Titan'd Up: Former Aggie Tannehill leads Tennessee to AFC Championship

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Ryan Tannehill might never receive the respect he's earned. Even during his college days at Texas A&M, few will place him in the same category of the likes of someone such as Johnny Manziel.

It doesn't matter what respect he's gained. He's exceeded expectations at every turn throughout his NFL career. On Saturday night, Tannehill did the impossible and kept the Tennessee Titans' season alive for another week.

The Titans picked up a 28-12 win on the road against the top-seed Baltimore Ravens. With their victory at MT&T Stadium, Tennessee is now one win away from a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LIV.

Despite the team relying on the legs of Derrick Henry, Tannehill gave the Titans an early lead on the road. The 31-year-old quarterback would go 7 of 14 for 88 yards and two touchdowns. For the second straight week, Tannehill would throw for under 100 yards and still find the keys to victory.

KALIF HAS A NEED FOR SPEED! ⚡ #TENvsBAL pic.twitter.com/C78CbGjSh1
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 12, 2020

In the first quarter, the veteran signal-caller would connect with Jonnu Smith for a 14-yard touchdown. At the start of the second, he'd make his longest connection of the night with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond.

Following a Justin Simmons fumble recovery, Tannehill would culminate a six-play drive leading to positive points for Tennessee. Showing off his legs and brute strength, the former Aggie would punch it in for a 1-yard touchdown, giving the Titans a 28-6 lead.

IT'S TANNEHILL TIME! @ryantannehill1 | #TENvsBAL pic.twitter.com/RGHDMgWQk7
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 12, 2020

A week following their 20-13 victory over the top-ranked defensive New England Patriots, Tennessee tallied () total yards of offense against one of the league's elite teams. Holding potential MVP Lamar Jackson to () total yards of offense, the Titans defense allowed Tannehill to extend plays, ending drives with points for the offense.

Henry once again led the charge overall for the offense. Collecting 190 rushing yards, the former Heisman Trophy winner made headlines with his jump pass to Corey Davis for a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter. For the second straight game, Henry has rushed for over 180 yards and scored a touchdown.

Tannehill started for the Aggies from 2008-2011. A wide receiver turned quarterback spent two season catching balls before throwing them to open targets. Moving back to quarterback as a senior, Tannehill would throw for 3,744 yards, 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions during the 2011 season.

The Miami Dolphins would select him with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He would be traded to the Titans this offseason for a sixth-round pick. For his career at A&M, Tannehill threw for 5,450 yards, 42 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. The also collected 112 catches for 1,596 receiving yards, 369 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns.

2 TD passing, 1 TD rushing. @ryantannehill1 leads his @Titans to the AFC Championship game. 👍#NFLAggies ✖️ #NFLPlayoffs #GigEm https://t.co/rNOOspWgrd
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) January 12, 2020

The Titans now will wait to find out where they will head next. They will face the winner of Kansas City versus Houston, who kickoff tomorrow at 2:05 p.m.