Marco Jones, Isaiah Horton propel Texas A&M past ASU
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Carlos Leon-Trejo, Contributor
- September 13, 2026
Isaiah Horton adds two touchdown catches
COLLEGE STATION — As the ball fluttered in the air, Texas A&M defensive end Marco Jones seized his opportunity Saturday afternoon at Kyle Field.
Fellow A&M defensive end TJ Searcy hit Arizona State quarterback Cutter Boley, dislodging the ball. The ball hung up long enough for Jones to snatch it and sprint 55 yards toward the end zone.
Jones glanced at the video board, looked back to see a defender in pursuit, crossed the goal line and slammed the football as teammates embraced him following his pick-six.
‘A blur’
“Time kinda just slowed down a little bit,” Jones said after the 48-20 victory. “And I was like, ‘Go get it.’ And I went and got it and just started running, and then I was in the end zone. So it was kind of a blur, but it was cool.”
The No. 10 Aggies (2-0) were clinging to a 31-20 lead and stumbling after punter Tyler White fumbled the snap on fourth down at the A&M 34-yard line. Just as momentum appeared to shift, Jones helped the Aggies pull away before a sellout crowd of 107,523, the 10th-largest crowd in Kyle Field history.
“That was a huge play,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said after the 48-20 victory. “Any defensive touchdown is a big play.
“Defensive touchdowns in a four-point game are even bigger plays. Just a really big response from where we were off of the drop from Tyler White. I thought that was a really big play, obviously momentum-wise.”
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Texas A&M opened the scoring on running back Rueben Owens II’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4:55 to play in the first quarter. Arizona State answered with Reed Harris’ 21-yard touchdown catch.
Isaiah Horton scores twice
The Aggies regained control when quarterback Marcel Reed found wide receiver Isaiah Horton on a 4-yard touchdown pass. Horton secured the pass through contact.
Reed added another scoring throw in the third quarter. He found Horton again on a 13-yard touchdown pass. Reed also threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Craver, who tracked it over his shoulder and tapped the inside the pylon.
A&M kicker David Olano supplied steady points for the Aggies with a pair of field goals and six extra points and added two field goals.
Arizona State’s biggest offensive play came on Boley’s 58-yard touchdown pass to Reed Harris in the third quarter, which briefly pulled the Sun Devils within four points before Texas A&M pulled away for good.
Safety Lyrik Rawls intercepted Reed early in the third quarter to set up a field goal.
Defensive TDs
The Aggies closed with two defensive touchdowns. Jones’ pick-6 was created by Searcy’s pressure that pushed the Aggies firmly ahead.
Moments later, cornerback Julio Humphrey jumped a flat route and returned an interception 45 yards for the final touchdown.
“Our play doesn’t happen without TJ (Searcy),” Jones said. “(He) did a great job, gets home, does everything he needs to do, reaches, gets the ball up in the air.”
Carlos Leon-Trejo
Contributor
Carlos Leon-Trejo is a co-host on the Bring on the Blitz! podcast on the Our Esquina network. A graduate of the Texas A&M-Victoria, his reporting credits include major stages such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Big 12 Championship.
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