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Good enough Offense slowed, but Longhorns still top AggiesPosted: Friday November 23, 2001 4:03 PMUpdated: Saturday November 24, 2001 1:58 AM
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Texas finally got the wind and Cedric Benson going in the same direction. Working with their backs to wind gusts up to 20 mph, the No. 5 Longhorns broke up a defensive struggle with Benson's two fourth-quarter touchdown runs for a 21-7 victory over Texas A&M on Friday. The Longhorns (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) completed a 35-yard drive with Benson's 5-yard touchdown run with 7:22 left. "In these kind of games whoever is toughest, longest wins," Benson said. "The fourth quarter came around and it seemed to me they were backing off like they kind of just gave up. I guess we were toughest, longest." Benson added a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:15 remaining after the Aggies (7-4, 4-4) tried a desperation fourth-down pass from their own 19. It was intercepted by Everick Rawls and returned 15 yards to set up Benson's score. "It was me and him one on one," Benson said. "I tried to juke him but he didn't take it so I had to go right at him. I wanted that touchdown bad. I didn't want to give it up."
The largest crowd ever to see a football game in Texas, 87,555, was kept in suspense until the closing minutes when a 31-yard punt by A&M's Cody Scates into the wind gave the Longhorns their chance. "I'm proud that offense was in a situation where things weren't working well and they didn't panic and turn the ball over," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "They waited for their opportunity and showed their maturity. "When we got the wind in the fourth quarter they drove down and got the points they needed to win the ballgame." The Longhorns won their sixth straight game this season and improved to 69-34-5 in the series. The victory was Texas' first in College Station since 1995 and the second since 1983. A&M coach R.C. Slocum wanted the wind in the third quarter to help the Aggies get a lead. "I wanted to get back in it in the third quarter and used the crowd to help us in the fourth quarter," Slocum said. "We didn't want to go into the fourth quarter playing from behind." Benson, whose string of 100-yard performances ended at five, missed out on becoming Texas' seventh consecutive 1,000-yard rusher, but he gained 24 yards in the winning drive that kept the Longhorns' hopes alive for a BCS bowl game. "I think we have [done all we can] and I think everybody else thinks we have," Brown said. "What we've got to do is hope the system works for us." The Aggies' defense matched the Longhorns throughout the game until the late breakdowns. After trailing throughout the first half, the Aggies finally ended a string of 10 quarters without a score by the offense early in the third on a 4-yard run by Keith Joseph for a 7-7 tie. Mickey Jones' 37-yard punt return set up the score, and a bruising open-field block by Jay Brooks, who missed the previous four games with a groin injury, cleared the way. Mark Farris completed passes of 11 yards to Terrence Murphy and 14 yards to Greg Porter before Joseph's touchdown with 10:45 left in the third quarter. Joseph's touchdown was only the second against Texas defense in the third quarter this season. The Longhorns had outscored their opponents 79-7 in the third quarter prior to the game. Texas needed help from its defense to scratch out a 7-0 halftime lead. The Longhorns got it with a 23-yard return by Tony Jeffery with 7:44 left in the first quarter after Roderick Babers blocked his second punt in as many games. Quarterback Chris Simms had been especially strong since the Longhorns' 14-3 loss to Oklahoma, throwing 16 touchdown passes as Texas won five straight. But he didn't show any of that form against the Aggies, finishing 16-of-33 for 138 yards. "Being on a role was not going to carry us through a game like this," Simms said. "We showed a lot of character by not giving up. The wind was tough. You just didn't know where it was going to go." A&M's defense matched its rival in the first half, holding Simms and Texas' offense to 92 total yards as it held the Longhorns offense scoreless for the first time since the Texas' Big 12 championship game against Nebraska in 1999. Benson entered the game needing 105 yards to break 1,000 yards for the season. He was trying to beat Ricky Williams' freshman record of 990 yards, but finished the game with 79 yards on 27 carries for 974 yards. "We needed to hit some big plays and I was disappointed that we couldn't," Slocum said. "I have tremendous respect for the Texas defense. I knew it would be difficult to sustain 10-12 play drives so I thought we needed the big plays to have a chance."
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