2006 Texas A&M Aggies football team
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Texas A&M Aggies
football team completed the season with a 9-4 record. The Aggies had a regular season Big 12
record of 5-3.
The two programs are very similar in their offensive philosophies. Texas A&M came in averaging a very balanced 213.7 yards per game rushing and 209.1 passing while the Sooners averaged 178.4 yards on the ground and 204.8 through the air. Oklahoma was surrendering an average of 36 fewer yards per game on defense.
The game started well for the Sooners. Allen Patrick had 101 yards on 14 carries and Oklahoma scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to A&M's one field goal. After Oklahoma failed to recover an early surprise onside kick, however, the Aggies closed the gap to 4 points with a scoring drive capped by a one yard rumble from running back Jorvorskie Lane
. The defenses stiffened in the second half and both teams had to settle for field goals in the third and fourth quarters. In his second risky call of the game, Stoops had the Sooners attempt to convert a fourth-and-inches with 1:29 left to play and the ball almost to the offense's 30 yard line. The run by Thompson was successful but unnecessary as A&M was penalized for having too many men on the field and Oklahoma was able to run out the clock.
Paul Thompson had a disappointing day as he completed only three of his twelve passing attempts for a total of 39 yards. A&M's Stephen McGee was slightly better completing 8 of 18 for 63 yards, though he was picked off by Marcus Walker in the third quarter; Garrett Hartley kicked a field goal after the Sooners offense could not advance the ball after the turnover. The Aggies forced two fumbles of their own (one from Patrick and one from Thompson), but they were forced to punt after their own offense was also stymied. The player of the game was Allen Patrick; he finished the day with a career-high 173 yards on 32 carries and one touchdown, however, he suffered a sprained ankle during the last minutes of the game. Coach Wilson questioned whether he will be 100% for the next game. Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione
is now 0-4 against the Sooners.
On the day of the game, ESPN's College GameDay broadcast from College Station.
in college football and the game is part of a multi-sport rivalry called the Lone Star Showdown. It is the Longhorns' longest-running rivalry and Texas lead the series 73-34-5, including the last six in a row. During the week before the game, the Longhorns conducted their traditional Hex Rally
while the Aggies had an off-campus version of their traditional Bonfire
. and also staged a parade just prior to the game. The Longhorns announced that starting quarterback Colt McCoy, who was injured in the game against Kansas State, was cleared to play the game against the Aggies.
Since the series began in 1894 it has traditionally played on Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving weekend. The 2006 game marked the thirteenth straight game to be scheduled the day after Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day (one day prior to the game), the sports line in Vegas casinos had Texas favored by 13 to 13½ points while the weather forecast called for mostly sunny skies, a high near 81 °F (27.2 °C), and winds up to 15 mi/h from the South. The 2006 meeting was the first time in eight years that both teams entered the game with at least eight wins coming into the match-up. Going back to 1999 when UT lost the final three games of the season, the Longhorns had gone 87 games without losing back-to-back games. That was the longest active streak for any college or professional football team.
During 2006, the Texas A&M defensive coordinator
was Gary Darnell
who had been fired as defensive coordinator at the University of Texas under John Mackovic
.
The pre-game activities consisted of a military flyby
performed by AH-1 Cobra
helicopters from the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron HMLA-773 from Atlanta. Texas A&M won the coin toss and deferred, Texas elected to receive, and Texas A&M chose to defend the south end-zone. Kick-off was delayed while ABC side-line reporter Stacey Dales
did her pre-game report from the north end-zone.
Texas's first drive of the game ended when Henry Melton was stopped on a fourth-and-one run at the Aggie eight-yard who was led with a big push by freshman Tony Portillo.(7 m) line. The Aggies drove the ball the length of the field to score a touchdown, but missed on the extra point to leave the game at 6-0.
With about four minutes to play in the first half, McCoy connected with Limas Sweed for an apparent five-yard (5 m) touchdown pass. However, Sweed was flagged for a "questionable" pass interference call. According to the Austin American-Statesman the referee blew the call as replays showed that both players were involved in some "hand checking while the ball was in the air, but neither player appeared to push or be guilty of interference". All three broadcasters working the game for ABC also spoke out against the penalty call. In an ABC half-time interview, Mack Brown said “I thought it was a bad call,” but added “There’s nothing we can do about that. We should’ve done a better job on third down.”
Immediately after the penalty, Colt McCoy threw an interception near the Texas A&M goal line and the Aggies were able to run out the clock to take the 6-0 lead into half-time. The zero score marked the first time the Longhorns had been held scoreless in the first half of play since the 2004 season.
The only score in the third quarter was a rushing touchdown by Jamaal Charles, his seventh of the season.
In the fourth quarter, Texas A&M made a long-drive that took up nearly nine minutes. Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee
had taken so many hard hits that he was throwing up during the game, but he managed to make an 8 yards (7.3 m) touchdown run with 2:32 left to play. A&M was unable to convert their two-point attempt after the touchdown.
With 1:21 seconds left in the game and Texas trailing 12-7, McCoy threw his third interception of the game. Following the change of possession and sometime near the whistle signalling the end of the play on the field, Aggie Kellen Heard knocked McCoy to the ground as McCoy walked along the field unbuckling his chin strap. Heard was ejected from the game as a result of the "cheap-shot late hit" and the Aggies were penalized fifteen yards (14 m). McCoy was later quoted as saying that the tackle had not been a cheap shot.
Texas A&M's coach Dennis Franchione
later apologized for what he called a "late hit" saying "We do not teach this type of play or condone it." Texas held the Aggies to three-and-out and used all three of their time-outs in order to preserve game time. Texas got the ball back with 48 seconds left in the game.
With 20 seconds remaining in the game, Colt was injured by a "vicious, stadium hushing tackle" as Aggies defensive end Michael Bennett connected with his helmet under McCoy's jaw just as McCoy released a pass. Replays showed both on television and in the stadium revealed the hit included "helmet-to-helmet" contact which, if intentional, is illegal in NCAA football. No flag was thrown on the play. When the replay was shown in the stadium, the Longhorn fans erupted in boos before lapsing back into silence as McCoy lay on the ground for 10 minutes before being taken off the field on a cart. Mack Brown said after the game "I didn't see it, but it sounded like 88,000 (fans) thought it was dirty." Fellow Longhorn Selvin Young said he thought the hit was clean calling it a "textbook hit". McCoy was taken to Brackenridge Hospital where he spent more than three hours undergoing an evaluation that included an X-Ray
, MRI, and a CAT scan. Longhorns trainer Kenny Boyd said the injury was a severe pinched nerve in McCoy's neck. Boyd said that McCoy was expected to make a full recovery, but no timetable was set for McCoy to return to play. Months later, the Big 12 announced that their officials failed to make the correct call and that a late hit penalty should have been called against A&M's Michael Bennett. Colt McCoy, in a November 2007 interview, stated that neither this nor the earlier Heard tackle had been cheap shots.
Following the injury to McCoy, back-up quarterback Jevan Snead threw an interception on his first play of the game. With the clock rolling on the change of possession, time expired without the Aggies needing to take a play.
The Aggies amassed 244 rushing yards against the nation's top-ranked rushing defense. Texas, normally a potent running team, produced only four rushing first downs and did not have a single run longer than nine yards (8 m). Jamaal Charles, in a later interview, stated "We were looking weak. We thought they'd let up because we're Texas."
The 12-7 victory was the first time for the Aggies to win in Austin in 12 years. "They shattered all our dreams," declared Longhorn defensive end Brian Orakpo.
The game was the 40th consecutive home sell-out for the Longhorns and Justin Blalock
became the first player in Texas history to start 50 consecutive game.
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
football team completed the season with a 9-4 record. The Aggies had a regular season Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
record of 5-3.
Schedule
Roster
| Number | Name | Position | Height | Weight | DOB | Year | High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Chris Alexander | RB | 5-11 | 242 | 11/26/1984 | JR* | Humble, TX (Humble HS) |
| 8 | Matthew Almaraz | DB | 5-10 | 194 | SO* | San Antonio, TX (Jay HS) | |
| 41 | David Anderson | RB | 5-9 | 188 | SR* | Plano, IL (Plano HS) | |
| 35 | Jeremy Axel | LB | 6-0 | 220 | JR | Sugar Land, TX (Hightower HS) | |
| 71 | Yemi Babalola | OL | 6-4 | 298 | 03/24/1986 | SO* | Bryan, TX (Bryan HS) |
| 1 | Jonathan Batson | DB | 6-1 | 190 | JR | Converse, TX (Judson HS) | |
| 27 | Richie Bean | K | 6-0 | 180 | 06/24/1986 | SO* | Marrero, LA (Ehret, John, HS) |
| 13 | Martellus Bennett | TE | 6-7 | 248 | 03/10/1987 | SO | Houston, TX (Taylor HS) |
| 11 | Michael Bennett | DL | 6-4 | 263 | 11/13/1985 | SO | Houston, TX (Taylor HS) |
| 88 | Cody Beyer | WR | 6-1 | 180 | 08/31/1987 | FR | Spring Branch, TX (Smithson Valley HS) |
| 3 | Ben Bitner | DB | 5-5 | 166 | 10/03/1984 | JR | Round Rock, TX (Round Rock HS) |
| 39 | Greg Boothe | RB | 6-2 | 225 | 09/09/1984 | SR | La Grange, TX (La Grange HS) |
| 16 | Justin Brantly | P | 6-3 | 228 | 03/28/1986 | SO | Sealy, TX (Sealy HS) |
| 19 | Ty Branyon | QB | 6-3 | 213 | 09/17/1983 | SR* | Austin, TX (Bowie HS) |
| 18 | Arkeith Brown | DB | 5-11 | 170 | 05/01/1986 | SO | El Campo, TX (El Campo HS) |
| 28 | Japhus Brown | DB | 5-11 | 199 | 06/04/1985 | JR* | Edna, TX (Edna HS) |
| 85 | Jeremy Brown | WR | 6-2 | 205 | 09/29/1986 | FR* | Fort Worth, TX (Southwest HS) |
| 15 | Kenny Brown | WR | 6-2 | 194 | FR | Oklahoma City, OK (Putnam City North HS) | |
| 6 | Pierre Brown | WR | 6-2 | 200 | 01/10/1986 | SO* | Duncanville, TX (Duncanville HS) |
| 89 | Kevin Bryan | OL | 6-3 | 268 | 11/09/1985 | SO* | Lufkin, TX (Lufkin HS) |
| 85 | Red Bryant | DL | 6-5 | 324 | 04/18/1984 | JR* | Jasper, TX (Jasper HS) |
| 30 | Chevar Bryson | DB | 6-0 | 185 | 09/04/1986 | FR* | Midland, TX (Lee HS) |
| 33 | Melvin Bullitt | DB | 6-1 | 201 | 11/13/1984 | SR | Garland, TX (Naaman Forest HS) |
| 87 | Christian Caflisch | WR | 6-2 | 182 | FR | San Antonio, TX (Madison HS) | |
| 80 | Lorenzo Calloway | WR | 5-9 | 171 | SO* | Houston, TX (Smiley HS) | |
| 40 | Jarret Cantu | LB | 6-2 | 230 | FR* | Mission, TX (Sharyland HS) | |
| 13 | Marquis Carpenter | DB | 6-0 | 179 | JR | Melbourne, FL (Palm Bay Senior HS) | |
| 69 | Evan Carson | DL | 5-11 | 221 | FR* | Allen, TX (Allen HS) | |
| 49 | Anthony Carter | WR | 6-0 | 196 | SO* | Jacksboro, TX (Jacksboro HS) | |
| 54 | Corey Clark | OL | 6-6 | 317 | 06/21/1984 | JR* | Spring Branch, TX (Smithson Valley HS) |
| 22 | Latrael Cooper | RB | 6-0 | 217 | FR | Cuero, TX (Cuero HS) | |
| 20 | Michael Corey | WR | 6-4 | 209 | 06/18/1983 | JR* | Delta, UT (Delta HS) |
| 38 | Chris Curiel | DB | 6-0 | 196 | SR | San Antonio, TX (Reagan HS) | |
| 47 | Cory Davis | LS | 6-1 | 247 | SO* | Conroe, TX (Conroe HS) | |
| 77 | Grant Dickey | OL | 6-5 | 315 | 04/13/1984 | SR* | Tyler, TX (Lee HS) |
| 9 | Alton Dixon | DB | 5-11 | 200 | 02/01/1987 | SO | Lufkin, TX (Lufkin HS) |
| 50 | Mark Dodge | LB | 6-2 | 222 | 12/31/1980 | JR | Yerington, NV (Yerington HS) |
| 53 | Derrick Dumas | LB | 6-1 | 220 | FR* | Crawford, TX (Crawford HS) | |
| 64 | Kirk Elder | OL | 6-5 | 298 | 11/21/1984 | JR* | Spring, TX (Klein Oak HS) |
| 45 | Rawley Farrell | DB | 6-0 | 193 | 06/14/1985 | JR | East Bernard, TX (East Bernard HS) |
| 46 | Matthew Featherston | LB | 6-3 | 240 | 01/07/1987 | FR* | Poughkeepsie, NY (Poughkeepsie HS) |
| 73 | Price Ferguson | OL | 6-2 | 285 | FR | Katy, TX (Cinco Ranch HS) | |
| 44 | Pierre Fleurinor | DB | 6-0 | 200 | FR | Wharton, TX (Wharton HS) | |
| 8 | Kerry Franks | WR | 5-11.5 | 196 | 08/16/1985 | JR | Orange, TX (West Orange-Stark HS) |
| 93 | Paul Freeney | DL | 6-3 | 252 | 01/14/1987 | FR* | Houston, TX (Eisenhower HS) |
| 79 | Robbie Frost | OL | 6-6 | 308 | 06/12/1987 | FR* | Houston, TX (Stratford HS) |
| 86 | Amos Gbunblee | TE | 6-5 | 250 | 10/03/1985 | SO* | Cypress, TX (Cypress Springs HS) |
| 86 | Eric George | WR | 6-0 | 152 | FR* | ||
| 52 | Corey Gibas | S | 6-1 | 217 | FR | Covina, CA (Charter Oak HS) | |
| 67 | Sam Giesselmann | LS | 6-4 | 201 | SO* | Arlington, TX (Arlington HS) | |
| 23 | Brandt Goeke | WR | 6-0 | 165 | SO | Bellville, TX (Bellville HS) | |
| 34 | Marcus Gold | DB | 5-7 | 180 | 07/10/1986 | FR* | Irving, TX (Irving HS) |
| 44 | Weston Gooch | DB | 6-0 | 197 | FR* | ||
| 3 | Michael Goodson | RB | 6-0 | 192 | 05/23/1987 | FR | Klein, TX (Klein Collins HS) |
| 4 | Danny Gorrer | DB | 6-0 | 178 | 06/01/1986 | SO* | Port Arthur, TX (Memorial HS) |
| 26 | Devin Gregg | DB | 6-0 | 195 | 10/28/1986 | SO | Houston, TX (Westfield HS) |
| 74 | Lee Grimes | OL | 6-6 | 310 | 01/28/1987 | FR* | Brownwood, TX (Brownwood HS) |
| 17 | Nathan Haile | LB | 6-1 | 218 | 02/07/1984 | JR* | Friona, TX (Friona HS) |
| 52 | John Hamilton | LB | 6-1 | 220 | SO* | Temple, TX (Temple HS) | |
| 92 | Chris Harrington | DL | 6-5 | 267 | 01/19/1985 | JR* | Houston, TX (St. Pius X HS) |
| Will Harris | DB | FR* | Lakewood, OH (Lakewood HS) | ||||
| 91 | Kellen Heard | DL | 6-6 | 330 | 10/17/1985 | FR* | Wharton, TX (Wharton HS) |
| 19 | Charles Hewitt | DB | 6-0 | 210 | FR* | Sugar Land, TX (Stephen F Austin HS) | |
| 29 | Stephen Hodge | LB | 6-1 | 225 | 01/07/1985 | JR* | Dallas, TX (Lake Highlands HS) |
| 89 | Jason Jack | DL | 6-4 | 271 | 11/15/1984 | JR* | Humble, TX (Humble HS) |
| 1 | Jerrod Johnson | QB | 6-6 | 223 | FR | Humble, TX (Humble HS) | |
| 22 | Jeff Karr | DB | 5-10 | 195 | SO | Richardson, TX (Pearce HS) | |
| 98 | Andrew Key | TE | 6-3 | 235 | 04/28/1986 | FR* | Addison, TX (Trinity Christian Academy) |
| 24 | Tyler Kociuba | DB | 6-0 | 190 | FR* | Liberty Hill, TX (Liberty Hill HS) | |
| 72 | Alex Kotzur | OL | 6-5 | 285 | 01/15/1984 | SR* | Houston, TX (St. Thomas HS) |
| 15 | Matthew LaFon | DB | 5-10 | 194 | 1/22/1984 | SR | Magnolia, TX (Magnolia HS) |
| 55 | Nick LaMantia | LB | 6-1 | 227 | 11/25/1985 | SO* | Mission, TX (Sharyland HS) |
| 11 | Jorvorskie Lane | RB | 6-0 | 274 | 02/04/1987 | SO | Lufkin, TX (Lufkin HS) |
| 21 | David Latham | DB | 6-2 | 200 | SO* | Addison, TX (Trinity Christian Academy) | |
| 21 | Brandon Leone | RB | 6-1 | 218 | 09/11/1984 | SR* | Conroe, TX (Oak Ridge HS) |
| 36 | Anthony Lewis | LB | 6-2 | 244 | FR | Haltom City, TX (Haltom HS) | |
| 25 | Courtney Lewis | RB | 6-0 | 204 | 11/09/1982 | SR* | Houston, TX (Madison HS) |
| 29 | Daniel Mach | WR | 5-11 | 198 | 01/14/1986 | SO* | Garland, TX (Naaman Forest HS) |
| 42 | Nurahda Manning | LB | 6-3 | 250 | 08/29/1983 | SR* | Bay City, TX (Bay City HS) |
| 63 | Kevin Matthews Kevin Matthews (American football) Kevin James Matthews is an American football center for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2010... |
OL | 6-4 | 300 | 02/04/1987 | FR* | Missouri City, TX (Lawrence E Elkins HS) |
| 4 | Jamie McCoy | QB | 6-3 | 224 | 07/21/1987 | FR* | Midland, TX (Lee HS) |
| 7 | Stephen McGee | QB | 6-3 | 208 | 09/27/1985 | SO* | Burnet, TX (Burnet HS) |
| 34 | Timothy McKay | LB | 6-0 | 216 | JR* | Texas City, TX (Texas City HS) | |
| 59 | Mark Metzger | LB | 6-3 | 234 | SO | Harlingen, TX (Marine Military Academy) | |
| 5 | Howard Morrow | WR | 6-0 | 205 | 01/02/1987 | SO | Keller, TX (Fossil Ridge HS) |
| 32 | Layne Neumann | K | 6-0 | 174 | 08/14/1983 | SR* | Hondo, TX (Hondo HS) |
| 20 | Broderick Newton | DB | 5-11 | 183 | 07/22/1985 | JR* | Aledo, TX (Aledo HS) |
| 49 | Cyril Obiozor | DL | 6-5 | 257 | 09/26/1986 | SO* | Pearland, TX (Pearland HS) |
| 38 | Ryan O'Bryant | RB | 5-11 | 227 | FR* | Houston, TX (Chester W Nimitz HS) | |
| 58 | Alex Ott | DL | 6-4 | 285 | 04/10/1985 | JR* | Albuquerque, NM (Eldorado HS) |
| 65 | Joseph Parrish | OL | 6-0 | 244 | SR | Kingwood, TX (Kingwood HS) | |
| 78 | Lucas Patterson | OL | 6-5 | 306 | FR | Kingsville, TX (King HS) | |
| 68 | Eric Pennington | OL | 6-4 | 315 | FR | Houston, TX (Jersey Village HS) | |
| 82 | Antonio Perry | WR | 6-2 | 171 | 01/11/1986 | FR* | Hammond, LA (Hammond HS) |
| 27 | Jordan Peterson | DB | 5-10 | 186 | 08/18/1987 | FR* | Lexington, TX (Lexington HS) |
| 33 | Zachary Pietsch | WR | 5-11 | 180 | SO | Giddings, TX (Giddings HS) | |
| 53 | J Pond | OL | 6-5 | 317 | 01/25/1984 | SR* | Abilene, TX (Cooper HS) |
| 25 | Jordan Pugh | DB | 5-11 | 190 | FR | Plano, TX (Plano West Senior HS) | |
| 56 | Matt Rankin | OL | 6-2 | 255 | FR | Kingwood, TX (Kingwood HS) | |
| 44 | Jason Ray | TE | 6-4 | 202 | 12/16/1984 | JR | McGregor, TX (McGregor HS) |
| 90 | Leslie Ray | DL | 6-2 | 281 | FR | Midland, TX (Lee HS) | |
| 35 | Bryce Reed | DL | 6-0 | 295 | 03/23/1984 | SR* | Dallas, TX (W W Samuell HS) |
| 43 | Jodie Richardson | LB | 6-0 | 233 | 10/18/1986 | FR* | Duncanville, TX (Duncanville HS) |
| 98 | Dustin Riewe | LB | 6-0 | 220 | SO* | Elgin, TX (Elgin HS) | |
| 17 | L'Tydrick Riley | WR | 6-3 | 234 | 01/24/1984 | SR* | Crockett, TX (Crockett HS) |
| 60 | Josh Russell | OL | 6-4 | 328 | 11/08/1986 | FR* | Midlothian, TX (Midlothian HS) |
| 16 | Husani Sallah | DB | 5-8 | 174 | 12/02/1986 | FR* | Houston, TX (Worthing HS) |
| 18 | T.J. Sanders | QB | 6-3 | 206 | 10/01/1984 | JR* | Goddard, KS (Goddard HS) |
| 14 | Travis Sawtelle | DB | 6-0 | 177 | FR* | San Antonio, TX (Alamo Heights HS) | |
| 75 | Travis Schneider | OL | 6-8 | 295 | 02/08/1986 | SO* | Bellville, TX (Bellville HS) |
| 14 | Chad Schroeder | WR | 6-1 | 186 | 06/11/1983 | SR* | Austin, TX (Westlake HS) |
| 9 | E.J. Shankle | WR | 5-11 | 177 | FR | Lufkin, TX (Lufkin HS) | |
| 76 | Michael Shumard | OL | 6-5 | 305 | 10/14/1986 | FR* | Killeen, TX (Harker Heights HS) |
| 84 | Chris Smith | DL | 6-5 | 270 | 07/26/1985 | SO* | Allen, TX (Allen HS) |
| 95 | Henry Smith | DL | 6-3 | 318 | 06/19/1983 | JR* | Aliceville, AL (Aliceville HS) |
| 26 | Keondra Smith | RB | 5-9 | 207 | FR* | Tyler, TX (Lee HS) | |
| 47 | Blake Steadman | LB | 6-2 | 243 | SR | Houston, TX (Memorial HS) | |
| 7 | Matt Szymanski | K | 6-1 | 188 | FR | College Station, TX (A & M Consolidated HS) | |
| 2 | Earvin Taylor | WR | 6-3 | 244 | 01/30/1985 | JR* | Mission, TX (Mission HS) |
| 32 | Samson Taylor | RB | 6-0 | 205 | 09/12/1985 | SO* | The Woodlands, TX (The Woodlands HS) |
| 81 | Joey Thomas | TE | 6-5 | 247 | 12/24/1984 | JR* | Austin, TX (Westlake HS) |
| 41 | Demaurier Thompson | DB | 6-1 | 175 | FR | Dallas, TX (W.T. White HS) | |
| 94 | Marques Thornton | DL | 6-1 | 288 | 07/25/1984 | SR* | Houston, TX (Madison HS) |
| 37 | Misi Tupe | LB | 5-10 | 250 | JR | Ogden, UT (Bonneville HS) | |
| 91 | Ryan Vaughan | TE | 6-4 | 247 | SO* | ||
| 70 | Cody Wallace | OL | 6-4 | 296 | 11/26/1984 | JR* | Cuero, TX (Cuero HS) |
| 83 | Terence Ward | WR | 5-10 | 207 | SO* | Wharton, TX (Wharton HS) | |
| 10 | Justin Warren | LB | 6-2.5 | 245 | 04/10/1985 | SR | Tyler, TX (Lee HS) |
| 97 | Cody Williams | DL | 6-4 | 238 | FR | Longview, TX (Longview HS) | |
| 80 | Vincent Williams | DL | 6-4 | 310 | FR* | Dallas, TX (David W Carter HS) | |
| 84 | Drew Williamson | WR | 6-2 | 196 | SO | ||
| 10 | Jeff Wood | QB | 6-5 | 210 | FR* | ||
| 51 | Chris Yoder | OL | 6-3 | 318 | 10/22/1984 | JR* | Kingwood, TX (Kingwood HS) |
The Citadel
Louisiana-Lafayette
Army
Louisiana Tech
Texas Tech
The game was close throughout the first three quarters, with the most notable play being a 95-yard kickoff return by A&M's Kerry Franks. When Tech was trailing by 3 late in the game, Graham Harrell threw what appeared to be an interception that would ice the game for the Aggies. However, video replay showed that the ball skipped off the ground before Mark Dodge coralled it, so the play was overturned. Tech went on to take the lead with less than a minute left on the clock. This close loss would prove to be devastating to A&M, as they would have won the Big 12 South had Dodge's interception been allowed. Dennis Franchione fell to 1-3 against the rival Red Raiders.Kansas
Missouri
Oklahoma State
Baylor
Oklahoma
This game was Bob Stoops's 100th as head coach at Oklahoma; it was also the 25th meeting between the programs. The Sooners hold a narrow 15–10 lead in the series, though A&M has won five of the eight played in College Station. The Sooners have won their last four games while the Texas A&M Aggies came in with a four-game winning streak.The two programs are very similar in their offensive philosophies. Texas A&M came in averaging a very balanced 213.7 yards per game rushing and 209.1 passing while the Sooners averaged 178.4 yards on the ground and 204.8 through the air. Oklahoma was surrendering an average of 36 fewer yards per game on defense.
The game started well for the Sooners. Allen Patrick had 101 yards on 14 carries and Oklahoma scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to A&M's one field goal. After Oklahoma failed to recover an early surprise onside kick, however, the Aggies closed the gap to 4 points with a scoring drive capped by a one yard rumble from running back Jorvorskie Lane
Jorvorskie Lane
Jorvorskie Javion Lane is an American football running back. He played tailback/fullback for the Texas A&M Aggies college football team. He played tailback during his freshman through junior seasons, and switched to fullback his senior season. He holds the school record for career rushing touchdowns...
. The defenses stiffened in the second half and both teams had to settle for field goals in the third and fourth quarters. In his second risky call of the game, Stoops had the Sooners attempt to convert a fourth-and-inches with 1:29 left to play and the ball almost to the offense's 30 yard line. The run by Thompson was successful but unnecessary as A&M was penalized for having too many men on the field and Oklahoma was able to run out the clock.
Paul Thompson had a disappointing day as he completed only three of his twelve passing attempts for a total of 39 yards. A&M's Stephen McGee was slightly better completing 8 of 18 for 63 yards, though he was picked off by Marcus Walker in the third quarter; Garrett Hartley kicked a field goal after the Sooners offense could not advance the ball after the turnover. The Aggies forced two fumbles of their own (one from Patrick and one from Thompson), but they were forced to punt after their own offense was also stymied. The player of the game was Allen Patrick; he finished the day with a career-high 173 yards on 32 carries and one touchdown, however, he suffered a sprained ankle during the last minutes of the game. Coach Wilson questioned whether he will be 100% for the next game. Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...
is now 0-4 against the Sooners.
On the day of the game, ESPN's College GameDay broadcast from College Station.
Nebraska
Texas
This game marked the 113th meeting between Texas and the Texas AggiesTexas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
in college football and the game is part of a multi-sport rivalry called the Lone Star Showdown. It is the Longhorns' longest-running rivalry and Texas lead the series 73-34-5, including the last six in a row. During the week before the game, the Longhorns conducted their traditional Hex Rally
Hex Rally
Hex Rally was a pep rally at The University of Texas at Austin that occurred in the week prior to the annual football game between the Texas Longhorns and their in-state rivals, the Texas A&M Aggies.-History:...
while the Aggies had an off-campus version of their traditional Bonfire
Aggie Bonfire
Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies—built and burned a bonfire on campus each autumn...
. and also staged a parade just prior to the game. The Longhorns announced that starting quarterback Colt McCoy, who was injured in the game against Kansas State, was cleared to play the game against the Aggies.
Since the series began in 1894 it has traditionally played on Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving weekend. The 2006 game marked the thirteenth straight game to be scheduled the day after Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day (one day prior to the game), the sports line in Vegas casinos had Texas favored by 13 to 13½ points while the weather forecast called for mostly sunny skies, a high near 81 °F (27.2 °C), and winds up to 15 mi/h from the South. The 2006 meeting was the first time in eight years that both teams entered the game with at least eight wins coming into the match-up. Going back to 1999 when UT lost the final three games of the season, the Longhorns had gone 87 games without losing back-to-back games. That was the longest active streak for any college or professional football team.
During 2006, the Texas A&M defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
was Gary Darnell
Gary Darnell
Gary Brent Darnell is a former American college football player and coach. Darnell is native of Arkansas and an alumnus of Oklahoma State University, where he played college football...
who had been fired as defensive coordinator at the University of Texas under John Mackovic
John Mackovic
John Mackovic is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of United States national American football team, which was formed to compete in the American Football World Cup...
.
The pre-game activities consisted of a military flyby
Flypast
Flypast is a term used in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and other countries to denote ceremonial or honorific flights by groups of aircraft and, rarely, by a single aircraft...
performed by AH-1 Cobra
AH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois...
helicopters from the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron HMLA-773 from Atlanta. Texas A&M won the coin toss and deferred, Texas elected to receive, and Texas A&M chose to defend the south end-zone. Kick-off was delayed while ABC side-line reporter Stacey Dales
Stacey Dales
Stacey Dales, is a former Canadian basketball player and a current host on the NFL Network.-Basketball:...
did her pre-game report from the north end-zone.
Texas's first drive of the game ended when Henry Melton was stopped on a fourth-and-one run at the Aggie eight-yard who was led with a big push by freshman Tony Portillo.(7 m) line. The Aggies drove the ball the length of the field to score a touchdown, but missed on the extra point to leave the game at 6-0.
With about four minutes to play in the first half, McCoy connected with Limas Sweed for an apparent five-yard (5 m) touchdown pass. However, Sweed was flagged for a "questionable" pass interference call. According to the Austin American-Statesman the referee blew the call as replays showed that both players were involved in some "hand checking while the ball was in the air, but neither player appeared to push or be guilty of interference". All three broadcasters working the game for ABC also spoke out against the penalty call. In an ABC half-time interview, Mack Brown said “I thought it was a bad call,” but added “There’s nothing we can do about that. We should’ve done a better job on third down.”
The only score in the third quarter was a rushing touchdown by Jamaal Charles, his seventh of the season.
In the fourth quarter, Texas A&M made a long-drive that took up nearly nine minutes. Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee
Stephen McGee
Stephen Richard McGee is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for Texas A&M....
had taken so many hard hits that he was throwing up during the game, but he managed to make an 8 yards (7.3 m) touchdown run with 2:32 left to play. A&M was unable to convert their two-point attempt after the touchdown.
With 1:21 seconds left in the game and Texas trailing 12-7, McCoy threw his third interception of the game. Following the change of possession and sometime near the whistle signalling the end of the play on the field, Aggie Kellen Heard knocked McCoy to the ground as McCoy walked along the field unbuckling his chin strap. Heard was ejected from the game as a result of the "cheap-shot late hit" and the Aggies were penalized fifteen yards (14 m). McCoy was later quoted as saying that the tackle had not been a cheap shot.
Texas A&M's coach Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...
later apologized for what he called a "late hit" saying "We do not teach this type of play or condone it." Texas held the Aggies to three-and-out and used all three of their time-outs in order to preserve game time. Texas got the ball back with 48 seconds left in the game.
With 20 seconds remaining in the game, Colt was injured by a "vicious, stadium hushing tackle" as Aggies defensive end Michael Bennett connected with his helmet under McCoy's jaw just as McCoy released a pass. Replays showed both on television and in the stadium revealed the hit included "helmet-to-helmet" contact which, if intentional, is illegal in NCAA football. No flag was thrown on the play. When the replay was shown in the stadium, the Longhorn fans erupted in boos before lapsing back into silence as McCoy lay on the ground for 10 minutes before being taken off the field on a cart. Mack Brown said after the game "I didn't see it, but it sounded like 88,000 (fans) thought it was dirty." Fellow Longhorn Selvin Young said he thought the hit was clean calling it a "textbook hit". McCoy was taken to Brackenridge Hospital where he spent more than three hours undergoing an evaluation that included an X-Ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
, MRI, and a CAT scan. Longhorns trainer Kenny Boyd said the injury was a severe pinched nerve in McCoy's neck. Boyd said that McCoy was expected to make a full recovery, but no timetable was set for McCoy to return to play. Months later, the Big 12 announced that their officials failed to make the correct call and that a late hit penalty should have been called against A&M's Michael Bennett. Colt McCoy, in a November 2007 interview, stated that neither this nor the earlier Heard tackle had been cheap shots.
Following the injury to McCoy, back-up quarterback Jevan Snead threw an interception on his first play of the game. With the clock rolling on the change of possession, time expired without the Aggies needing to take a play.
The Aggies amassed 244 rushing yards against the nation's top-ranked rushing defense. Texas, normally a potent running team, produced only four rushing first downs and did not have a single run longer than nine yards (8 m). Jamaal Charles, in a later interview, stated "We were looking weak. We thought they'd let up because we're Texas."
The 12-7 victory was the first time for the Aggies to win in Austin in 12 years. "They shattered all our dreams," declared Longhorn defensive end Brian Orakpo.
The game was the 40th consecutive home sell-out for the Longhorns and Justin Blalock
Justin Blalock
Justin Christopher Blalock is an American football NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons. He played college ball as the right tackle for the Texas Longhorns under coach Mack Brown. He stands at 6'3.25" and weighs 320 lbs.-High school career:Blalock attended Plano East Senior High School, playing...
became the first player in Texas history to start 50 consecutive game.