Texas A&M has entertained by living dangerously

	Tailback Jorvorskie Lane and the Aggies have only one loss, but they could easily have four. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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It's time to take stock of Texas A&M, one of the more exciting teams in the Top 25.

Mind you, when I say "exciting," I don't mean that this is a team loaded with superstars, and I'm not referring to any high-powered offensive schemes. What I mean is that no other team in the country this season has been as successful at living dangerously as the Aggies, who seem to be making a habit of the last-second finish. Consider four examples from the last six weeks:

Sept. 16: After failing to covert a fourth-and-1 from its own 31 with 2:55 left in the fourth quarter, A&M stages a goal-line stand in the final seconds to beat Army 28-24.

Sept. 30: The Aggies overcome a 24-14 halftime deficit to lead Texas Tech 27-24 with 2:12 remaining, only to lose when their defense gives up a 37-yard touchdown pass from Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell to Robert Johnson with 26 seconds left.

Oct. 7: Trailing by 11 points entering the fourth quarter at Kansas, A&M rallies for a 21-18 victory on a two-yard touchdown run by tailback Jorvorskie Lane with 34 seconds remaining.

Oct. 21: The Aggies tie Oklahoma State at 27 when quarterback Stephen McGee throws a two-yard touchdown pass to Joey Thomas with three seconds left. The two teams trade overtime touchdowns, but A&M wins 34-33 when defensive lineman Red Bryant blocks a Cowboys extra point attempt.

So the Aggies -- who have trailed at some point in each of their last seven games -- are either one play from being 9-0, or three plays from being 5-4. As it is, A&M is 8-1 and ranked No. 21. "We've been having fun, but from the dark side," admits one team insider.

What's going on here? Well, for one, this is an extremely resilient team. The Aggies pride themselves on an all-for-one approach this fall. They spent the offseason, from January through the beginning of two-a-days in early August, working on team unity. Right guard Kirk Elder and his housemates -- left tackle Corey Clark, defensive end Chris Harrington and left guard Chris Yoder -- started hosting weekly get-togethers that the team dubbed "Building Champions." The gatherings were informal affairs, parties that mostly centered around Xbox tournaments and cookouts, but to the team they were serious business -- attendance was mandatory.

"It's awesome just to be a part of," says fifth-year senior wide receiver Chad Schroeder. "Games can come down to one play, and the atmosphere we have here just creates positive stuff. It's hard to explain. We feed off of each other."