'Horns score final 27 points, Slocum's future cloudy
Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the carnage, but it sounded ugly. A&M finishes their regular season a dismal 6-6, far below what their fans and alumni expected, and the question now becomes whither R.C. Slocum?
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Chris Simms won't win the Heisman Trophy, a national championship or even a Big 12 title.
Instead, he and Texas will have to be satisfied with doing something no Texas quarterback had done in 55 years: leading the Longhorns to three straight victories over rival Texas A&M.
Simms passed for 278 yards and three touchdowns to lead 10th-ranked Texas past A&M 50-20 Friday, a result that certainly won't stem speculation that Aggies coach R.C. Slocum will be fired.
Texas A&M (6-6, 3-5) had six turnovers, including four by quarterback Dustin Long that led to 16 points for Texas and denied the Aggies a touchdown when the game was still close.
The blowout could mean the end of Slocum's 14-year tenure in College Station. He is the Aggies' winningest coach with 123 career wins, but he's just 29-23 over the last four years.
Slocum said he plans to keep coaching the Aggies.
"I'm disappointed -- and that's as mild as I can put it -- about this season,'' Slocum said. "There is no question in my mind about my intent to coach the team in a bowl game or my intent to coach next season or for many seasons to come.''
While UT may get a Cotton Bowl bid, A&M's bowl status is uncertain. Expect the natives to begin beating the drums for Slocum's firing, particularly if the Aggies are not invited to go bowling. Slocum is by all accounts a fair and decent man, but fair and decent in this case have not translated into wins and national championships, which is what Aggie alums really expect.
Stay tuned, y'all. The natives are getting restless....
