Texas College Football Capsules: Texas waits to learn its fate

AUSTIN - Now comes the hard part for No. 4 Texas: the wait.

A weekend of watching Oklahoma and Texas Tech will tell the Longhorns where they stand in the Big 12 and the BCS - and whether a team that spent a month at No. 1 will still have a chance to play for a national championship.

The Longhorns (11-1) wrapped up their last piece of business for the regular season with a 49-9 win over rival Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night, snapping a two-game losing streak to the Aggies.

Now it's up to the complicated BCS standings and Big 12 tiebreaking system to see where and when Texas plays next.

If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State and Texas Tech beats Baylor on Saturday, the Longhorns, Sooners and Red Raiders will finish in a three-way tie for first in the Big 12 South. The league tiebreaker will send the team rated highest in the BCS standings to the Big 12 title game next week against North division champ Missouri.

Right now, that's Texas, which holds a razor-thin margin over Oklahoma at No. 2. But it is widely expected that a Sooners win would bump them past Texas in the BCS.

If the Sooners lose and Texas Tech wins, the Red Raiders hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Longhorns and would represent the South division in the Big 12 title game. If Oklahoma wins and the Red Raiders lose, then Texas gets in based on its win over the Sooners.

The Longhorns are hoping they can somehow manage to hang on to that No. 2 spot after handing A&M the worst beating in the bitter rivalry since 1898.

"I think we played a heck of a season, beating Oklahoma, beating Missouri, beating Oklahoma State, all those teams, and to come out here against our rival Texas A&M and winning," senior defensive tackle Roy Miller said. "We can't control what's going on ... but a lot of things can happen."

Coach Mack Brown said he believes his team deserves a shot at the BCS title, but was a bit guarded in his postgame remarks.

"I think voters have a tough decision because there's a lot of really good football teams out there. Oklahoma is a great team. Texas Tech is a great team. I do not want to sit up and take anything from any one of those teams," Brown said.

"I do think that if we go to the Big 12 championship, it will probably be because we are a great football team and we did beat Oklahoma on a neutral site. We lost on the last play of the game out at Tech," Brown said. "I'm proud of our guys ... This team has been unbelievable this year."

Brown was more emphatic about quarterback Colt McCoy and his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy after another big game. McCoy passed for 311 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores against the Aggies.

"I do think he's the most valuable player on one of the best teams in the country. What a great night and what a statement for him for awards here at the end of the year," Brown said.

McCoy got career win No. 31, passing Vince Young to set a school record for starting quarterbacks while still just a junior. He also set a Texas season record with 3,594 yards passing.

Brown and his staff counsel their top junior players to consult with the NFL on their potential draft status. McCoy said last week he'll do that, but has maintained he plans to play for the Longhorns as a senior. He has not been projected as a first-round draft pick.

In Brown's 11 seasons at Texas, only three players - Young, running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Jermichael Finley - have left early. Only Young was a first-round pick, drafted No. 3 by the Tennessee Titans in 2006.

Thursday night's victory was special for McCoy because it was his first in three tries against the Aggies.

"It's been a great season and we finished strong and left it all out on the field," McCoy said. "I thank God for giving me this opportunity to play for this team."

Aggies say program is heading in right direction

COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman told his team repeatedly that "something special" was going to happen this season.

It never did, but the Aggies insist the fallen program is headed in the right direction under Sherman's leadership despite a rough 4-8 season that ended with the worst loss to rival Texas in more than 100 years.

The 49-9 defeat at No. 4 Texas on Thanksgiving night wrapped up the third losing season in six years for Texas A&M, with the record matching Dennis Franchione's first season in 2003. Like that year, Sherman's debut was marked by humiliating losses, including some at no-longer-imposing Kyle Field, and a defense that ranked among the worst in the Big 12.

But the Aggies say the former Green Bay Packers coach convinced the team better days are coming, even though they lost their last three games by an average of 33 points.

"This program is in great hands with coach Sherman," said outgoing senior quarterback Stephen McGee, who was a big Franchione supporter and missed most of his final season with a sprained throwing shoulder. "Obviously, we've got some huge strides to take. He's going to have to recruit. I don't care how great of a coach you are, you've got to have good players. I think he's going to do that."

Sherman signed a seven-year contract after replacing Franchione last November, but he was expecting more success in his first season as a college head coach.

The Aggies dropped their home opener to Sun Belt weakling Arkansas State, went winless against the Big 12 South and gave up more than 40 points in losses to Kansas State and Baylor.

"I think we could have done better this year than we've done," Sherman said. "I think we missed some opportunities that we should have taken advantage of as players and coaches. But I'm not going to get into, you know, ‘If this' or ‘What about that?' I feel confident in what we have coming back and where we're headed. That's more where my focus is right now."

Sherman said after Thursday's loss in Austin that he expects to retain his coaching staff. That would include 64-year-old defensive coordinator Joe Kines, whose inexperienced unit gave up 37.4 points and 461.9 yards per game.

"One season doesn't make a program," Sherman said. "I never anticipated when I came here that this was going to be a 12-0 season. I was hoping for a bowl, but it didn't turn out that way. But I feel good about the people we're working with."

Freshman receiver Jeff Fuller defiantly said late in the season that "I'm still not convinced that we're just a bad team." He draws belief for 2009 from his first two seasons at McKinney Boyd High School, where his team went 0-10 in 2006, then won seven games and reached the playoffs a year later.

"You definitely learn from experiences like that," he said. "Team chemistry builds. It definitely makes you go into the offseason and work harder."

Fuller was one of the reasons A&M fans should maintain some optimism for the future. He was one of 20 first-year players who saw action and one of several who made immediate impacts in starting roles. Among them:

-Kick returner Cyrus Gray set a freshman record with 1,592 all-purpose yards, the fourth-highest single-season total in A&M history. Gray had 146 yards on kickoffs against Texas and now has four of the top six kickoff return games in school history.

-Safety Trent Hunter was A&M's third-leading tackler (65) and led the Aggies with three interceptions.

-Fuller, who snubbed Oklahoma at the last minute to play for the Aggies, set a school record with nine touchdown catches. He and redshirt freshman Ryan Tannehill combined for 105 receptions for 1,474 yards, the second-highest season totals for any receiving duo in A&M history.

"It's really just a game of opportunities," Fuller said. "We were given great opportunities and we all took advantage of them."

Sophomore quarterback Jerrod Johnson also showed promise in his first season as the starter, though he struggled in the last three games. He still threw an A&M record 20 touchdown passes and put up two of the top five passing games in school history.

Johnson mostly carried the offense with his arm, since the Aggies averaged only 88.5 rushing yards per game behind a young and injury-ravaged offensive line.

"The thing I developed the most was pocket presence," said Johnson, who completed 59.5 percent of his passes. "I've had my share of success this year, but at the same time, I have a lot more things I want to work on to get where I want to be."

Sherman said he'd have individual meetings with all his players next week as part of his evaluation of the season. He's already met with his assistants to map out where the program goes from here.

"In spite of the fact that we didn't win and didn't perform well enough throughout the course of this season, I don't think you heard many excuses or finger-pointing or lack of accountability from the players or the coaches," Sherman said. "And that's a starting point, because if you're not honest with yourself, you're not honest with your shortcomings."

-- Chris Duncan

No. 7 Red Raiders need win, OU lose

LUBBOCK - No. 7 Texas Tech goes into its game Saturday against Baylor caring about more than just beating the Bears.

In addition to needing a win to remain in the hunt for their first Big 12 South title, the Red Raiders also need help from 11th-ranked Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys need to topple No. 3 Oklahoma for Texas Tech to play for the Big 12 title against 12th-ranked Missouri on Dec. 6.

OU, Texas and the Red Raiders are currently tied for first in the South with one loss each.

A Sooner win in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday night would send either OU or Texas to the Big 12 title game.

The Red Raiders (10-1, 6-1) are seventh in the BCS, behind both the Sooners and Longhorns, leaving them no shot to win the three-way tiebreaker for the division crown.

"We're obviously rooting for Oklahoma State," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said.

The Red Raiders had their perfect season ended emphatically in last week's 65-21 rout by the Sooners.

"We have been through some tough times before with this team, and this is just another one," Tech defensive lineman Jake Ratliff said. "We've got to rely on everybody on the team...just stick together."

Graham Harrell and Texas Tech, for the first time this season, struggled to move the ball against OU. Punts ended the Red Raiders first three possessions, fourth-down attempts the next two failed, and the Red Raiders got their first TD midway through the second quarter.

By that time, Oklahoma already had four touchdowns and the Sooners got into the end zone twice more by halftime. Down by 35 starting the second half, Texas Tech couldn't catch Oklahoma.

Baylor had the week off and is coming off a rare win, 41-21, over Texas A&M that snapped a four-game losing streak for the Bears.

It was only Baylor's second win in 23 tries against A&M. The Bears, who are winless in four tries on the road this season, were idle last week.

Bears players are eager to show how the program's grown under first-year coach Art Briles, who was an assistant in charge of running backs under Leach from 2000-2002.

"It's our last opportunity to show the nation what Baylor football really is about and let them know that all the work we did in the offseason wasn't in vain," defensive tackle Vincent Rhodes said. "We really worked towards something."

The Bears have lots of supporters in Austin. If Baylor pulls the upset, Texas would go to the Big 12 title game. But Bears have not beaten Tech since Leach arrived in Lubbock in 2000.

Leach, who with a win Saturday can bring Texas Tech only its third 11-win season in 84 years, sees a changed Baylor team.

"This biggest difference is the big play potential of their quarterback," Leach said of freshman Robert Griffin, who's rushed for 11 TDs and thrown for 14 more. "They are similar but they are inspired."

In the win over A&M, Griffin threw for 241 yards with touchdown passes of 31 and 55 yards. He pitched out to Jacoby Jones late on runs that led to two scores.

Harrell had his worst showing of the season against the Sooners, but Leach expects a rebound.

"They were trying to make too much happen," he said. "(Harrell) is a great team leader, and I think the players will draw from him this week."

Briles praised Michael Crabtree, Harrell's go-to receiver who caught the game-winner against then-No. 1 Texas with 1 second remaining, as one of the Big 12's best players.

"He attacks the football, plays with a lot of passion and he plays with a lot of energy," Briles said. "He is an outstanding blocker as well as a great receiver."

The Red Raiders will be off the field in time to watch OU play at Oklahoma State on Saturday night. Leach wouldn't speculate on whether players' watch parties would be organized. He also didn't commit on whether he'd be watching

"I watch less football than people think I do," he said. "I watch games and practice film during the day so I don't really watch games from start to finish. My wife watches enough for all of us."

--Betsy Blaney