November 26, 2005 6:25 AM

And you thought the Super Bowl was big

Longhorns wins showdown

No. 2 Texas 40, Texas A&M 29

Horned: Horns edge Aggies in close game, 40-29

Horns survive scare at A&M

Texas 40, Texas A&M 29

For those of y’all outside of The Great State of Texas, y’all could be forgiven for thinking that there are football games bigger than the annual UT-A&M showdown. Y’all would be sadly mistaken if you think there’s anything bigger, especially in the state of Texas. The Aggies and Longhorns annual face-off is the biggest day on most any Texas calendar, and why it’s played on a Friday morning is something that escapes me. Yes, I know that television dollars dictate everything when it comes to big-time college football, but for those of y’all on the West Coast who slept in, y’all missed one hell of a game.

On paper, it didn’t look like yesterday’s game would amount to much. A&M was 5-5, a season-long underachiever whose mediocre season had some in Aggieland looking for Coach Dennis Franchione’s scalp. Texas, at 10-0, has been #2 to USC all season long, and needed a win to keep pace in their push for a Rose Bowl berth opposite USC on January 4th. Yes, the game didn’t look like much on paper, but, as Chris Berman would say, that’s why they play the game.

Coming in, Vince Young looked as if he had a realistic shot at winning this year’s Heisman Trophy. On this day, though, he was outplayed and outclassed by A&M backup quarterback and redshirt freshman Stephen McGee (who??). McGee was under center for injured Aggie senior starter Reggie McNeal, and he looked for most of the afternoon like a Heisman contender. His passing statistics weren’t much to get excited about, but he rushed for over 100 yards, and he kept A&M in the game. Quite a thrill for a young man making his first career start, eh?

COLLEGE STATION - Battered and bruised, Vince Young and No. 2 Texas are still undefeated and a step closer to the Rose Bowl. Even if it was a much tougher step than most expected.

While far from perfect, Young and the Longhorns were good enough to keep their national title hopes intact with a tough 40-29 victory against Texas A&M on Friday.

Ramonce Taylor ran for two touchdowns, Cedric Griffin returned a blocked punt for a score and the Longhorns survived Young’s shakiest game of the season.

The Heisman Trophy candidate was not even the best quarterback on the field Friday, and for the first time since Texas won at Ohio State by three way back in September, the Longhorns had to put in a full 60 minutes off work to notch the victory.

“I was never nervous. That’s not me,” Young said. “Nervousness, scariness, that’s not even in our vocabulary.”

Young is one of the leading contenders for the Heisman Trophy, but A&M freshman quarterback Stephen McGee made the plays and provided the inspirational leadership the Longhorns usually get from their quarterback.

Starting in place of injured senior Reggie McNeal, McGee ran for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns as A&M made a strong run at pulling off one of the biggest upsets in a 111-year-old rivalry.

“I wanted to have fun and lead these guys. I want to do it with everything I have,” said McGee, who raised his arms after both of his touchdowns to whip up the excited home crowd. “I’m already sore. I know I’ll be sore tomorrow.”

Yeah, but he’ll be smiling tomorrow. No, he didn’t lead his team to a win, but he gave it everything he had, and he’ll likely remember this game for the rest of his life.

For one afternoon, at least, Texas looked vulnerable. If you’re a USC fan, that’s got to give you some hope. Of course, Texas did go into Ohio Stadium and pull out a win over Ohio State, and they did come back against Oklahoma State after being down at halftime for the third year in a row. If Texas can get through the Big 12 Championship Game unscathed, the Rose Bowl promises to be a hell of a shootout. In the eyes of most Texas exes, though, it still won’t top yesterday’s game.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on November 26, 2005 6:25 AM.

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