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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Ticker) -- Sometimes emotion makes all the difference in a game. Eight days after a tragedy claimed 11 students and one alumnus, 17th-ranked Texas A&M, backed by a spirited crowd, rallied from a 10-point deficit to post a 20-16 triumph over fifth-ranked Texas. Last week's timber collapse in preparation for the annual Aggie Bonfire changed all memories of this season and the final game for Texas A&M (8-3, 5-3 Big 12 South). There initially was some thought given to postponing the contest, but instead the game was looked upon as necessary for the mindset of the campus. "I thought the team did a great job of working through a lot of adversity," Aggies coach R.C. Slocum said. "They remained focused on the task at hand. "I told them it's been a long, tough week and that they needed to go out and enjoy themselves and play with emotion. I didn't want to put any additional burden on them. The game is big enough." There was a moment of silence before the game and four F-16 fighters flew overhead in the missing man formation, a tribute usually saved for pilots killed in the line of duty. The Aggies wore a special decal on their helmets and the crowd sang "Amazing Grace" at halftime. The crowd of 86,128 was the largest to see a football game in the state of Texas and broke the former Kyle Field record of 78,573, set against the Longhorns in 1987. The Aggies have won 19 straight games at Kyle Field, the fourth longest home winning streak in the nation. "We had the thought and memory of those 12 who died in our hearts and minds every single play," Texas A&M guard Chris Valetta said. "I hope this win can ease the pain a little bit." "Sometimes you lose the whole perspective of what Texas A&M is all about," Aggies punter Shane Lechler said. "When this tragedy happened and we were able to go out there and help, it brought this team back into that perspective, which is that this place is the most special school in the country because of the tremendous support from the fans and how strong a family Aggies are in." The complexion of the game changed shortly before the kickoff when Texas (9-3, 6-2 South) decided to start highly touted true freshman Chris Simms, the son of former New York Giant Phil Simms, at quarterback. Major Applewhite came down with a stomach virus on Thanksgiving and started on the sidelines. Behind Simms, the Longhorns built a 16-6 lead, but the lefthander grew ineffective as the game wore on and Texas A&M rallied. "As hard as this football game was, we are all glad the week is over. This week was difficult and the tragedy was distracting for both teams," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "Major said he did not feel good. He was dizzy and didn't want to hurt the team. In the third quarter, when he went in, it was a tough situation because he wasn't warmed up and he was sick. Chris showed great ability and was very poised. I'm not sure any freshman in the country could have performed as well as Chris did today." Fullback Ja'Mar Toombs helped rally the Aggies and finished with a career-high 126 yards and 37 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns. "The game started and those people were on our minds," Toombs said. "I was overly excited last night. And today, the emotion was riding high. Even when we were down in points, we kept our spirits up. We had to win this game to show how much we care." Randy McCown completed just 8-of-22 passes for 156 yards, hitting Matt Bumgardner with a 14-yard scoring pass 5:02 left in the game to put Texas A&M ahead, 20-16. Applewhite drove Texas into Aggies territory, but was stripped by defensive back Jay Brooks and watched freshman linebacker Brian Gamble recover with 23 seconds left to seal the game. Gamble also had an interception. The loss snuffed any longshot chance Texas had for a spot in the national championship game. The Longhorns will play Nebraska next weekend in the Big 12 Conference title game. Simms was 10-of-21 for 130 yards with one interception, and Applewhite was 5-of-11 for 53 yards. "Right before we came in from warmups, they told me I was starting," Simms said. "I was excited and ready to go. What better place to get your first start? I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be." "I started feeling sick on the bus. I was up all night," Applewhite said. "Before the game, I felt I would hurt the team by starting because if I would have had to come out, it would have been a big momentum shift for the home team." Toombs ran three yards for the opening touchdown with 3:49 left in the first quarter. Lechler was ready to kick the ensuing extra point, but instead fielded an errant snap, rolled right and was intercepted by Lee Jackson, who returned it 96 yards for a defensive conversion to make it 6-2. Hodges Mitchell, who gained 102 yards on 24 carries, had a 14-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter as Texas took a 9-6 lead. The score was set up when Longhorns defensive end Aaron Humphrey recovered a fumble by McCown at the Texas A&M 37. Texas built a 16-6 lead with 5:19 left in the first half when Chris Robertson capped a 14-play, 66-yard drive with a one-yard plunge. The Longhorns burned 5:52 off the clock. Toombs ran nine yards for a score with 4:47 left in the third quarter to close the gap to 16-13 and finish off a five-play, 46-yard march. The punting of Lechler was a factor all game, keeping the Aggies in good field position. Backed up again deep in his own territory, Texas' Ryan Long could not punt the ball past midfield and left Texas A&M 48 yards from the end zone. It took eight plays for the Aggies to get the go-ahead scoring pass from McCown to Bumgardner. Lechler finished his career with NCAA records of 44.6 yards per punt and 37 games with a 40-yard-plus average. The previous records of 44.3 and 36 were held by Mississippi's Bill Smith from 1983-86. "He pinned us and we couldn't get off the goal line," Brown said. This was the 106th meeting between the schools, putting the series in a tie for third with Nebraska-Kansas on the list of most-played rivalries in major college football. Minnesota-Wisconsin is first at 109 and Missouri-Kansas is second at 108. Texas A&M has won 12 of the last 16 meetings, but the Longhorns still lead, 67-34-5. The Aggies are 21-21-2 against Texas at Kyle Field.
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