No. 10 Texas A&M beats Arizona State 48-20 as defense scores twice in fourth

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Marcel Reed had three touchdown passes and the defense scored twice in the fourth quarter as No. 10 Texas A&M pulled away late for a 48-20 victory over Arizona State on Saturday.

The Aggies led by 4 before Reed threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Mario Craver on the second play of the fourth quarter to make it 31-20.

Tyler White fumbled before a punt later in the fourth and Arizona State (1-1) recovered on the Texas A&M 34. But A&M's T.J. Searcy hit Cutter Boley as he threw on the next play and 261-pound defensive end Marco Jones grabbed the ball and rumbled 55 yards for the score.

“Time slowed down and I was like I’m going to go get it,” Jones said.

A&M (2-0) led 41-20 later in the fourth when Julio Humphrey intercepted Boley and returned it 45 yards for another score.

Texas A&M’s offense struggled to get going and was inconsistent at times, with Reed going 15 of 25 for 163 yards with an interception before the defense turned this game into a blowout.

“At times we played ugly, but we did the winning things right,” coach Mike Elko said. “We don’t want to live like that, but that’s what we did today, and that’s how we got the win.”

Boley was 21 of 34 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Reed Harris, a Boston College transfer, had a career-high 189 yards receiving with two scores after he had 137 yards receiving and two TDs last week.

“They had a really, really good plan and big credit to our kids for staying composed, hearing the adjustments, listening to the adjustments,” Elko said.

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham didn't take any solace in his team outgaining the Aggies 369-255.

“Stats are for losers,” he said. “Our stats showed that we played well and they’re for losers and that’s a great example of it. But it does show that we can be competitive, it does show that we can hang and it does show that we have a good football team. But we’ve got to clean up the important things.”

Lyrik Rawls made a diving interception on Reed’s first throw of the second half and the Sun Devils added a field goal on the ensuing drive to cut the lead to 17-13.

Reed found Isaiah Horton in the corner of the end zone on a 13-yard reception on A&M’s next possession to push the lead to 24-13.

Harris got in front of safety Dalton Brooks for a reception later in the third and simply outran him to the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 24-20 before Boley's late mistakes doomed the Sun Devils.

Arizona State muffed a punt with about six minutes left in the first quarter and Texas A&M recovered the ball on the 8. Rueben Owens gave the Aggies an early lead on his 2-yard scoring run three plays later.

A 21-yard TD catch by Harris tied it 7-7 near the end of the first.

The Aggies regained the lead when Reed found Horton wide open in the end zone for a 4-yard score with about nine minutes left in the second.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils have a dynamic offense and if they can cut down on their mistakes, they could be a contender in the Big 12 Conference.

Texas A&M: The Aggies must limit big plays and Reed will need to be more accurate if they hope to stay undefeated as they begin Southeastern Conference play next week.

Horton had two touchdown receptions after scoring once in his Texas A&M debut last week following his transfer from Alabama.

Elko has been impressed with the work of the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Horton so far.

“We needed that big receiver,” Elko said. “And you saw where the big receiver can help you in the red zone.”

The normally maroon-clad crowd at Kyle Field instead wore red, white and blue on Saturday to commemorate Friday's 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Fans in the upper deck wore red, the middle sections donned white and those in the lower level wore blue. The field was decorated for the remembrance, with one end zone painted red, the other one blue and the Texas A&M logo at midfield painted to look like the flag.

Arizona State: Opens Big 12 play against Kansas in the Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium in London next Saturday.

Texas A&M: Hosts Kentucky next Saturday.

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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) is tackeld by Arizona State linebacker Owen Long (22) after a 18 yard scramble during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Arizona State quarterback Cutter Boley (8) looks to pass downfield against Texas A&M during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Arizona State wide receiver Reed Harris (3) catches a pass over Texas A&M cornerback Julio Humphrey (6) before scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks to pass downfield against Arizona State during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

BERLIN (AP) — After enduring heartbreak in the women’s basketball final at the 2024 Olympics, France star Gabby Williams seems to be on a mission at the women’s FIBA World Cup.

Williams led her team to the final Saturday with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals in an 86-64 win over host Germany, setting up a showdown with the United States on Sunday for a repeat of the Olympic final.

The Americans won that gold medal match in Paris by a point, 67-66, after Williams’ last-second shot was just inside the 3-point line rather than outside to tie the game.

The U.S. moved into the World Cup final with a 76-66 defeat of Spain in the other semifinal Saturday.

Williams told reporters beforehand she had “no preference” which team France will face on Sunday.

The former UConn standout has been starring throughout the tournament with double figures in each of her five games. She has also supported teammates and pushed the team.

“It’s just great to have her as an example ... of consistency, of just hard work and and aggressiveness throughout all the game,” center Dominique Malonga told reporters. “It was a tough night for me, and just having her talking to me and pouring into me, having her energy helped a lot.”

France's win over Germany was undoubtedly the toughest so far with the home team receiving loud support from the partisan home fans at Berlin Arena. It was the first game in the tournament in which the French failed to break the 90-point mark.

But Williams was still proud of her team’s achievement — France had never played a women’s FIBA World Cup semifinal before so Sunday’s final will also be the country’s first.

“I’m proud of the fight in this group, the determination, the encouragement during the matches, and simply their effort,” Williams said. “We were up against a good team tonight. We’ve had matches that were a bit easier so to speak, but I’m glad we didn’t panic just because we didn’t win by 20 points right away.”

Williams scored all but one of her five free throws despite the efforts from the hostile crowd to put her off.

“I’ve been through quite a few moments like that. I know what that kind of pressure is like. I know what’s needed in those moments,” she said.

If Williams had any doubts, she didn’t show them.

“We’re not going to show weaknesses on the court, we’re not going to show doubts. If we did, our opponents would eat us alive,” she said.

Janelle Salaün, who had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Germany, said the 2024 Olympic final was in the past and would have no bearing on Sunday’s decider.

“That was two years ago,” Salaün said of the Olympics. “There were different people involved, different players, so now we’re focusing on tomorrow and the here and now.”

Whatever happens Sunday, France is set for its best World Cup finish. France hasn’t won a medal since the inaugural tournament in 1953, when the team finished third in the final round.

“It means a lot. This is the first time we’re taking it to this level,” France coach Jean-Aimé Toupane said. “You guys can see how French basketball all around the world is improving.”

Marine Johannès, another of the team’s stars, said there was no pressure to take home gold.

“If I’m (being) honest we have nothing to lose,” Johannès said. “We actually know they are a great team. They won every World Cup for years and years. We are playing with these players all season in W(NBA) actually. We know how good they are. It’s one game, nothing to lose. We are going to play hard and we’ll see what happens.”

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

France's Marine Johannes, left, and Pauline Astier hug after the Women's Basketball World Cup semifinal match between France and Germany in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

France's Marine Johannes guards Germany's Alexandra Wilke during the Women's Basketball World Cup semifinal match between France and Germany in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

French players celebrate after the Women's Basketball World Cup semifinal match between France and Germany in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

France's Valeriane Ayayi, left, Marine Johannes, center, and Mamignan Toure react during the Women's Basketball World Cup semifinal match between France and Germany in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

France's Gabby Williams scores over Germany's Marie Guelich during the Women's Basketball World Cup semifinal match between France and Germany in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)