• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Manziel back to old self as Texas A&M routs Vandy

Oct 26, 2013 - 10:22 PM College Station, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Johnny Manziel looked perfectly fine Saturday.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, who was limited in practice this week because of an injury to his throwing shoulder, was his usual productive self with 305 yards and four touchdowns through the air as No. 14 Texas A&M downed Vanderbilt, 56-24, at Kyle Field.

"My shoulder is just a little sore, I don't know if its bruised or what is going on," Manziel said. "It didn't cause me too many problems today, so that was positive."

Manziel completed 25-of-35 passes but did throw an interception, one of four consecutive turnovers at one point by the Aggies (6-2, 3-2 SEC), who were coming off a last-second loss to Auburn.

Howard Matthews made sure there wasn't another letdown, totaling 14 tackles and returning an interception for a score on the first play of the second half.

Mike Evans and Derel Walker each caught a pair of touchdowns passes against a Vanderbilt (4-4, 1-4) team coming off an upset win over then 15th-ranked Georgia.

Patton Robinette, who filled in admirably for injured starter Austyn Carta- Samuels last week, finished with 216 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions on 15-of-28 attempts in the loss.

Jerron Seymour's 4-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first half culminated 17 straight points by the Commodores after they trailed 28-0.

Any momentum they had withered away immediately after the break when Matthews stepped into the passing lane, picked off Robinette's toss to the sideline and went untouched for a 26-yard score.

"Starting the second half with an interception return for a touchdown is difficult. Turnovers on the road are difficult to overcome, especially on the road in the SEC," Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin said.

Manziel ended a string of four straight turnovers by leading a 10-play, 50- yard drive the saw him hit Walker for 14-yard TD with 6:10 remaining in the third.

It was the last pass Manziel threw, and his replacement, Matt Joeckel, added a 10-yard touchdown pass to Evans in relief.

With the outcome already decided, Robinette and Texas A&M's Brandon Williams traded 7-yard rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Texas A&M jumped out to a 28-0 lead just 1:13 into the second quarter.

Manziel was flawless on the game's opening possession, completing all 10 of his passes for 70 yards, including an 8-yard TD toss to Walker after Tra Carson kept the drive alive with a first-down run on 4th-and-1.

Vanderbilt went three-and-out on its first touch, and Walker made an acrobatic 32-yard catch along the sideline to set up LaQuvionte Gonzalez's 7-yard touchdown off a screen pass.

Manziel and Evans connected on a 43-yard strike later in the first quarter -- the 10th time the two have hooked up for a touchdown this season -- and Trey Williams punched one in from 11 yards out early in the second.

Vanderbilt got on the board with 8:58 left in the second quarter on Carey Spear's 23-yard field goal, and the Commodores recovered a surprise onsides kick. Robinette made the most of the extra possession by hitting a wide open Jonathan Krause for a 30-yard touchdown.

Game Notes

Texas A&M has scored at least 40 points in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the FBS ... Manziel needs 93 rushing yards to become the 17th player in FBS history to have 2,000 rushing yards and 6,000 passing yards in his career ... Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews caught eight passes for 92 yards and passed Georgia's Terrence Edwards for most career receiving yards in SEC history with 3,172 ... This was the first meeting between the schools.