Freshman Goodwin delivers again for Texas

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -Once again, freshman Marquise Goodwin delivered for No. 3 Texas with a big touchdown when the Longhorns were desperate for a big play.

With Texas A&M punching the Longhorns defense for big yards and touchdowns, Goodwin delivered the knockout blow for Texas in a 49-39 victory with 95-yard kickoff return with 7 minutes left Thursday night.

It was Goodwin's first kickoff return for a touchdown and Texas' third of the season. The score stunned the Aggies after they pulled within 3 on Jerrod Johnson's fourth touchdown pass.

It was also the second time Goodwin has rescued Texas. He scored the Longhorns' only touchdown in a 16-13 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 17.

On a night the Texas offense was rolling and the defense was gasping for any kind of a break, Goodwin had done little on his first five kickoff returns. Then he seized his big moment to shine.

"I was thinking we had to go out and do something special,'' Goodwin said.

He caught the ball at the 5, hit a seam in the middle of the field and was in the open. By the time he saw Aggies kicker Randy Bullock at midfield, he knew he was going to score.

"I was thinking 'You better score. You better not get tackled by the kicker,''' Goodwin said. "Once I broke off, it was daylight.''

At one point, it seemed Goodwin was surprised he was all by himself. His head and shoulders turned around to see if there was a tackler nearby, or even a flag to bring the whole thing back.

"I was just looking to see if there were any tacklers coming,'' Goodwin said.

Quarterback Colt McCoy, who had his own stellar night with 304 yards passing with four touchdowns and 175 yards rushing and another score, said Goodwin's TD gave the entire team a lift.

It certainly gave Texas some breathing room Until that point, the Aggies had been trading touchdowns with Texas and were scorching a Texas defense that came in ranked No. 3 in the country.

"When he does that,'' McCoy said, "that really energizes everybody.''

Goodwin originally signed with Texas for track. He's a former world junior champion in the long jump and the 400 relay and was a dominant performer in high school, winning 13 career medals at the Texas state meet.

His scholarship switched to football early in preseason football practice when coach Mack Brown quickly realized he would play this season, even with Texas' deep corps of receivers.

He and McCoy also have a good connection. Goodwin didn't catch a pass against the Aggies but has 25 receptions on the season with the huge touchdown against Oklahoma.

Without that catch - and the touchdown return against A&M - the Longhorns might not be headed for next week's Big 12 championship game and a possible berth in the BCS title game.

"It means a lot just to know I that I can be out here helping as a freshman,'' Goodwin said.