Even though the Aggies were unable to complete a remarkable comeback as a 2-point conversion fell incomplete with 46 seconds left, Fisher and his team had sent a message to the SEC and football fans nationwide: the 2018 version of Aggie football isn't going to be pushed around.

"It was one heck of a football game," Fisher said afterward. "It hurts. There's no doubt because you see how close you were in playing against the number two team in the country."

Double-digit underdogs, the Aggies came out and moved the ball very effectively on their first two drives but came away with little to show for it. Kicker Daniel LaCamera missed a 26-yard field goal after A&M's first drive stalled inside the 10, but hit one from 40 after a Clemson 3 and out.

After that, the momentum switched heavily in Clemson's favor. With the Kyle Field crowd in full roar, Tigers QB Kelly Bryant (12-17, 205 yards, 1 TD) hit Tee Higgins for 64 yards on 3rd and 15, moving Clemson inside the A&M 20. Three plays later, Bryant scampered in from a yard out to make it 7-3.

After a quick A&M possession, Clemson went to talented freshman QB Trevor Lawrence, who rewarded Dabo Swinney immediately with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Higgins, who jumped over A&M corner Charles Oliver and then outran him to the end zone. Down 14-3 and with the offensive line struggling to contain Clemson's vaunted defensive line, it looked like the Aggies were on the verge of being blown out of the building.

Then an unlikely hero emerged: punter Braden Mann. On two possessions out of three, Mann blasted punts of 69 and 73 yards out of his own end zone, slowing Clemson's momentum. On the one in between, he drilled Clemson's Mark Fields when the TIger corner attempted to return LaCamera's blocked 50-yard field goal try.

The Aggies went in at the half down 14-3, but quarterback Kellen Mond, who entered the game known as a better runner than passer, got hot. He would go 5-6 for 127 yards in the third quarter, including a 69-yard strike to Camron Buckley and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Rogers almost immediately after Clemson scored to go up 21-6.

Mond would get even better in the fourth quarter, going 12-17 for 206 yards and two scoring passes as the Aggies kept on clawing back into the game. The Aggies closed the gap to 28-20 when Mond, rolling to his left under pressure, threw up a pass to the end zone just before he was taken down. Receiver Quartney Davis caught his prayer for his first career reception and touchdown.

"He went out and made some big time plays on the field," Fisher said of Mond. "The moment as not too big for him, and I love it."

Davis was involved in the biggest controversy of the game, as the Aggies moved back down the field after forcing Clemson to punt after five plays. Attempting to reach the end zone, Davis fumbled the ball out of bounds with 2:02 to go. Even though it clearly looked to be out of bounds short of the end zone, the officials and replay crew deemed it a touchback and gave the ball back to Clemson.

The Aggies were given another opportunity to call it a night, but responded once more. After forcing a 3 and out for Clemson and a shanked punt that traveled just 22 yards, A&M had the ball at the Tigers 49 with 1:06 to go. After a pass interference penalty moved the Aggies closer, Mond (23-40, career high 430 yards and 3 TD) hit Rogers (7 catches, 120 yards, 2 TD) at the front of the end zone to pull A&M to within 28-26 with 46 seconds left.

"I saw how the defense was playing, and I knew if Kellen read it right, it’d come to me. When I saw the ball got tipped, I got worried but I stuck with it and made a great catch," Rogers said.

A&M would get no closer, however, as the Aggies' 2-point conversion try was no good and LaCamera's onside kick attempt was recovered by Clemson.

"We were in a dog fight," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said after the game. "It is a shame someone has to lose a game like that. It's two teams that played with such a great will to win."

On the other side, Fisher said he wasn't interested in moral victories, but expressed his pride in his team. His players, though, were said what many people watching the game were thinking.

"We showed what we can do," defensive end Kingsley Keke said. "We can compete at a high level with any team."

Dodson agreed.

"I think we gained a lot of respect, honestly," he said.

While viewers and college football analysts nationwide may express surprise tomorrow and early next week about A&M's toughness and their ability to stick with the nation's No. 2 team, Fisher said he wasn't surprised at all.

"(The team's ability was) nothing I didn’t know. Maybe something they didn’t know. I’ve been seeing it coming," he said.

And, in spite of a painful loss, Jimbo Fisher smiled.