Johnny Manziel stuck to the company line.
But one of his teammates was reading between them.
The Texas A&M quarterback wouldn't really even entertain the question of whether Saturday's 51-41 win over Mississippi State was his final home game, a suggestion that the third-year sophomore might turn pro early. But junior wide receiver Malcome Kennedy wasn't bound by a script, and his thoughts on the matter, as reported by expressnews.com, spoke of both Manziel's Aggies career and that of star receiver Mike Evans in the past tense.
"We've created so many memories, but it's so much bigger than just those two," Kennedy said. "It was fun watching them, and everybody would love to see them back here again, but you've got to make some decisions in life.
"And it was fun playing with them."
Sounds like Kennedy knows what most have expected regarding Manziel and what more have begun to assume over the course of the season about Evans.
Both Manziel and Evans are third-year sophomores, and thus eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft if they choose to forego their remaining two years of college eligibility. The duo, roommates when TAMU is on the road, has been an unstoppable combination for one of the most prolific offenses in the college game this season. Manziel's development as a passer has produced statistics that exceed his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign last year, while Evans' 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame has been more than any secondary on the Aggies' schedule can handle. Evans has a single-season school-record 1,263 receiving yards with three regular season games left to play.
Still, Manziel wasn't biting at the NFL bait Saturday.
"Not one bit. I'm just focusing on getting us to a BCS berth (or) the best bowl we can get to. That's my only focus right now," Manziel said when asked if he had played his last game at Kyle Field.
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