Big 12 Light

Apparently, Blackberry Internet isn’t compatible with live blogging. All my updates were saved but just not published. So enjoy, even if it is a day late.

Got Food But No Football

5:25 p.m.

Made it to the stadium before either team arrived. Only a small crowd of Aggies awaited their team's arrival, while the Longhorn fan base came out en mass. But that should be expected. Mack Brown decreed it. Come early. Check. Be loud and stay late. Coming soon.

Now, I'm up in the 200 Club eating (a second) dinner. Great view of the field from here. Too bad only student and team managers are down there. Give it two hours and the real action will start.

Slow And Messy Start

After first quarter

A&M started the game with a fumble recovery on the kickoff. The only time either team got close to the endzone was A&M's first drive that ended in a missed field goal. That was until Garrett Gilbert hit two long passes, putting together a 66 yard drive that ended in a touchdown. That's the first touchdown given up by A&M since the Aggies played Baylor.

Finally, some life. In the Longhorn players and fans. Although burnt orange clad fans out number ones wearing maroon, the Aggie alumn have shown so much gusto it seemed like they owned the stadium. Longhorn fans took it back though as Gilbert's pass sailed toward the endzone at the end of the first quarter.

Halftime

The Longhorns should be thankful for all the breaks that have come their way. And for being tied at the half. The Aggies have nothing to be thankful for, since their mistakes have let a struggling UT offense and an only-decent Longhorn defense keep it close. Overall, a frustrating and stressful half for both sides.

On the bright side, the Fighting Aggie Band was, as always, impressive with their military-style precision. The Longhorn band did my childhood favorite performance. Texas Script. Not quite the optical allusion that A&M presents, but still pretty cool.

Endgame Analysis

The game was sloppy on both sides. The killer for the Longhorns was stupid mistakes and turnovers. A&M didn’t necessarily play well, but they avoided mental mistakes and took advantage of UT’s errors.

Longhorn faithful held onto hope until the last two minutes of the game. Gilbert and Co. were closing in on the end zone when an Aggie defender intercepted what would have been a touchdown pass. At that, the air deflated from every Longhorn in the stadium, on and off the field. Fans started filing out, players shut down, and coaches went into damage control.

Last year, Jerrod Johnson carried the entire Aggie squad on his shoulders, making a splash but certainly not a tidal wave in the Big 12. Now, he is benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill, who led the Aggies on a great comeback in conference play. Oh what a difference a year makes. Last year, Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley tore the field and opponents to shreds, making it to the National Championship game. Now, the Longhorns look only slightly better than a high school football team, relying on luck and small flashes of talent and potential to get them to the end zone. Oh what a difference a year and one NFL draft makes.