The 2026 Maroon & White Game was a close, well-played affair, but an injury to linebacker Daymion sanford late in the first half changed the atmosphere of the proceedings.

With 1:46 remaining in the first half, Sanford had his left ankle twisted awkwardly while attempting to make a tackle on running back Ramarion Tillman and went to the turf, writhing in pain. Sanford, who was named a team captain Friday and had four tackles at the time of his injury, was carted off with an air cast on his lower left leg.

“Losing something, someone like that — it’s just, it’s really tough,” fellow linebacker Noah Mikhail said. “It’s really tough on the whole team, especially us linebackers.”

Sanford’s injury overshadowed the game itself, which ended in dramatic fashion when freshman quarterback Helaman Casuga hit walk-on tight end Luke Braden for 15-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game to give the Maroon team a 15-13 win over the White team.

“It was good to have an exciting game out there, get opportunity to get out in the field and finish this thing with the Maroon & White Game,” coach Mike Elko said.

The White team, which had quarterback Marcel Reed at the helm for much of the game, controlled the majority of the contest. Keyed by a 23-yard run by Jamarion Morrow (9 carries, 75 yards) and a pair of completions by Reed (8-13, 80 yards) to Mario Craver (4 catches, 64 yards), the White ended the drive with a 39-yard field goal from newcomer David Olano.

The Maroon team had success moving the ball up the field, largely due to connections from quarterback Brady Hart (8-16, 144 yards) to newcomer Isaiah Horton (3 catches, 79 yards), including a stellar pass and catch against good coverage for 30 yards.

“Those balls were thrown into tight coverage, and he came down with contested catches over the DB,” Elko said. “He has had a great spring, and we expect him to be a major player for us this fall.”

The primary scoring threat for the Maroon team until the final seconds was freshman kicker Asher Murray, who hit all three of his field goal attempts, including a 53-yarder which cleared the crossbar with ease. With Olano adding a 33-yard kick later in the game, A&M’s two kickers were 5 for 5 on the day.

“We’re excited to get those two guys in,” Elko said. “I think we’ve got two really good kickers that can really help us this fall.”

Murray’s efforts weren’t enough to give the Maroon team the lead, as the White defense scored the White team’s only touchdown. On his first pass of the day, Casuga threw a pass right to linebacker Noah Mikhail, who returned it 30 yards for a touchdown and, at the time, a 10-3 lead.

Casuga struggled mightily, going 5-15 for 49 yards, but came to life on the final drive of the game. With a running clock, the Maroon team took over with 7:01 remaining at their own 39. After a pair of 8-yard runs and an 8-yard catch by freshman running back Carsyn Baker (9 carries, 35 yards), the Maroon faced a 4th and 2 at the White 37. Casuga was able to evade being touched — which would have been deemed a tackle — and picked up 3 yards, keeping the drive alive.

The Maroon faced a 3rd and 10 at the 34, but Casuga found Braden for 11 yards took keep the drive alive as time ticked under a minute. Casuga then unleashed his best pass of the day, a 17-yarder over the middle that Braden hauled in as time expired.

” That’s what, to me, spring games are. It’s literally all about the kids,” Elko said. “For me, it’s about them getting to choose teams. It’s about them getting to go play a real game. It’s about them getting to go out there and Kyle Field and enjoy it.”

With spring practice out of the way, Elko said he’s pleased with the month of practice, but knows there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“We feel like we have the pieces in place to go out and be really successful,” he said. “Here’s where we are now. Let’s formulate a plan for summer so when we get back in fall camp, we’re further along. Let’s formulate a plan for fall camp, so that when we hit the season, we’re ready to go.”