Texas A&M @ #4 Texas football preview

When it comes to this time of the year, it’s about sending a message and making a case. No. 2 Texas’ game on Thanksgiving Night against Texas A&M isn’t about the Longhorns just beating the Aggies.

It’s about the Longhorns beating the Aggies badly.

Thanks to Oklahoma’s win over Texas Tech last week, the Longhorns moved from No. 3 to No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. However, the margin between the Longhorns and Sooners is thin. Texas is at .921. Oklahoma is at .913. So the Longhorns have to do their politicking with the computer and make the case they are a great team. The better the style points in terms of a decisive win, the better the chances of them playing for a national championship.

Of course, getting to the Big 12 championship game plays a role, but the Longhorns don’t have to get there in order to play for the national title because:

If they win, Oklahoma St. beats Oklahoma and Texas Tech beats Baylor, the Longhorns lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Red Raiders. But because Texas Tech fell to 7 th in the BCS ratings, the Red Raiders would likely be unable to pass the Longhorns.
If Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech win and the Sooners pass the Longhorns in the BCS standings, the Sooners go to the Big 12 championship game. But if they lose to Missouri, then Texas is probably a lock to get into the national championship game.

For now, the only thing the Longhorns can control is how well they perform on Thursday.

“Discussion doesn’t help us,’’ Texas coach Mack Brown said. “What-ifs do not help us. Playing well and winning against A&M does help us with everybody in the country watching, because it’s such a showcase.’’

But this longtime rivalry is also about the Aggies loving nothing more than dismantling Texas’ national championship dreams. Although Texas A&M’s first year with coach Mike Sherman has been nothing short of a nightmare, winning this game eases the frustration. Plus, the Aggies are going for their third consecutive win over the Longhorns.

Although Texas junior quarterback Colt McCoy is probably running second in the Heisman Trophy to Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, he has been the fortress for this squad.

He has accounted for 3,661 total yards (3,134 passing, 527 rushing) and 38 touchdowns. McCoy has also spread the wealth. His top four receivers in Jordan Shipley, Quan Cosby, Chris Ogbonnaya and Brandon Collins are each averaging either 12.0 or 12.1 yards per catch.

> Check out theTexas A&M hats & merchandise as well as Texas Longhorns apparel available online through DFN Sports sites!

“The way we prepared and the amount of work that has been put in makes me think that,’’ McCoy said. “At this point, we just have to finish.’’

A&M’s trouble has been just about everywhere. Lack of team speed is glaring. The Aggies have rotated quarterbacks, and their Wrecking Crew defense has been anything but. The Aggies have allowed teams to average 36 points and 455 yards per game.

But quarterback Jerrod Johnson has showed some promise completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,373 yards and 20 touchdowns. Ryan Tannehill is averaging 15.6 yards per reception.

Hope for the upset hinges on perfect execution, forcing several Texas turnovers and counting on the Longhorns to find nothing but inconsistency. Considering that the Longhorns want to give the Aggies a little payback, don’t count on that.

Prediction: Texas 49, Texas A&M 14

Texas A&M @ Texas Notable:

Texas’ eight consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins ties for the second best streak in NCAA history. Miami (Fla.) had a streak from 1985-92. Florida St. has the all-time streak of 13 from 1987-2000.
Brown is going for his 200 th career win. He is 199-100-1 overall and 113-26 in 11 seasons at Texas. He is 7-3 in his career against the Aggies.
Since Brown took over the program, the Longhorns are 43-6 against teams within the state. They are 28-1 at home. The only loss was the 12-7 setback to A&M in 2006.

State Farm Lone Star Showdown

Texas A&M (4-7, 2-5) at No. 2 Texas (10-1, 6-1)

Time/Day: Thursday/7 p.m. CST
Site: Darrell K. Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin
TV: ESPN
Series: 115th meeting. Texas leads, 73-36-5

By Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Fans Staff Writer

Find more Big 12 football articles online through Big12-fans.com and check out our entire archive of Big 12 sports articles!