Aggies miss golden opportunities and fall to Texas

Chad Cross, a DFW native, began his career in the roofing industry in 1996. Driven by a desire to provide quality and excellence in customer service, Chad founded his own company, CLC Roofing, Inc., in 1999. Chad is a second generation Aggie, a member of the Class of ’94 and was a member of the Corps of Cadets Squadron 12. Chad is married to Ms. Lynee ’95 and they have three Aggie sons: Cade ’22, Carson ’25 and Chase ’27. Chad enjoys golfing, reading, watching sports, and spending time with family at their home in Southlake, Texas. As multisport season ticket holders, Chad and Lynee are fortunate to spend a lot of time in Aggieland and attend Aggie sporting events. Chad has more than 25 years of experience in the roofing industry, including sales, project management and manufacturer representation as disaster adaptation. Chad and his team at CLC Roofing, Inc. are committed to ensuring that customers like you receive the level of excellence in service and workmanship that you deserve! For your roofing needs, contact Chad Cross at (972) 304-4431 or [email protected] and mention Aggieyell.com.

The No. 3 Longhorns (11-1, 7-1 SEC) ran for 240 yards and dominated time of possession, defeating No. 20 Texas A&M (8-4, 5-3 SEC) 17-7 in front of 109,029 at Kyle tonight Field defeated Saturday night. With the win, Texas punches its ticket to the SEC Championship Game and ends A&M’s hopes of a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“They’re good, they’re talented and hats off to them for destroying us physically,” A&M coach Mike Elko said.

Even though Texas controlled both offensive lines, the Aggies still had a chance to set the tone early. Quarterback Marcel Reed (16-23, 146 yards, 1 INT) started the game with a 27-yard strike to receiver Terry Bussey (2 catches, 40 yards) – what would be A&M’s longest play of the night. The Aggies ran to the Texas 10, but Amari Daniels was stuffed on a run up the middle on third-and-1. After a timeout, the Aggies came out, ran essentially the same play and got the same result.

“I felt like touchdowns were going to play a role in this game at that point,” Elko said. “I stick to the fact that if we want to be the team we need to be, we need to be able to convert fours and ones. You have to, and of course we didn’t manage to do that, but we have to.”

The Aggies held off Texas with a quick three-and-out and got the ball at midfield, but Reed, who had gotten off to a strong start, made a big mistake and threw a deep throw to Jahdae Walker. Texas safety Michael Taaffe intercepted the pass at the Longhorns 7, completely changing the momentum of the game.

After a 15-yard facemask to A&M’s Cashius Howell brought Texas to their 22 yards, it looked like the Aggies might get off the field after putting pressure on quarterback Quinn Ewers on third-and-10. But Ewers, who played, had a sprained ankle and was not light on his feet on his best day. He ran untouched down the sideline for a 26-yard gain.

From there, running back Quintrevion Wisner (33 carries, 186 yards) took over and ran for 43 yards on three carries to bring Texas to the Aggie 15. After the corner, Will Lee almost blocked a pass from Ewers (17-28, 218). yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 fumble) at the goal line, backup Arch Manning came in and ran for a 15-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2.

The Aggies got the ball back into Texas territory, but a sack forced A&M to punt from the 49. The Longhorns had a crucial play of their own when safety Bryce Anderson skipped a pass intended for tight end Gunnar Helm. But the ball slipped through his hands and, remarkably, Helm caught it for a 14-yard gain and a first down on third-and-seven. Two plays later, Ewers hit a ball from 44 yards to Isaiah Bond, and – after a very questionable roughing by the passer on Howell – Ewers found Blue in the back of the end zone to make the score 14-0.

A&M would quickly punt after a seemingly clear tackle on safety Andrew Mukuba that hit Aggie receiver Jabre Barber in the helmet was overturned. White hit a 69-yard punt that rolled into the end zone and Texas began another long drive.

Ewers completed a 22-yard pass to Helm and a 35-yard catch-and-run to freshman receiver Ryan Wingo, but the drive stalled inside the Aggie 10. Texas settled for a 28-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead, but their night was counted.

It looked like the Longhorns were poised to walk away with defeat as they marched 78 yards in 11 plays on their second drive of the third quarter, facing little Aggie resistance. But Ewers was pressured by linebacker Taurean York on third and fourth at the A&M 7, and his quick pass to the outside was deflected by defensive tackle DJ Hicks. Corner Will Lee grabbed the ball out of the air and ran untouched 93 yards to get the Aggies on the board.

Texas had another long drive inside the Aggie 10, only to turn the ball over again on the next drive. Howell chased Ewers from behind and threw the ball free at the A&M 8, and York recovered at the 11th.

The Aggies entered the fourth quarter trailing by 10, but with the ball and momentum. They would advance the ball into Texas territory but would eventually be forced to punt.

Texas moved the ball 47 yards on its next drive, but it stalled after Wisner was stuffed by York for a 5-yard loss and Shemar Stewart and Ewers missed on third-and-7. Receiver Jahdae Walker, who had nearly blocked several puts earlier in the season, broke through and nearly took the ball off punter Michael Kern’s foot, blocked it and sent it back deep into Texas territory.

Safety Dalton Brooks recovered at the Texas 19 and could have easily scored, but he slipped and gave A&M possession there. Reed found tight end Tre Watson for 16 yards and a first down after a call by Trey Zuhn pushed the Aggies back across the 20-yard line and A&M moved the ball down to the Texas 1. And again the Aggies ran through the middle twice on third and fourth downs and couldn’t make it. On his fourth down attempt, Daniels (13 carries, 21 yards) was tackled to the ground by Texas’ Ethan Burke, resulting in a three-and-out loss.

“When you play a team that is explosive on offense and you get there, touchdowns are important and you take advantage of the opportunity to have a fourth-and-short, then you have to be able to pass the ball forward move. Twice inside the 10-yard line.” “We didn’t get it done tonight,” Elko said.

With the Aggies trailing by 10 and only 4:36 left in the game, the final result seemed clear. A&M had one last chance, but Reed fumbled at the Texas 43 to end any remaining hope.

“It sucks,” Elko said. “There is no sugarcoating it. There are no mild words about it. We had our chances, but we didn’t make it. And that’s why it’s disappointing.”