Texas A&M Fined $50,000 for Storming Field After Beating LSU
November 26, 2018
The SEC has fined Texas A&M $50,000 after its fans stormed the field early Sunday morning following the Aggies' epic 74-72 win over LSU in seven overtimes, per Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.
Texas A&M was a first-time violator of the conference's "access to competition area policy," per Alex Miller of the Dallas Morning News, and thus received the minimum fine after its fans flooded onto the field in celebration. A&M coach Jimbo Fisher released a statement on the incident later on Monday:
“We have continued to look into an unfortunate post game incident following a hard-fought, emotional game against LSU at Kyle Field on Saturday. As a part of that review, I, along with Texas A&M administration, LSU and the SEC office, have been examining video of the incident as well as statements from relevant parties. I want to assure everyone that the matter has been addressed internally with my staff members, and we will continue to demand that our program conduct itself in a manner that meets the values and expectations of this great university. We look forward to continuing our season at a bowl destination.”
It's hard to blame Texas A&M fans for jubilantly running onto the field after the contest. The Aggies appeared done and dusted in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, getting the ball back on their own 22-yard line with just 1:23 remaining.
But Kellen Mond drove the team 78 yards in 12 plays, capping the epic drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Quartney Davis. From there, the teams waged war against one another, matching field goal for field goal, touchdown for touchdown and even two-point conversion for two-point conversion until the seventh overtime.
When LSU failed to convert its two-point attempt in that session, the door was open for Texas A&M. Mond answered, hitting Davis on a 17-yard score and Kendrick Rogers for the two-point conversion.
The game of the year featured controversial calls, a premature Gatorade bath and one of the catches of the season:
All was not joyous in the aftermath of the victory, however, as a scuffle broke out between the coaching staffs from the two teams. The SEC announced Monday that it is still investigating that incident, per Brody Miller of NOLA.com.