Johnny Manziel Throws Three Picks, Still Puts on a Show vs. Mississippi State

Nov 9, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

Well, it’s officially possible that Johnny Manziel, Heisman Trophy winner and the most interesting player in college football–maybe football in general–has played his last home game as a member of the Texas A&M Aggies.

The emotion of the game and of the fans will obviously force Manziel to say he doesn’t know what he’s going to do or that he hasn’t even given thought to whether he will leave after this season, but we all know that’s just a lie to protect the lovely folks who fill up Kyle Field every week and to appease the thousands of fans across the country who root for Manziel and the Aggies.

We all know there is a better than decent chance that Manziel is going to leave after just two seasons of college football, even though two years ago at this time no one even knew who this guy was, or who was going to be replacing impending first round QB Ryan Tannehill for the Aggies.

There were so many questions surrounding the A&M program as it made a transition to the SEC, and Manziel was the guy to answer the call, winning the Heisman Trophy as a freshman and becoming the most famous athlete in collegiate sports.

Now, Manziel is that much closer to facing a major decision in his football career, one that most people believe will end in him declaring for the 2014 NFL Draft.

In the meantime, Manziel is still playing college football, and took fans on a serious ride Saturday against Mississippi State. There were times in this game where I was watching and just thinking–there’s no way this guy isn’t going to be a first round pick. Then you see Manziel throw some red zone picks, costing his team huge, and you think that that stuff simply will not fly in the NFL.

I can’t say Manziel is reckless with the football, because he’s not, but he’s certainly willing to take a lot of risks and sometimes the confidence he has in his own abilities can cost him.

That doesn’t mean he won’t improve.

We all know what Manziel brings to the table is special. I saw CBS yesterday compare him to Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, and Archie Manning. That’s pretty decent company to keep.

This guy is a human highlight reel and yes, he threw three interceptions against Mississippi State, but that didn’t prevent A&M from scoring 51 points behind Manziel’s five touchdown passes and 446 yards passing. In fact, including the three picks, Manziel still completed 30-of-39 passes on the day, and led the Aggies with 47 yards rushing.

It was a vintage Manziel performance in what certainly could have been his last game as an Aggie at home. If it wasn’t, it certainly felt like it was.