2008 Texas A&M Aggies Season

2008 Texas A&M Aggies Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Texas A&M Aggies

Nov. 27
Texas 49 … Texas A&M 9
Texas had few problems getting the big win needed, including the style points, as Colt McCoy ran for scores from 14 and 16 yards out and he threw two touchdown passes on the way to a 28-3 lead. The backups dominated in the second half as Cody Johnson ran for two scores from one and 23 yards out and QB John Chiles barreled in from two yards away. Texas A&M was stopped for -22 rushing yards and only got into the end zone in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard Jeff Fuller catch.
Player of the game: Texas QB Colt McCoy completed 23-of-28 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 11 times for 49 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Stephen McGee, 16-24, 207 yds
Rushing: Jorvorskie Lane, 5-10. Receiving: Jeff Fuller, 5-81, 1 TD
Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 23-28, 311 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Cody Johnson, 8-102, 2 TD. Receiving: Brandon Collins, 6-103, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The loss to the Longhorns showed just how huge the gap is between where the two programs are at. The Aggie lines were thoroughly beaten, while the running game was non-existent from the start. The short pass play to Mike Goodson that went for 54 yards showed that he’s a dangerous weapon who must be used, but he was stuffed fro five yards on six carries because he didn’t have any room to move. This will be a tough off-season with plenty of chances for improvement, but first things first, the coaching staff has to secure the lines. The skill players might be good enough to win with next year, but they need time to operate.

- 2008 A&M Preview
- 2007 A&M Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 4-8

Aug. 30 Arkansas State L 18-14
Sept. 6 at New Mexico W 28-22
Sept. 13 OPEN DATE
Sept. 20 Miami L 41-23
Sept. 27 Army W 21-17
Oct. 4 at Oklahoma State L 56-28
Oct. 11 Kansas State L 44-30
Oct. 18 Texas Tech L 43-25
Oct. 25 at Iowa State W 49-35
Nov. 1 Colorado  W 24-17
Nov. 8 Oklahoma L 66-28
Nov. 15 at Baylor L 41-21
Nov. 22 OPEN DATE
Nov. 28 at Texas L 49-9

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2007 Record: 7-6

Sept. 1 Montana State W 38-7
Sept. 8 Fresno St W 47-45 3OT
Sept. 15 UL Monroe W 54-14
Sept. 20 at Miami L 34-17
Sept. 29 Baylor W 34-10
Oct. 6 Oklahoma State W 24-23
Oct. 13 at Texas Tech L 35-7
Oct. 20 at Nebraska W 36-14
Oct. 27 Kansas L 19-11
Nov. 3 at Oklahoma L 42-14
Nov. 10 at Missouri L 40-26
Nov. 23 Texas W 38-30
Alamo Bowl
Dec. 29 Penn State L 24-17

Nov. 15
Baylor 41 … Texas A&M 21
Baylor took advantage of five turnovers, including two interceptions from LB Joe Pawelek, on the way to a stunning rout. Robert Griffin threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Wright and a 55 yarder to Thomas White, while Jay Finley and Jacoby Jones added touchdown runs in the third quarter on the way to a 41-7 lead going into the fourth. Texas A&M struggled with its consistency thanks to the turnovers, including four interceptions from Jerrod Johnson, but scored twice in the fourth quarter with a one-yard Jorvorskie Lane run and a five-yard Jeff Fuller catch.
Player of the game: Baylor QB Robert Griffin completed 13-of-23 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns, and hr ran 12 times for 56 yards
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 19-30, 244 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Jerrod Johnson 7-31. Receiving: Jamie McCoy, 4-57
Baylor - Passing: Robert Griffin, 13-23, 241 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jay Finley, 23-116, 1 TD. Receiving: Kendall Wright, 4-71, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Losing to Baylor might not be the indignity it has been in the past, but it’s not a positive sign for a season that’ll finish with a losing record. Now on a two-game losing streak with Texas coming up in two weeks, the Aggies can’t make the mistakes they made against the Bears, giving away the ball five times, and the lines will have to play far, far better. Baylor was able to do what it wanted to on offense, while the defense didn’t have to worry about any push from the Aggie ground game. Mike Goodson and Jorvorskie Lane aren’t doing anything.

Nov. 8
Oklahoma 66 … Texas A&M 28
Oklahoma tore off 653 yards of total offense and never let this be close as Sam Bradford ran for a 15-yard score and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Matt Clapp as part of a 28-point run to start the game. Chris Brown ran for three touchdowns and Bradford threw four touchdown passes. Texas A&M got a 20-yard Jamie McCoy touchdown catch and a two-yard Jarrod Johnson scoring run, but the Sooners answered with a 24-point run broken up by a 98-yard Cyrus Gray kickoff return for a score. The Sooner defense got into the act late with a 39-yard fumble return for a score from Dominique Franks.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for 23 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 11-31, 162 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 5-24. Receiving: Howard Morrow, 6-78
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 22-33, 320 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 7-123. Receiving: DeMarco Murray, 7-63, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Texas A&M simply couldn’t stop the bleeding early on against Oklahoma. As good as Jerrod Johnson might be, he couldn’t handle the pressure from the Sooner defensive front and was way too off on too many passes to keep up the pace, and the blowout was on. In a perfect world there would be some semblance of a running game to settle everything down and allow the defense time to rest, but Mike Goodson and Jorvorskie Lane combined for 15 yards on 10 carries, and the team finished with 26 rushing yards. Now the Aggies have to beat Baylor and Texas on the road to become bowl eligible.

Nov. 1
Texas A&M 24 … Colorado 17
Jerrod Johnson threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter and Trent Hunter stopped two Colorado drives with interceptions as A&M survived a sluggish game and a tight battle. Rodney Stewart ran for a two-yard touchdown for the Buffs in the first quarter, but he would later be lost to a broken leg after a horse-collar tackle. Down 10-3, the Aggies and Johnson got hot with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Tannehill and scoring passes from 59 and 10 yards out to Jeff Fuller. Colorado made it close late on a 10-yard Demetrius Sumler run, but couldn’t get any closer.
Player of the game: Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson completed 15-of-31 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 15-31, 214 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 11-80. Receiving: Jeff Fuller, 6-95, 2 TD
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 7-11, 109 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Tyler Hansen, 16-86. Receiving: Cody Crawford, 5-27
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... A&M might not always be pretty and the consistency isn’t there, but the team is playing well enough to beat the mediocre. After beating Colorado, the Aggies are on a two-game winning streak with Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas left to deal with, and needing two wins to get to a bowl. The defense is too porous and the offense too one-dimensional to beat the Sooners or Longhorns, but that doesn’t mean the Aggies won’t have a puncher’s chance if Johnson gets hot. Mike Goodson needs to be back and healthy after missing yet another game was a sprained knee.  

Oct. 25
Texas A&M 49 … Iowa State 35
Jerrod Johnson threw four touchdown passes and ran for a five-yard score to keep A&M one step ahead of Iowa State in the shootout. The two teams combined for 1,083 yards of total offense with Iowa State moving the ball at will, it didn’t punt, but two turnovers proved costly and there was no answer for Johnson. Jamie McCoy caught a 37-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and he caught a 12-yard scoring pass eight minutes later to give the Aggies the lead for good. Austin Arnaud ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown from nine yards out and threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Collin Franklin, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The two teams converted 22-of-30 third down chances.
Player of the game: Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson completed 31-of-39 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 16 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Iowa State - Passing: Austen Arnaud, 26-41, 371 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 16-85, 1 TD. Receiving: R.J. Sumrall, 9-143
Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 31-39, 381 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 14-69, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeff Fuller, 8-95, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Alright, so A&M isn’t going to play any defense this year. Everyone is fattening up on the Aggie secondary; if Iowa State explodes, there are problems. Fortunately, Jerrod Johnson has been fantastic completing 31-of-39 passes against the Cyclones while leading the team to score after score in the shootout. Without Mike Goodson to rely on, he has a banged up knee, Johnson has to carry the offense, and he’s doing a great job. If Colorado and its Big 12-worst offense rolls up 35 points next week, then just assume Oklahoma will throw 70 on the board the week after.

Oct. 18
Texas Tech 43 … Texas A&M 25
Texas Tech opened up a tight game with a strong second half scoring the first 23 points with A&M only able to get on the board with a blocked kick return for a two-point conversion. The Aggies controlled most of the first half with Stephen McGee throwing a three-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Tannehill and Mike Goodson running for a one-yard score, but Tech stayed alive with a 25-yard Michael Crabtree touchdown catch and two scores from Baron Batch. Graham Harrell finished with two short touchdown runs and three touchdown passes. The Red Raiders outgained the Aggies 561 yards to 306.
Player of the game: Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed 44-of-56 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns and two interceptions, and ran for two short scores.
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 26-39, 283 yds
Rushing: Mike Goodson, 8-18, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Goodson, 9-62 
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 44-56, 450 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 13-87, 1 TD. Receiving: Detron Lewis, 9-92
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Texas Tech did what good teams are supposed to do. After struggling early on against Texas A&M, the defense tightened up, adjusted, and controlled the second half while the offense kept on rolling. Tech held on to the ball for more than 22 minutes in the second half and finished with 10-of-12 on third down conversions. Graham Harrell spread the ball around well, and while he didn’t hit on much of anything deep, he kept taking what the Aggies gave him. He did a great job of keeping plays alive with his feet and his vision. However, for all the positives, the Red Raiders committed 10 penalties and committed three turnovers.

Oct. 11
Kansas State 44 … Texas A&M 30
Kansas State dominated early on with Josh Freeman running for two of his four scores and Courtney Herndon raking a blocked punt 10 yards for a touchdown on the way to a 27-3 lead. And then it was the Jerrod Johnson show as the Texas A&M quarterback started bombing away. He finished with 419 yards with a 55-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Tannehill in the final minute to add some cosmetic yards and points, and he also ran for a five-yard score. Freeman key the game out of reach with two short second half scoring runs. A&M outgained Kansas State 544 yards to 449.
Player of the game: Kansas State QB Josh Freeman completed 21-of 26 passes for 234 yards and ran 18 times for 95 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 21-26, 234 yds
Rushing: Logan Dold, 21-115, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeron Mastrud, 5-43
Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 29-41, 419 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jerrod Johnson, 17-68, 1 TD. Receiving: Ryan Tannehill, 12-210, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... On the down side, A&M’s defense was miserable yet again as Kansas State did whatever it wanted to, but offensively, Jerrod Johnson once again showed why he’s the future and a playmaker to build the program around. Unfortunately, the running game continues to be non-existent as Mike Goodson and Jorvorskie Lane combined for a mere 38 yards on nine carries. Johnson was the ground game. With Texas Tech up next, Johnson has to be ready for a shootout.

Oct. 4
Oklahoma State 56 … Texas A&M 28
Oklahoma State kept the offense rolling, but the defense and special teams made it a blowout as Ugo Chinasa picked off a pass for a touchdown and Dez Bryant returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown, to go along with a 29-yard scoring grab, on the way to a 21-0 lead. Mike Goodson did everything he could to keep the Aggies alive, running for touchdowns from 80 and 11 yards out, but he was banged up and only finished with eight carries. OSU kept on rolling as Bryant caught two more touchdown passes and Patrick Lavine returned an interception to stay comfortably ahead. A&M forced five turnovers and Andre Sexton made 12 tackles with a forced fumble and a sack.
Player of the game: Oklahoma State RB Zac Robinson completed 10-of-13 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran 15 times for 66 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma State - Passing: Zac Robinson, 10-13, 186 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Kendall Hunter, 21-90. Receiving: Dez Bryant, 5-103, 3 TD
Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 24-43, 218 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Mike Goodson, 8-112, 2 TD. Receiving: Ryan Tannehill, 7-49, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Mike Goodson is a warrior. He taped things up to try to get out there and battle against Oklahoma State, but he only ran eight times in the blowout loss. Jorvorskie Lane is non-existent, Jerrod Johnson is fine, but he’s not quite ready for primetime, and the turnovers are flowing. Oklahoma State is ripping up everyone, but A&M needs to find something that works to be able to hang with teams like this. Things are going to get uglier before they get better unless everyone gets healthy, and unless the defense started to figure out something it can do right.

Sept. 27
Texas A&M 21 ... Army 17
Texas A&M held tough on a late fourth down to finally stop an Army offense that cranked out 280 rushing yards with touchdown runs from Tony Dace from nine yards out and Patrick Mealy from four yards away. The Aggies lost QB Stephen McGee to a shoulder injury, but Jerrod Johnson came through with an 11-yard Jamie McCoy touchdown catch and the defense got a 58-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown from Paul Freeney. Army held on to the ball for 36:46 running 70 plays to A&M's 48.
Player of the game: Texas A&M DB Trent Hunter made 17 tackles and a tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Army - Passing: Chip Bowden, 1-4, 4 yds
Rushing: Chip Bowden, 34-128. Receiving: Jameson Carter, 1-4
Texas A&M - Passing: Stephen McGee, 7-9, 104 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 6-61. Receiving: Jamie McCoy, 5-60, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The team needs some sort of a spark. It struggled to come up with a big stop against the Army running game, while the offense had problems finding anything to rely on. Stephen McGee might need to be shut down for a while until his shoulder is fully healed, but Jerrod Johnson has been fine in his place. The big problem is the lack of a running game. There's no reason Texas A&M should be running for 133 yards against Army. That's inexcusable. Something has to change in a big hurry or next week's Oklahoma State game won't be pretty.

Sept. 20
Miami 41 ... Texas A&M 23
Texas A&M scored first on a brilliant 62-yard touchdown catch from Mike Goodson, and after two Graig Cooper touchdown runs for Miami, got within four on a 38-yard Riche Bean field goal late in the first quarter. And then it was all Miami with a 27-pount run helped by two Robert Marve touchdown passes and a fumble return for a score from Glenn Cook following a sack. A&M got the final two touchdowns on passes from Jerrod Johnson, including a one-yarder to Goodson, but it was far too little, too late. Cook led the Canes with nine tackles.
Player of the game: Miami RB Graig Cooper rushed for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 16 carries.
Stat Leaders: Miami - Passing: Robert Marve, 16-22, 212 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Graig Cooper, 16-128, 2 TDs. Receiving: Kayne Farquharson, 5-67, 1 TD
Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 19-32, 275 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Goodson, 12-67. Receiving: Jeff Fuller, 5-79, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... On the plus side, Jerrod Johnson showed flashes against Miami that showed he might be the star to build around for the next few years. Mike Goodson was Mike Goodson, making great plays when he got a chance to do something on the move, and there were some decent plays down the field. However, the team was sloppy. It couldn't tackle, it appeared out of position, and there wasn't any consistency to the ground game as the offensive line got beaten up by the Miami defensive front. Until the O line starts to improve, the offense will continue to sputter.

Sept. 6
Texas A&M 28 … New Mexico 22
Texas A&M overcame injuries to starting QB Stephen McGee and RB Mike Goodson with three touchdown passes from Jerrod Johnson, including two in the first half to Jeff Fuller, and the defense came through with a 48-yard Jordan Peterson interception return for a score. The Lobos rallied late with a five-yard Paul Baker run and a one-yard Rodney Ferguson score, his second touchdown of the game, but the Aggies were able to hang on. The two teams combined for 19 penalties.
Player of the game:  Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson completed 10-of-19 passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for ten yards on eight carries
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 10-19, 124 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 10-29  Receiving: Ryan Tannehill, 3-57
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 22-35, 154 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 19-135, 2 TD. Receiving: Chris Hernandez, 6-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Aggies wanted to get Jerrod Johnson under center, but they couldn’t come right out and make a quarterback change considering Stephen McGee is a team-leader. Now there might not be any choice as McGee hurt his shoulder against New Mexico. Johnson didn’t make any mistakes, and while he wasn’t dynamic, he won the game. The bigger loss could be Mike Goodson, the star running back who hurt his knee early on. He came back, but he might be less than 100% with some big games coming up. Considering Jorvorskie, who ran for 19 yards, has been banged up, Goodson needs to be healthy.

Aug. 30
Arkansas State 18 ... Texas A&M 14
Arkansas State scored 15 unanswered points in the second half taking the lead on a 15-yard Kevin Jones touchdown catch with under five minutes to play, and putting it away on a 37-yard Josh Arauco field goal with 1:12 remaining. A&M moved deep into ASU territory on the final drive, but Ben Owens picked off a Stephen McGee pass in the final seconds to seal the win. The Aggies turned the ball over four times, but they got up 14-3 in the first half on two Mike Goodson touchdown runs, but the offense failed to score in the second half. ASU outrushed A&M 255 yards to 133.
Player of the game: Arkansas State QB Corey Leonard completed 15 of 28 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, and ran 17 times for 86 yards.
Stat Leaders: Arkansas State - Passing: Corey Leonard, 15-28, 160 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 21-145. Receiving: Jahbari McLennan, 6-73
Texas A&M - Passing: Stephen McGee, 19-27, 170 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Mike Goodson, 24-124, 2 TD. Receiving: Mike Goodson, 6-30
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas State is a decent Sun Belt team, but this was still a disastrous loss to open the Mike Sherman era. Yes, Mike Goodson became the focal point of the attack, as expected, leading the team in both rushing and receiving. A&M made mistakes; ASU didn't. It's that simple. The Aggie defense did a good job getting the ASU offense off the field, but the offense has to be far, far better or this will be an ugly start with a tough game at New Mexico next week and Miami to follow.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Tommy Dorman QB 6-2 206 North Richland Hills, Texas (Birdville)
Lethal dual-threat quarterback can beat you through the air or on the ground. ... Has great touch and timing to go along with his strong arm. ... Sees the field well and is known for his accuracy.  ... Gains respect from teammates and coaches alike for his leadership skills.  ... Has already enrolled at Texas A&M and will go through spring drills with the Aggies.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Rod Davis DT 6-1 305 Houston, Tx. (Eisenhower)
Bruising defensive tackle can blow up a play before it even starts. ... Raw power and explosiveness allow him to dominate the line of scrimmage. ... Moves well along the line of scrimmage and shows good closing speed. ... Excellent leverage and quick first steps make him incredibly difficult to block.

Matt Moss DE 6-2 265 El Cajon, Calif. (Grossmont [Calif.] CC)
A junior college transfer with lots of experience, Moss could see playing time immediately. ... A speedy defensive end, Moss creates a devastating pass rush but can also take on blockers and be an outstanding run stopper.  ... Consensus Top 50 national junior college recruit. ... Also received offers from Arizona State and Kansas State.  ... Has already enrolled at Texas A&M and will go through spring drills with the Aggies.

Rest of the Class

Josh Ayers	TE	6-4	265	Euless, Texas (Trinity)
Eddie Brown	DT	6-0	265	Waller, Texas (Waller)
Aaron Buckley	LB	6-2	220	Palacios, Texas (Palacios)
Ricky Cavanaugh	LB	6-2	215	Austin, Texas (LBJ)
Blake Chavis	TE	6-5	209	Beaumont, Texas (West Brook)
Leroy Chevalier	OL	6-5	336	Houston, Texas (Yates)
Adren Dorsey	DT	6-2	297	Tyler, Texas (John Tyler)
Terrence Frederick	DB	5-10	170	Katy, Texas (Katy)
Jeffrey Fuller	WR	6-4	206	McKinney, Texas (McKinney Boyd)
Keon Furtch	S	6-2	190	Paris, Texas (Paris)
Cyrus Gray	RB	5-10	188	DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)
Derrick Hall	ATH	5-10	192	Beaumont, Texas (Central)
Trent Hunter	DB	5-10	185	Katy, Texas (Katy)
Jeffrey Hyde	OL	6-5	290	Colleyville, Texas (Covenant Christian)
Tony Jerod	DE	6-5	256	DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)
Chris Lathrop	OL	6-4	264	Cypress, Texas (Cy Fair)
Kyle Mangan	FB	6-2	222	Brenham, Texas (Brenham)
Brian Thomas	OL	6-3	270	Pearland, Texas (Pearland)
Joe Villavisencio	OL	6-4	322	Jacksonville, Texas (Jacksonville)
K.J. Williams	TE	6-3	233	Norman, Okla. (Norman North)

2007 Recap

Recap: The season Dennis Franchione had to have in order to save his job never materialized, pulling the plug on the Coach Fran era after five forgettable seasons.  After starting the year 5-1 against sub par competition, the Aggies retreated once the schedule got tougher, finishing 2-5, including an Alamo Bowl loss to Penn State.  Texas A&M was only able to get so far with one of the nation’s top rushing attacks, needing more from a toothless defense that couldn’t stop opposing quarterbacks or make enough plays behind the line.          

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Stephen McGee

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Chris Harrington

Biggest Surprise: After going six straight seasons without beating Texas, Texas A&M has now won two straight against its bitter rival.  Playing their best game of the year, the Aggies amassed 533 yards of offense behind a career passing day from McGee to outpunch the Longhorns, 38-30. 

Biggest Disappointment: In a marquee opportunity to pick up some national swagger, A&M barely showed up in a Thursday night game with Miami.  Looking like the same old Aggies, they fell behind 31-0 and managed only 240 yards of offense before scoring a couple of meaningless touchdowns against the Hurricane backups.    

Looking Ahead: The job of lighting a fire under the program now belongs to Mike Sherman, a former Aggie assistant who’s spent much of the last decade in the NFL.  Although the returns of McGee and backs Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson should bring the new coach comfort, they won’t help depth issues on both lines that are going to crop up in 2008.