Coming into the Maroon and White match up, the White team seemed to be the underdogs going against a Maroon team stacked with regular season starters. However, the White team came out on top, winning 30-24 with big plays on both offense and defense.
The White’s offense was led by sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond at quarterback. Mond threw for 180 yards, going 19-for-26 with three touchdowns.
Mond reflected on his spring practice and his performance in the matchup, saying it has made him more confident within the offense and taught him a lot about his strengths on the field.
“I think the biggest thing, it’s helped me become more confident in the offense,” Mond said. “Obviously, it’s been proven to have success, but finding out what I do best, how I fit in the offense, and how I can execute.”
Helping Mond on the receiving end was sophomore wide receivers Kendrick Rogers and Camron Buckley who each came out with a touchdown. Rogers ended with 90 yards, going down the field for 32, while Buckley finished with 65 yards.
The rushing game belonged to Kwame Etwi. Etwi gained 86 yards for his team and came away with a 55-yard touchdown to put the White team ahead by seven in the second quarter. While sophomore linebackers, Buddy Johnson and Anthony Hines helped defensive wise with a combined 13 tackles for the Aggies.
Entering the second quarter down by a touchdown, the White team used this quarter to take control of the game. An interception and 17-yard return by junior defensive back, Rodney Elam put the team in motion. Sophomore quarterback, Kellen Mond connected to Ryan Renick in the next drive for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Tying up the game with a touchdown on each side.
Keeping their momentum going, the White team scored another touchdown just two minutes later. With 9:39 still left on the clock, senior, Kwame Etwi rushed for 55-yards through the Maroon line to advance to 14-7 early in quarter.
A big stop for the White’s defense came late in the second when the Maroon’s offense couldn’t seem to complete a pass. Starting quarterback for the Maroon team, Nick Starkel got his team down to the White’s 13-yard line but couldn’t secure a touchdown after throwing three incomplete passes. This forced a field goal attempt and senior placekicker, Daniel LaCamera put three up on the board for the Maroon team.
Senior defensive lineman, Landis Durham said overall, he thought their defense was able to stop the pocket from opening up and getting a big play. Durham credited this to their win over Maroon.
“I feel like we collapsed the pocket pretty well. I know the Maroon team was getting ready really fast. So, it was a little frustrating, but we saw our guys were working on both sides,” Durham said.
The offense would continue to score till the clock ran out as the game became more competitive on both ends. Soon after the field goal by LaCamera, Mond opened up the third quarter after connecting with Cameron Buckley on first and ten for a 26-yard touchdown. With the game now tied at 24, the deciding play came at the 39 second mark when Mond met with Kendrick Rogers for a 4-yard touchdown pass.
A&M head coach, Jimbo Fisher liked what he saw from Rogers. Fisher said with Rogers’ size and speed, he can be an asset to the team if need be.
“He’s the guy. With his size and his speed, he runs well,” Fisher said, “… for Kendrick [Rogers] its such a big body. When those big body guys can make plays even when their covered, going over people. I hope it builds his confidence because I think he’s got a chance to be a really good player for us if we need him to be.”