Knight threw a fade to Ricky Seals-Jones in the corner of the end zone. He made a brilliant fingertip catch, which ESPN CollegeFootball shared:

Kansas State retook the lead with a field goal and built on it when Dominique Heath exploded past the defense for a 52-yard touchdown run. 

Wallace praised offensive lineman Scott Frantz for helping spring the touchdown scamper:

The Wildcats took a 23-14 halftime lead but missed an opportunity to extend it after failing to convert on 4th-and-1 following a fumble recovery. Texas A&M's Hail Mary pass fell incomplete to end the half, although Kansas State picked up a personal foul after the play that was enforced on the kickoff at the start of the third quarter.

Ben Murphy of ESPN Radio shared the head-turning exchange:

The Aggies flashed some explosiveness on their first drive of the second half when Christian Kirk hauled in a 23-yard reception and Ford ran for 25 yards to set up another highlight-reel touchdown catch, this time from Reynolds.

The 90-yard touchdown drive gave Texas A&M momentum back after being outscored, 16-7, in the second quarter.

SEC Network passed along the critical catch:

However, Kansas State extended the lead to 26-21 with an Ian Patterson field goal, and his counterpart, Daniel LaCamera, missed a 52-yard attempt on the other end to open the fourth quarter.

After the special teams boost, Kansas State turned to Ertz's running ability again to grab full control. He ran six times on a 10-play touchdown drive—including the score on a sneak—to give his team a two-score lead with nine minutes remaining.

Ertz had two 20-yard carries on the possession, including an important third-down conversion, and TexAgs.com said it was par for the course for the Aggies defense:

Texas A&M would not go quietly, and Knight took full advantage of his talented receivers as he hit Kirk for 40 yards and Reynolds for a 15-yard touchdown to climb within a score.

The Aggies forced a three-and-out and drove inside the red zone before Ford lost four yards on third down and Knight threw an incompletion on fourth down with 2:11 left.

Ertz then ran for another first down as Kansas State worked the remainder of the clock and clinched the victory.

Postgame Reaction

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin commented on the loss, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): "It was a case tonight where either we stopped (Ertz) or gave up the home run. Consistency level was an issue. We gave up the three big plays in the first half and couldn’t get enough stops."

Kansas State Football shared Snyder's postgame comments to his team:

Robinett posted images of Ertz accepting trophies as the game MVP:

Ertz was asked if his team is expecting 10 or more wins next season and said, "That's the way we look at things," per Robinett.

If the Wildcats play like they did Wednesday, that is within the realm of possibility.