No. 6 Texas pummels Texas A&M, 46-15
It got ugly early, and it didn't change much as the game went on. Boy, that Dennis Franchione certainly has been an improvement over that slacker and notorious underachiever R.C. Slocum, eh?? It looks like Aggies fans got exactly what they deserved- not that they'll see it that way, of course.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Cedric Benson ran for 283 yards and four touchdowns and No. 6 Texas strengthened its position for the school's first Bowl Championship Series bid Friday with a 46-15 win over rival Texas A&M.
Benson rushed for 205 yards in the second half against the 95th rated defense in the nation, helping the Longhorns (10-2, 7-1 Big 12) break open a game the Aggies (4-8, 2-6) kept close until the third quarter with two short touchdown drives after Texas turnovers.
Benson had 35 carries and scored on runs of 21, 4, 8 and 35 yards. He broke the record of the most rushing yards against the traditionally tough Wrecking Crew defense, surpassing former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams' 259 yards in a Texas win in 1998.
Terrence Murphy led A&M with seven catches for 150 yards.
Texas posted its sixth straight win since a 65-13 loss to No. 1 Oklahoma back on Oct. 11 that knocked it out of the national title chase. The Longhorns are ranked No. 6 in the BCS standings and most likely within an Oklahoma victory of an at-large bid to the Fiesta Bowl or Rose Bowl.
Texas needs the Sooners to beat Kansas State in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 6 to get to the BCS. If K-State wins, the Wildcats and Sooners will get the Big 12's two BCS bids, likely sending the Longhorns tumbling all the way to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
The Aggies' fourth straight loss in a series that dates back to 1894 was a bitter end to a disappointing first season under coach Dennis Franchione.
A&M wanted a quick turnaround after last season's 6-6 finish but stumbled badly down the stretch, losing its last three games to finish with a losing record for the first time since 1982.
This year's UT seniors finished their careers without having lost to A&M, which has never happened before. Given the way the Aggies looked yesterday, it may well be awhile before A&M fans have anything to celebrate. Oh, well; at least they play Baylor every year, so at least they won't go winless.
