Texas A&M @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 26, 2009 ) Texas 49, Texas A&M 39

The Texas A&M offense has gotten plenty of headlines this season. But maybe it’s the defense that should have Texas worried.

The No. 18 Aggies will be looking to extend their winning streak to six games and keep their slim hopes of a spot in the Big 12 title game alive when they visit the rival Longhorns on Thursday.

It looked like another mediocre season in College Station when a 3-0 start just as quickly turned into 3--3 after a home loss to Missouri on October 16. But those three losses came with Jerrod Johnson at quarterback and each came against strong competition, with Missouri the only true home game in a stretch with losses at Oklahoma State and in Arlington against Arkansas.

The turning point came in a 45-10 drubbing of Kansas on October 23, when Johnson started and broke the Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 Big 12) career record for total yardage before yielding in the second quarter to Ryan Tannehill, who had taken just 12 snaps previously and had been used mostly as a wide receiver during his first three years.

But Tannehill looked right at home under center against the Jayhawks, throwing for three touchdowns. He turned that success into a more wins, dialing up the competition in home victories over Texas Tech and Oklahoma and a victory at Baylor on November 13. Tannehill led the Aggies to at least 33 points in each of those wins.

No. 8 Nebraska proved to be the biggest test, as Tannehill relied on running back Cyrus Gray and guided the Aggies to a 9-6 victory on national television. Gray rushed for 137 yards on 26 carries while Tannehill threw for 172 yards and did not turn the ball over. Randy Bullock kicked a 19-yard field goal with 3:02 left to seal the win.

It was the defense that stood out, forcing a pair of turnovers and holding Cornhuskers’ duel-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez to 17 yards rushing and 107 yards passing.

Texas A&M has won five straight Big 12 games for the first time since 1998 and still has a very slim chance to sneak into the Big 12 title game if Oklahoma tops Oklahoma State on Saturday and the Aggies somehow managed to vault the Sooners in the BCS standings.

For one team to rise, another has to fall, and that has been Texas (5-6, 2-5) this season. The perennial power has taken a big step back, falling to last place in the Big 12 South. The Longhorns, who played for the national championship last season, need a win this weekend just to become bowl eligible.

Texas stepped away from conference play last weekend and managed to snap a four-game slide with a 51-17 victory over Florida Atlantic. Garrett Gilbert threw a pair of touchdown passes and Cody Johnson rushed for 128 yards and a score.

Coach Mack Brown has not suffered a losing season since 1989 when he was at North Carolina. The Longhorns are 9-3 against Texas A&M in the Brown era and own a 75-36-5 edge in the series history.