Texas A&M vs. Louisville: Score and Reaction for 2015 Music City Bowl

In each of his first three seasons, head coach Kevin Sumlin watched as a Texas A&M quarterback's brilliance propelled him to bowl-game victories.

On Wednesday, Sumlin found out what it's like to be on the opposite sideline.

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson accounted for four touchdowns, spearheading the Cardinals to a 27-21 victory over Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.    

Jackson, a freshman whose regular-season play was inconsistent at best, was nothing short of spectacular on the big stage. He threw for 227 yards, completing 12-of-26 passes, and added another 226 on the ground as he accounted for 453 of Louisville's 534 total yards.   

Only two other quarterbacks—Texas' Vince Young and Texas A&M's own Johnny Manziel—have passed and rushed for 200-plus yards in a bowl game, per ESPN Stats & Info:

“(Early in the season), a lot of people could tell I was just a true freshman,” Jackson said before the game, per Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal. “I didn’t really know the offense that well, but now I’m really getting to know it, and Coach can tell. They’ve got me under center, and I can tell I’m maturing.”

Most of Jackson's big plays came in the first half, particularly in the first quarter. He led the Cardinals on three touchdown drives in the first 15 minutes, capped off by a sensational 61-yard scamper that gave Louisville a 20-7 lead. 

Mark Ennis of CardChronicle.com noted how loaded the ACC is with young talent:

While Louisville was watching its quarterback's breakout performance, Sumlin was all the way down to his third-string quarterback. The surprise transfers of Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray left transfer Jake Hubenak as the Aggies' only viable option.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Hubenak acquitted himself well in his first career start, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns against an interception. The sophomore will likely enter 2016 as Sumlin's best option under center, and if Wednesday served as an audition, he was far from disappointing. His 28-of-48 performance was one of the best by a Texas A&M quarterback all season, and he nearly led the Aggies back from a two-score deficit.

Accurate assessment here:

Hubenak is still clearly in need of seasoning—he airmailed a few passes, threw others into tight coverage and made some incorrect reads—but there was at least some promise there.

"He's been through it all already," A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said before the game, per Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle. "He's been to a Division I program (in OSU) that's had success offensively, and then moved on to a junior college and worked his way back here. He knows the highs and lows of what's going on, and he understands the definition of being a team player."

The Aggies also have to be encouraged by Hubenak finding a rapport with the receiving corps. Josh Reynolds had a season-best 11 receptions for 177 yards, while Christian Kirk also set a 2015 high with 10 grabs for 84 yards. 

Running back Tra Carson also turned in a solid game, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. 

Overall, the win is head coach Bobby Petrino's first bowl triumph since his return to Louisville and the first overall since 2011 at Arkansas. The Cardinals won three of four bowl games under Charlie Strong before his departure for Texas after the 2013 season.

The loss marks Sumlin's second postseason defeat in eight seasons as a head coach. With so much turmoil surrounding the quarterback position, this is another disconcerting sign for the Texas A&M program. 

Postgame Reaction

Sumlin complimented Hubenak on his performance, per Matt Barbato of SEC Country:

"

He really gave us a chance to win the game at the end. It’s a heck of a position for a guy that makes his first start and a lot of guys rallied around him. For a guy to come in and do what he did and our team to give us a chance at the end of the game with everything that happened for the 55 minutes beforehand, you got to be proud of him.

"

Sumlin wasn't happy with his team's defensive performance, however: "We just couldn’t get the ball back and get a turnover when we needed it. Anytime you lose the turnover battle it becomes tough to win the game and you give up 300 yards rushing."

Jackson, who played the starring role, praised his defense for getting a late stop, per ESPN.com: "We just needed the ball back because I messed up. The way they were playing, it was just awesome."

Petrino highlighted how far his team has come since its slow start: "The first thing I thought of was, 'Wow, we were 0-3 and we got a great win at the Music City Bowl.'"