AUSTIN, Texas – Get ready for another few days of hot debate about the Bowl Championship Series, the Big 12 title chase and the best player in college football – with the Texas Longhorns smack in the middle of it all.
Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy made another strong statement in his case for the Heisman Trophy and No. 4 Texas put a historic beating on an old rival with a 49-9 victory over Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night.
The question now is, was whipping a bad team good enough to keep McCoy and the Longhorns in play for the trophy and the championships?
“It was a great night for Texas football,” said Longhorns coach Mack Brown, who earned career win No. 200. “I felt they made the statement they needed to make. Starting with Colt.”
McCoy passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Longhorns (11-1, 7-1 Big 12) posted the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since a 48-0 Texas victory way back in 1898.
McCoy finished with 311 yards on 23-of-28 passing and ran for 49 more to earn his first win over the Aggies in three tries. He also got career victory No. 31, passing Vince Young to set a Texas record for starting quarterbacks, and set a Longhorns season record with 3,594 yards passing.
Defensively, Texas held the Aggies (4-8, 2-6) to 245 total yards and minus-24 yards rushing. The Longhorns sacked quarterbacks Jerrod Johnson and Stephen McGee six times
Texas, currently No. 2 in the BCS standings, now must wait until this weekend to see if its national title dreams are intact. The Longhorns are in prime position for at least a berth in a BCS bowl, but need some help if the team that spent a month at No. 1 will be able to play for the Big 12 title and BCS national championship.
A potential three-way tie for the Big 12 South division could swing to No. 3 Oklahoma if the Sooners beat No. 11 Oklahoma State on Saturday and leap Texas in the BCS rankings. Even if the Sooners lose, No. 7 Texas Tech still holds a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Longhorns going into the Red Raiders' game against Baylor.
That's why Texas needed a big win over a big rival in front of a national television audience. Style matters at this point in the season and the question now is whether Texas' victory impressed BCS voters. The Associated Press rankings are not part of the BCS.
“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 beat Oklahoma on a neutral site,” Brown said.
“The voters have a real tough decision. Oklahoma is a great team. Texas Tech is a great team. I do not want to sit here and take anything away from them. This league is better than it's ever been,” Brown said.
McCoy deflected questions about what should happen to his Longhorns at this point.
“We can't control all that. We wanted to leave it all out on the field and we did that,” he said. “It's been a great season.”
While the final score was lopsided, the Longhorns quickly found themselves in a physical battle.
The game got chippy even before the start. Shortly before kickoff, dozens of Longhorns and Aggies players were exchanging words in the end zone before coaches and game officials broke it up. After McCoy capped an 80-yard opening drive with a 14-yard TD run, he was sacked three times in the first half and knocked down on several other occasions.
The Texas defense, however, held the Aggies to minus-1 yard on their first three possessions. Texas A&M tried to find a spark in the second quarter with McGee, who beat Texas the last two years but has been relegated to backup duty most of this season.
McGee passed for 207 yards but could only lead A&M to a first-half field goal. Johnson returned in the fourth and passed for A&M's only touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“I just wanted to get out there and play, just get out there with the guys and play the game I love so much,” McGee said. “I'm just thankful for one final opportunity to put on the maroon and white and suit up and go get in there and compete.”
McCoy's TD passes to Brandon Collins and Quan Cosby made it 21-3 at halftime. The strike to Cosby came three plays after McCoy had been staggered with a hard hit to the chest. McCoy dodged a pass rusher, ran to his right and fired back across the field to Cosby in the end zone.
“Colt started making plays to turn that thing around,” Brown said. “He made a huge statement tonight. I do think he's the best player, he's the most valuable player, on one of the best teams in the country. We would not be where we are without him.”
In the third, Texas marched 80 yards on five plays and McCoy got his second rushing TD, this one covering 16 yards. McCoy split two defenders and got spun high in the air when he leaped between them at the goal line.
The Aggies have struggled mightily under first-year coach Mike Sherman in a season that began with a loss at home to Arkansas State and never got any better. The Aggies went winless in the Big 12 South for the first time.
“I think this program, this team, this family, this organization is headed in the right direction,” Aggies defensive lineman Alton Dixon said. “It's basically coming down to just winning the game.”
