Riding an emotional high following a last-minute comeback victory over LSU, Alabama came out flat against Texas A&M in a classic letdown game, allowing the Aggies to stack 20 points on the board in the first quarter before the Crimson Tide figured out how to contain star freshman QB Johnny Manziel and a talented Aggies offense.

Manziel, listed at a modest 6-1, 200 pounds but possessing a rifle arm, quick feet and a moxie rarely seen in a redshirt freshman, never once backed down from a physical, punishing defense. The playmaking passer wore out Kirby Smart’s defense with special improvisational skills as he commanded a 29-24 victory to hand Alabama its first loss of the season and sour its national championship hopes.

Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin, adjusting to his first year on the job entering the Southeastern Conference, set up Manziel to convert seven consecutive third downs to start the game, gassing one of the deepest defenses in college football so much that the Crimson Tide were forced to burn a timeout in the third quarter after getting caught trying to replenish defenders who were tapping out.

The Aggies were equally as sharp defensively. Senior DT Spencer Nealy repeatedly outquicked Alabama C Barrett Jones at the snap and disrupted the backfield along with junior DE Damontre Moore, who notched a sack to remain tied for the nation’s lead (12½).

Alabama junior QB AJ McCarron — regarded by some NFL evaluators as the first legitimate QB prospect that Nick Saban has produced during time at the school — came close to pulling off fourth-quarter heroics the same way he did against LSU last week, pushing the ball downfield very quickly on two consecutive drives.

Trailing 29-24 with less than two minutes remaining on a 4th-and-goal situation from the two-yard-line, McCarron threw an ill-advised pass that he birddogged the whole way and Aggies sophomore CB Deshazor Everett jumped in to intercept it and preserve the victory.