2007 Texas A & M Aggies football team The 2007 Texas A & M Aggies football team ( often referred to as " A & M " or the " Aggies " ) represented Texas A & M University in the 2007 - 2008 college football season . The team was coached by Dennis Franchione , who had coached at A & M since the 2003 season , but resigned at the conclusion of the annual game with the University of Texas . They are led on offense by junior quarterback Stephen McGee . The team plays home games at Kyle Field , an 82 , 600 - person capacity stadium on A & M ' s campus in College Station , Texas . The Fightin ' Texas Aggie Band performs at all home games and select away games during half - time . The 2006 Aggie team finished with 9 wins and 4 losses , including a loss in the 2006 Holiday Bowl . In a 2007 preseason ranking , ESPN sports columnist Mark Schlabach ranked the Aggies 15th . In their preseason polls , both the Coaches Poll and the AP Poll ranked the Aggies 25th . A Rivals . com writer ranked A & M as having the 9th toughest road schedule . The Aggies completed the 2007 season with a 7 - 6 record , with their final game resulting in a 24 - 17 loss to Penn State in the 2007 Alamo Bowl . Coaching staff . Head coach controversy . Call for dismissal . After the Aggies ' 17 – 34 loss at Miami , head coach Dennis Franchione ' s coaching has been bought into question by some members of the media . An ESPN writer gave honorable mention to the A & M coaches ' play - calling in the Miami game in his weekly Bottom 10 college football game rankings . As of Tuesday , September 25 , the website firefranpetition . com has received over 15 , 000 hits after A & M ' s loss to Miami . 300 people had signed the online petition that Monday , bringing the total to 2 , 600 . The website has also sold nearly 200 " Can Fran " shirts . The " Bryan - College Station Eagle " , the area ' s local newspaper , included a ffront page picture of A & M ' s Pi Kappa Phi chapter members hanging a " Fire Fran " sign from their fraternity house . Secret newsletter . On September 27 , 2007 , Franchione discontinued selling a secret email newsletter to athletic boosters who paid US $ 1 , 200 annually for team information that Franchione has refused to release to the public . The newsletter , called " VIP Connection " , had been written by Franchione ' s personal assistant , Mike McKenzie , and included specific injury reports and Franchione ' s critical assessments of players . The newsletter attracted 27 recipients , 6 of whom received the newsletter for free . 20 of the recipients have been disclosed . The boosters were asked to sign a confidentiality statement to assure the information in the newsletter would not be used for gambling . Though Franchione and McKenzie denied gaining profit from the newsletter , Franchione stated that proceeds went to the company that managed his now - defunct website , coachfran . com . The newsletter was discovered by athletic director Bill Byrne after it was presented to him by a " San Antonio Express - News " reporter , who had received it through a third - party source . Byrne immediately instructed Franchione to discontinue the newsletter , at which time Franchione complied . Refunds have been offered to the subscribers , though it is uncertain how many asked for one . In a press conference the following Tuesday , October 2 , Franchione apologized in front of A & M football players and expressed his love for the job and the university , and his desire to " elevate the program to its highest level " . A & M players also expressed their support for Franchione as a coach . Shortly after , an investigation had been launched to look into the matter , conducted by Bill Byrne and A & M ' s NCAA compliance officer , David Batson . On Thursday , October 11 , Texas A & M officials issued a " letter of admonishment " and ordered that the website CoachFran . com be shut down . Additionally , Franchione was instructed to no longer employ " any staff members that could be construed as representing Texas A & M or providing information or reports relative to his position as head coach at Texas A & M " . Consequently , the writer of the newsletter , Mike McKenzie , was fired . Byrne stated that the incident would be included in Franchione ' s " performance review " at the end of the season . Resignation . After Franchione led the Aggies to a 38 – 30 victory over the 13th - ranked Texas Longhorns , he announced his resignation in the post - game press conference . In the press conference , after he discussed the game , he read out loud a farewell letter that he had prepared beforehand . His last words were " Thank you , and gig ' em . " Franchione immediately left the press conference as A & M athletic director Bill Byrne started to speak , with friends and family members following him . The following day , Byrne named defensive coordinator Gary Darnell as interim head coach . Darnell will coach the Aggies ' bowl game . On November 26 , 2007 , three days after Franchione resigned , former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman was announced as the new head football coach . Jobs after the season . After the season , cornerbacks coach Van Malone was retained by new head coach Mike Sherman , and offensive coordinator Les Koenning move to the same position at South Alabama . Running backs coach Kenith Pope was hired at UNLV . Tight ends and special teams coach Mark Tommerdahl moved to Louisiana - Monroe , while defensive line coach Stan Eggen was hired at Louisiana Tech . Safeties coach Bill Clay moved to Samford . Offensive line coach Jim Bob Helduser was hired at Bryan High School , and wide receivers coach Bob DeBesse was hired at A & M Consolidated High School . Gary Darnell was the only assistant that has not found a coaching job . Players . Roster . The roster consists of 47 freshmen , 37 sophomores , 30 juniors , and 20 seniors . Scholarship players include 18 true freshmen , 9 redshirt freshmen , 23 sophomores , 17 juniors , and 16 seniors . Watch lists . Aggies named to pre - season award watch lists include : Postseason honors . Cody Wallace was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and made the All - Big 12 Football First Team . Chris Alexander , Chris Harrington , and Misi Tupe , as well as Justin Brantly , made the All - Big 12 Football Second Team . Michael Bennett , Martellus Bennett , Red Bryant , Marquis Carpenter , Corey Clark , Mark Dodge , Kirk Elder , Jorvorskie Lane , and Stephen McGee received an all - Big 12 Honorable Mention . Additionally , five players made the all - Big 12 Academic First Team , which requires a 3 . 20 GPA or above . Of those players are David Latham , Stephen McGee , Jordan Peterson , T . J . Sanders ( who was one of seven Big 12 players to have a 4 . 00 GPA ) , and Cody Wallace . Two players made the all - Big 12 Academic Second Team , which requires a 3 . 00 – 3 . 19 GPA , including Andrew Key and Chris Yoder . Cody Wallace is a Rimington Trophy finalist . Arrests . On December 5 , 2007 , junior offensive lineman Yemi Babalola was charged with aggravated robbery of a residence and possession of marijuna , and was convicted in 2009 , with a 5 - year prison sentence , but later released on parole in December 2011 . When police got a search warrant to search Babalola ' s home , they had found marijuana . Police had also searched the home of freshman defensive end Brandon Joiner , and found marijuana , ecstasy , and hydrocodone . B . Joiner was subsequently charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance , and was sentenced to 3 years in prison in May 2012 . Game notes . Montana State . The 2007 Division I - AA Montana State Bobcats are led by coach Rob Ash , who became the school ' s 31st head football coach on June 11 , 2007 . Ash replaced Mike Kramer , who coached at Montana State from 1989 – 2006 , but was fired after five current and former Bobcat players were arrested within the same year . The Bobcats have played notably against some of their Big 12 opponents . In 2004 , they nearly defeated Oklahoma State at the Cowboys ' home field , until the Cowboys pushed hard for a 15 – 10 win . In their 2006 season opener , the Bobcats defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 19 – 10 on the Buffaloes ' home field , pulling off one of the season ' s biggest upsets in college football . In the game , quarterback Stephen McGee , whose yardage came primarily from option keepers , rushed for 121 yards on nine carries and made 2 touchdown runs , one for 65 yards . He completed 10 of his 20 passes for only 112 yards ; his longest completion was 23 yards . Freshman backup quarterback Jerrod Johnson replaced McGee in the fourth quarter and made the only scoring pass in the game ( 17 yards to Terrence McCoy ) with 80 seconds left in the game . The A & M defense , especially the secondary , did not perform well , allowing Montana State to compile a 304 passing yards and complete 26 of 48 passes . In the 2006 season , only Texas Tech and Missouri threw for more yards against the Aggies . The A & M defense allowed the Bobcats to gain a total of 403 yards . Notable plays by the Bobcats included an 83 - yard scoring drive on 13 plays on their opening possession and a 50 - yard reception by receiver Josh Lewis late in the second half . The Bobcats , however , missed three field goals and lost a fumble in A & M territory . Fresno State . This was the first - ever meeting between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Aggies . The unranked Fresno State team was coached by Pat Hill , who compiled a 10 – 19 record against BCS teams during his tenure at Fresno State prior to the game . Prior to this game , A & M had a 10 – 1 home field record against nonconference teams under Dennis Franchione . In their season opener , the Bulldogs defeated Sacramento State 24 – 3 , allowing only 100 offensive yards , including only 41 rushing yards . This put pressure on the Aggie offensive line as it did not perform solidly in the Montana State game . The Bulldogs had not faced a " large and rowdy " crowd and heated competition since November 2005 against the No . 1 USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . The Bulldogs practiced for the A & M home game environment by holding practice at Bulldog Stadium with crowd noise and the Aggie War Hymn blaring from the speakers . In the first half , the Aggies remained unscored upon , leading 19 – 0 . The Bulldogs gained only 78 yards and 5 first downs . In the second half , however , they retaliated by gaining 267 yards and scoring 29 points . The Bulldogs scored a touchdown and a field goal with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 29 – 29 and forcing an overtime . A controversial play by the Bulldogs in the first overtime , when A & M led 32 – 29 , caused the officials to review the play . When quarterback Tom Brandstater threw to receiver Marlon Moore , Moore attempted to stretch the ball over the goal line but fumbled into the end zone , causing the Aggies to recover . An official , however , ruled that Moore went out of bounds on the 1 - yard line . Officials took an extensive 22 - minute review of the play , and after reviewing various camera angles , ruled that Moore had fumbled into the endzone and A & M recovered . However , A & M tackle Henry Smith was also flagged for roughing the passer . The result of the controversial call was a Fresno State first down inside the A & M 13 . Unable to score a touchdown , the Bulldogs elected to kick a field goal to tie the game at 32 , forcing a second overtime in which both teams scored touchdowns . In the third overtime , Bulldog quarterback Tom Brandstater failed the two point conversion after he overthrew the ball into the end zone . Running back Jorvorskie Lane , who rushed for a total of 121 yards , was crucial to the Aggies during the overtime periods . ESPN reported , " Texas A & M turned to its powerful running back to stave off Fresno State . . . Jorvorskie Lane rushed for two of his four touchdowns in the second and third overtimes as the 23rd - ranked Aggies beat the feisty Bulldogs 47 - 45 in the first three - OT game in A & M history . The 6 - foot , 268 - pound Lane barreled for his final touchdown from 3 yards out , then charged into the end zone again for the winning 2 - point conversion on A & M ' s final possession . " Overall , the Bulldogs outgained the Aggies 399 – 397 in total offensive yards . Bulldog quarterback Tom Brandstater threw for 260 yards with three touchdowns and one interception . Bulldog receiver Bear Pascoe caught seven passes for 70 yards and three touchdowns . A & M rushed for 318 yards but compiled only 79 passing yards . When confronted by a reporter about the passing situation , A & M quarterback Stephen McGee argued that rushing is most effective as Fresno State was unable to stop the ball . The game became the first three - overtime game in A & M history , and the ninth consecutive nonconference victory at Kyle . After the game , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates , who served as A & M president from 2002 – 2006 , posted on TexAgs the following : " Okay , Ags . I really don ' t need that kind of stress right now . But a W is a W . All the best to everyone . " Gates had not posted on the site since he revealed his identity on December 7 , 2006 . Louisiana - Monroe . The Louisiana - Monroe Warhawks came into the game with a 0 – 2 record , suffering losses from Tulsa and the 25th - ranked Clemson Tigers . The Warhawks ranked 107th nationally in pass defense , allowing a total of 626 passing yards in their first two games . Warhawk players carrying notable statistics include running back Calvin Dawson , who ranked 14th in the nation in rushing and led a 17th - ranked rushing offense , and free safety Greg James , who led the Warhawk defense with 17 tackles . Kicker Cole Wilson was named Sun Belt Conference specialist of the week after converting field goals of 23 and 41 yards against Clemson . After the Aggies ' shaky three - overtime performance the previous week , coach Dennis Franchione stated that a different offensive scheme would be implemented . After their first two games , the Aggies ' rushing offense ranked ninth in the nation , and its passing offense ranked 115th . The A & M defense had allowed 802 total offensive yards in the first two games . This is the Aggies ' second meeting with ULM , and in their first meeting in 1985 , the Aggies defeated ULM 31 – 7 . Head coach Dennis Franchione had faced ULM twice in his career as head coach of Southwest Texas State , and lost 27 – 30 and 8 – 17 in 1990 and 1991 both times , respectively . In the game , quarterback Stephen McGee threw for 237 yards , completing 19 of 33 attempts , and rushed for 18 yards on four carries . Head coach Dennis Franchione made good on his assurances of a different offensive scheme , allowing McGee to earn more yards in the air than on the ground for the first time in the 2007 season . However , the Aggies continued to focus on their ground - based offense , earning 310 yards rushing . In the third quarter , McGee was picked off , ending his streak of 150 passing attempts without an interception . Backup quarterback Jerrod Johnson entered the game in the third quarter , scoring two rushing touchdowns on three drives , with a third touchdown by running back Keondra Smith . The A & M offense finished with 547 total yards , the most since earning 694 yards against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 15 , 2005 . A & M scored on nine out of its ten possessions , including the first five in the first half . Senior wide receiver Kerry Franks made a career - high of five receptions for 82 yards , and caught a 20 - yard touchdown pass to lead the Aggies 34 - 7 shortly into the third quarter . Running back Mike Goodson rushed for 113 yards and scored one touchdown on 11 carries , marking his first 100 - yard rushing game of the season . Running back Jorvorskie Lane only rushed for 34 yards on 11 carries , though made two short - yard rushing touchdowns , bringing his touchdown number to 35 and becoming third in all - time rushing touchdowns in school history . Tight end Martellus Bennett matched a career - high of six catches for 98 yards . Early into the week of the game , Bennett decided to switch his jersey number from 13 to 85 , in honor of former Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett , who suffered a career - ending broken neck injury the previous Sunday . The two have been close friends ever since they met on Martellus ' recruiting trip to Miami . Louisiana - Monroe rushed for 215 yards with 133 yards passing , scoring a touchdown in the first and fourth quarters . Running back Calvin Dawson made 20 carries for 126 yards and scored a touchdown . Quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster completed 13 of 23 passes for 116 yards , though two interceptions in A & M territory on consecutive drives in the second quarter prevented further Warhawk scoring opportunities . Overall , ULM gained 348 offensive yards . Notable for this game is that , for the first time since facing Southwestern Louisiana in 1990 , Texas A & M did not punt on any of its possessions , instead going for 4 - for - 4 on fourth downs . Miami ( FL ) . This was the second - ever meeting between the Aggies and the Hurricanes . In their first meeting in 1944 , the Aggies won 70 – 14 on the Hurricanes ' home field to give the worst loss in Miami ' s football history . The Aggies have played at the Orange Bowl one other time in the 1944 Orange Bowl game , where they lost to LSU 14 – 19 . It will also be the Aggies ' first trip to Florida since they lost 14 – 20 to Florida State in 1968 . 1973 marks the last time the Hurricanes lost to a team from Texas at the Orange Bowl . The Hurricanes hold the NCAA record for consecutive home victories at the Orange Bowl from October 1985 to September 1994 . They also hold a 31 – 20 all - time record against teams currently in the Big 12 . The game will be the last nonconference game of the season for both teams . Two days prior to the game , Las Vegas casino s favored Miami to win by three points . In CBS Sports ' weekly " Expert Picks " , two reporters chose A & M to win , while three other reporters chose Miami . After the Aggies ’ 237 - yard passing game against Louisiana - Monroe the previous week , A & M ranked 107th nationally in pass offense , up from 115th . Offensively , A & M ranked fifth in rushing offense and 11th in scoring . A & M averaged six yards per play , and has rushed for 100 yards or more in 21 straight games . Thus far , the Aggie defense has allowed its opponents to gain a total of 697 passing yards and 453 rushing yards . Under head coach Dennis Franchione , the Aggies have not had much success in nonconference away games ; A & M lost to # 8 Virginia Tech in 2003 , # 19 Utah in 2004 , and unranked Clemson in 2005 . In 2006 , the Aggies barely went away with a victory against unranked Army . Miami came into the game with a 41st - ranked pass defense and a 113th pass offense , after averaging 130 . 7 passing yards per game . Though Miami won the 2002 BCS national championship and played in the 2003 national championship game , the 2007 Miami team has not mimicked their successful predecessors . In their second game of the season , the Hurricanes suffered a 13 – 51 defeat by # 6 Oklahoma . In their next game against Florida International , the Hurricanes gained a total of 428 yards to win 23 – 9 . At the time , Florida International ranked 117th out of 119 teams in scoring offense and 102nd in scoring defense . Though Miami have had a good rushing defense their previous season by holding 13 of their 16 opponents under 100 yards , Miami ' s last two opponents , FIU and OU , have passed the 100 yard mark . In the game , the A & M offense suffered , despite having averaged more than 46 points and 444 yards in their previous three games . On 73 carries , quarterback Stephen McGee and running back Mike Goodson lost a total of 24 yards by being tackled behind the line . The offense lost a total of 27 yards to negative plays , which they had never made in the previous three games . Goodson himself lost one - yard on each of eight total carries . Stephen McGee completed 11 of 20 passes for only 109 yards , and rushed for just 39 yards on 16 carries . On A & M ' s opening drive , Goodson was tackled behind the line and lost 5 yards , McGee gained 2 - yards , and then was sacked for a loss of 2 yards and a three - and - out . In the second quarter alone , A & M lost the ball three times on two fumbles and an interception , all within three minutes of game play . In the entire first half , the Aggies gained only 28 yards , including only 21 rushing yards , and trailed 0 – 24 at halftime . A & M tailback Jorvorskie Lane only had two carries in the entire game — one in the third quarter and one in the fourth — for a total of 2 yards . When asked by reporters to explain why Jorvorskie did not receive the ball much , Stephen McGee responded , " They were doing such a good job up front , we had to try to get the ball on the perimeter and use our speed " . A & M had not scored until 11 : 40 was left in the fourth quarter when kicker Matt Szymanski kicked a 32 - yard field goal . The Aggies did not make their first touchdown drive until Miami freshman running back Graig Cooper fumbled the ball to the Aggies at the Miami 39 . In the Aggies ' second scoring drive , freshman redshirt quarterback Jerrod Johnson threw a 33 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Martellus Bennett with five seconds remaining in the game . Jerrod Johnson took part in his fifth consecutive touchdown drive of his career . Overall , the Aggies could only gain 240 yards , including 98 rushing yards . The 98 rushing yards marked the first time in 22 games the Aggies were held to less than 100 yards ; the last time was when A & M played unranked Colorado in 2005 . A & M had not scored in the first three quarters of a game since the 2004 – 2005 Cotton Bowl , when A & M lost to unranked Tennessee 7 – 38 . Miami senior quarterback Kyle Wright threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns , and completed 21 of 26 passes . Receiver Sam Shields caught six passes for 117 yards . On their first 80 - yard scoring drive itself , Kyle Wright threw for 61 yards , and freshman Graig Cooper ran for a 7 - yard touchdown . Miami did not punt the ball until 13 : 07 remained in the third quarter . Overall , Miami compiled 402 offensive yards , including 262 passing . Miami had not scored as many points in a game against a ranked team since October 14 , 2004 , when Miami played # 22 Louisville at the Orange Bowl . Baylor . This was the 104th Battle of the Brazos rivalry game between the Aggies and the Baylor Bears . Coming into the game , A & M had led the series 64 – 30 – 9 . The Bears have never won a Big 12 opener away game , nor have they won at Kyle Field since a 20 – 16 victory in 1984 . A & M currently leads the series 29 – 10 – 3 in games played at Kyle Field . This was the second time that the Bears and the Aggies met in September ; in their first meeting , Baylor won 17 – 7 in 1979 . The rivalry had been dormant from 1986 – 2003 , as Baylor had not won a game since 1985 . In 2004 , however , an unranked Baylor team pulled off a 35 – 34 upset in overtime against the then # 16 Aggies at Floyd Casey Stadium . In 2005 , the rivalry again became bitter when A & M had to complete two fourth down conversions in order to win 16 – 13 in overtime at Kyle Field . In their previous meeting at Floyd Casey in 2006 , the Aggies outscored the Bears 31 – 21 . The Bears were led by head coach Guy Morriss , who has compiled a 1 – 3 record with A & M . A & M head coach Dennis Franchione came in with a 3 – 1 record with Baylor . Three days prior to the game , Las Vegas casino s favored A & M to win by 17 points . The " College Football News " staff picked A & M to win by an average of 16 . 5 points . A " Waco Tribune - Herald " columnist predicted that the Aggies would win 31 – 20 . The A & M secondary came into the game with a 62 . 9 % completion rate , 243 passing yards , and 7 . 4 yards per attempt . Baylor quarterback Blake Szymanski had thrown for 1 , 211 yards and 14 touchdowns with 6 interceptions in the previous games of the season . In the game , A & M possessed the ball for 43 minutes and the defense allowed only seven Baylor first downs . The Bears dropped 10 passes . Oklahoma State . This was the 23rd meeting between the Aggies and the Oklahoma State Cowboys . Coming into the game , A & M had led the series 16 – 6 , and also led 7 – 3 in games played at Kyle Field . In their previous meeting at Boone Pickens Stadium in 2006 , the Aggies defeated the Cowboys 34 – 33 in overtime , after A & M defensive lineman Red Bryant blocked kicker Jason Ricks ' overtime field goal attempt that would have tied the game at 34 – 34 and created a second overtime . Two days prior to the game , Las Vegas casino s favored A & M to win by 6 . 5 points . Three out of the four " College Football News " staff members predicted A & M to win by 6 points . WhatIfSports . com , which runs a computer simulation of a game 101 times and predicts the winner and score difference , predicted OSU to win . Prior to the game , the Cowboys ' rush offense ranked 8th , three spots behind the Aggies . The Cowboys ' overall defense ranked 97th . The Cowboys ' pass defense , however , ranked 117th , after allowing 342 . 6 passing yards and 53 pass attempts per game . OSU also ranked 106th nationally in the least number of penalties allowed , losing 76 . 4 yards per game , and 98th in turnover margin . Under Coach Mike Gundy , the Cowboys have compiled a 1 – 10 road game record . A & M ' s rush offense ranked 5th nationally , after averaging 267 . 8 yards per game . A & M ' s pass offense , however , ranked 108th . Quarterback Stephen McGee had thrown for 737 yards , three touchdowns , and three interceptions coming into the game . McGee , however , led the Aggies in rushing with his 412 rushing yards . In the first half , OSU wide receiver Adarius Bowman caught three passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns , including one for 47 yards that gave OSU the 14 – 0 lead . Cowboys kicker Jason Ricks , who had made only 2 of his 5 attempted field goals of the season , made a 32 - yard field goal with 26 seconds left in the first half . He also scored OSU ' s only points in the second half , two field goals for 25 yards , one in the third quarter and one in the fourth . At the end of the first half , the Aggies trailed OSU 0 – 17 . Notable for OSU is that , for the first time since 2004 , the Cowboys made a first half shutout in a conference game . In the second half , Jorvorskie Lane scored all of A & M ' s touchdowns . He rushed for two 1 - yard touchdowns , and made his first receiving touchdown for 10 yards . Lane almost made a 50 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kerry Franks , but officials ruled that Franks ' knee touched the ground at the 1 - yard line . The receiving touchdown gave A & M a 24 – 20 lead with 8 : 03 left in the fourth quarter . Overall , Lane rushed for 77 yards on 19 carries . Early in the fourth quarter , two A & M defenders caused an injury to OSU ' s starting quarterback , Zac Robinson , which led OSU ' s junior redshirt quarterback Bobby Reid to replace him . Coincidentally , in their previous meeting in 2006 , the A & M defense caused Reid to bench and Robinson to fill in . OSU elected to kick a field goal with 3 : 11 left in the game , bringing the score up to 23 – 24 . OSU almost received the ball on an A & M punt with 1 : 46 left in the game , but safety Quinton Moore was flagged for roughing A & M punter Justin Brantly , giving A & M an automatic first down . A & M then ran out the clock to win 24 – 23 . The Aggies matched their largest comeback in school history , when A & M played Baylor in 1986 and overcame a 0 – 17 point deficit to win 31 – 30 . The game ' s attendance of 86 , 217 became the sixth - largest in stadium history . The Aggies now had ranked # 1 in the Big 12 South Division with an overall 5 – 1 record and a 2 – 0 conference record . Texas Tech . This was the Aggies ' 66th meeting with the Texas Tech Red Raiders . A & M came into the game leading the series 34 – 30 – 1 , though 1993 had been the last time the Aggies won at Jones Stadium in Lubbock . In games played at Lubbock , Tech had led the series 16 – 12 . Coach Dennis Franchione had a 1 – 3 record with Tech as A & M head coach , and Tech coach Mike Leach had a 5 – 2 record with A & M as Tech head coach . In their previous meeting at Kyle Field , the Raiders outscored the Aggies 31 – 27 , after Tech sophomore quarterback Graham Harrell made a 37 - yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds left in the game . Two days prior to the game , Las Vegas casino s favored Tech to win by 8 points . The " College Football News " staff predicted Tech to win 45 – 31 . In a press conference early into the week of the game , A & M running back Jorvorskie Lane , when told that A & M hadn ' t won a game in Lubbock since 1993 , responded " We ' re going to win in 2007 . That ' s a guarantee . I promise you . " When Tech coach Mike Leach was confronted with Lane ' s statement , Leach expressed his indifference . Tech ' s interim defensive coordinator , Ruffin McNeill , however , respected Lane ' s statement . A & M defensive back Danny Gorrer stated that " [ Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree ] got to bring his A - game when he faces Danny Gorrer " . Gorrer ended up leaving the game with a torn anterior cruciate ligament that caused him to miss the rest of the season . A & M linebacker Mark Dodge stated that last year ' s game was " just a fluke " and expressed his desire to perform well against Tech . Coming into the game , the Raiders had led the nation in total offense ( 590 . 2 yards ) and passing offense ( 513 yards ) . They were also second in scoring offense with their 52 . 5 points per game . Tech quarterback Graham Harrell was ranked # 1 in the nation after compiling 450 . 2 yards per game , 38 completions per game , and 454 . 3 passing yards per game this season . Harrell compiled a 73 . 5 pass completion rate , and had thrown for 28 touchdowns and only three interceptions . Wide receiver Michael Crabtree had led the nation in receptions ( 70 for 11 . 67 yards per game ) and receiving ( 1 , 074 for 179 yards per game ) . He is also the Division I freshman touchdown record holder for a season , after scoring 17 points per game . Crabtree ' s 1 , 074 reception yards were more than A & M ' s team total of 1 , 005 . The Raiders ' pass defense ranked 20th , their rush defense ranked 59th after allowing 152 yards per game , and their rush offense was ranked 113th , after rushing only 77 . 2 yards per game . The Raiders ' overall defense ranked 36th , after allowing 338 yards per game . A & M came into the game with a 7th - ranked rush offense , after rushing for 248 yards per game . A & M ' s leading rushers , Mike Goodson , Jorvorskie Lane , and Stephen McGee , had compiled 363 yards on 75 carries , 397 yards on 89 carries , and 455 yards on 71 carries , respectively . A & M ' s pass defense ranked 75th , after allowing 237 . 5 passing yards per game . The Aggies ' defense ranked 63rd after allowing 377 . 5 yards per game . Nebraska . This was the Aggies ' 13th meeting with the Nebraska Cornhuskers . Coming into the game , Nebraska had led the series 2 – 10 , ever since it began in 1930 . Texas A & M had only won the 1955 game in Lincoln , and the 1998 game in College Station . Since the 1998 game , the Cornhuskers have outscored the Aggies by an average of 20 points per game . During the Franchione era , the Aggies had played the Cornhuskers twice , and had lost both times by a combined total of 8 points . Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan entered the 2007 season as a third - year head coach with a 18 – 15 record and a Big 12 North title . Callahan had led his team to a 4 – 3 season record , including a homecoming loss to Oklahoma State . The loss to Oklahoma State became the worst home loss for Nebraska since 1958 and prompted Nebraska officials to fire athletic director Steve Pederson . One day prior to the game , Las Vegas casino s favored Nebraska to win by 2 points . Coming into the game , A & M ranked 109th nationally in passing offense , after compiling 162 . 2 passing yards per game . Stephen McGee was the Aggies ' leading rusher at the time , after compiling 544 rushing yards . A & M ' s rushing offense ranked 7th nationally , after rushing 246 yards per game . The pass defense ranked 99th nationally , and overall defense ranked 74th . Tight end Martellus Bennett and offensive lineman Chris Yoder did not travel to Lincoln due to injuries , and cornerback Jordan Peterson did not play due to an injury . Nebraska entered the game with an offense that ranked 38th nationally , and a passing offense that ranked 27th . Nebraska ' s rush defense ranked 106th , after allowing opponents to rush an average of 208 . 5 yards per game . Nebraska ' s total defense ranked 108th . In the game , A & M quarterback Stephen McGee rushed for 167 yards on 35 carries , both career - highs , and completed 13 of 22 passes for 100 yards . McGee ' s 35 carries broke the A & M record for carries by a quarterback of 27 , which was set in 1977 . A & M running back Jorvorskie Lane rushed for 130 yards and four touchdowns , bringing his career rushing touchdown total to 43 and becoming the Aggies ' second all - time leading touchdown rusher . Lane also made carries of 22 , 27 , and 31 yards , which became his three longest runs thus far this season . Nebraska had lost all three of their fumbles , one of which that led A & M to a 16 – 7 lead in the second quarter . In the third quarter , both Lane and McGee teamed up on two consecutive 80 – yard touchdown drives against the wind , giving A & M a 30 – 14 lead . Overall , the offense compiled a total of 459 yards with no turnovers , and 359 rushing yards , the most in a road game since 1996 . After the game , Nebraska had been outscored 122 – 34 in their losses to Missouri , Oklahoma State , and A & M . Kansas . This was the Aggies ' 9th meeting with the ranked Kansas Jayhawks . A & M entered the game leading the series 7 – 1 , and had only lost the first meeting in Lawrence in 1974 . Kansas was the only Big 12 team that A & M was undefeated against , ever since the Big 12 formed in 1996 . Kansas was the first top 10 team , excluding Oklahoma and Texas , to play at Kyle Field since 2002 . A & M had compiled a 6 – 3 record for games played against top 10 teams ( other than OU and Texas ) at Kyle Field . In their previous meeting in 2006 , A & M outscored Kansas 21 – 18 . One day prior to the game , Las Vegas casino s favored Kansas to win by three points . In CBS Sports ' weekly " Expert Picks " , four out of the five reporters chose A & M to win . A & M came into the game with a 5th - ranked rushing offense , and a 111th ranked passing offense . The pass defense ranked 100th , scoring defense ranked 42nd , and overall defense ranked 73rd . Kansas entered the game with a 16th - ranked rushing offense , 25th - ranked passing offense , and a 3rd - ranked scoring offense . Kansas ' rushing defense ranked 4th , pass defense ranked 10th , and overall defense ranked 5th . Kansas also had ranked 9th in the weekly BCS standings . In the game , the KU defense held A & M ' s 5th - ranked rushing offense to only 79 yards . The A & M defense allowed KU running back Brandon McAnderson to rush for a career - high of 183 yards and score two touchdowns . The game remained scoreless until the third quarter , when KU gained a total of 13 points by kicking two field goals and scoring one touchdown . In the third quarter alone , the A & M offense compiled - 9 yards on 9 plays . In the fourth quarter , KU scored another touchdown to earn a 19 point lead . A & M had almost gotten its first home shutout since 1971 , until Matt Szymanski kicked a field goal with 7 : 20 left in the game . With 2 : 06 left , quarterback Stephen McGee threw a 32 - yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Roger Holland and completed a two point conversion to bring the score up to 19 – 11 . On the last two plays of the game , however , McGee attempted hail Mary pass es , but failed both times . Oklahoma . This was the Aggies ' 26th meeting with the Oklahoma Sooners . The Sooners entered the game leading the series 10 – 15 and also leading 11 – 1 in games played at Norman . Coach Dennis Franchione had compiled a 0 – 4 record with OU as A & M head coach , and coach Bob Stoops had compiled a 7 – 1 record with A & M as OU head coach . In 2003 , A & M suffered its worst loss in school history when OU shutout A & M 77 – 0 at Norman . In their last meeting , the # 21 Aggies lost to the # 18 Sooners 17 – 16 . In addition , A & M running back Mike Goodson ran for a career record of 127 yards against the Sooners tough run defense last year . The Sooners came off of a bye week to play A & M . During his tenure at OU , Stoops had compiled a 7 – 1 record in games played directly after a bye week . In CBS Sports ' weekly " Expert Picks " , all five reporters chose OU to win . Two days prior to the game , oddsmakers favored OU to win by 21 points . A & M entered the game with a 9th - ranked rushing offense , 109th passing offense , and 48th scoring offense . A & M ' s scoring defense ranked 40th , pass defense 89th , and overall defense ranked 76th . OU had led the Big 12 with its 2nd - ranked scoring offense and 3rd - ranked rushing defense . OU had also led the Big 12 with its 2nd - ranked passing efficiency , 8th - ranked sack total , and 5th - ranked tackles for loss total . In the game , OU tight end Jermaine Gresham matched a school record after he caught four receiving touchdowns in the first three quarters . Quarterback Sam Bradford made 284 passing yards and five touchdowns . A & M fumbles in the first half , one by receiver Roger Holland and the other by running back Keondra Smith , led to OU touchdown drives . The OU offense gained a total of 470 yards . A & M running back Mike Goodson , who was suspended the first half after missing a practice earlier in the week , rushed for a total of 28 yards on 7 carries . Quarterback Stephen McGee compiled 155 passing yards after completing 15 of 28 passes . Overall , the Aggies gained only 283 offensive yards , 152 of which came from the final two drives of the game . The Aggies did not convert a single third down . A & M tight end Martellus Bennett broke a school record of 26 consecutive games with receptions after he caught a team - high of four passes . Missouri . This was the Aggies ' 10th meeting with the Missouri Tigers . A & M entered the game leading the series 7 – 2 . In the 2006 game at Kyle Field , the unranked Aggies defeated # 19 Missouri 25 – 19 . Texas . This game marked the 114th meeting between the Aggies and the Texas Longhorns and was the fourth year as part of a multi - sport rivalry called the Lone Star Showdown . The football rivalry began in 1894 and continues to be the longest - running rivaly for both the Longhorns and the Aggies ; it is the third most - played rivalry in Division I - A college football . Texas A & M comes into the 2007 contest with a 35 – 73 – 5 record . Since the series began in 1894 , the game has traditionally been played on Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving weekend . The 2007 game marks the fourteenth straight game to be scheduled the day after Thanksgiving . The 2005 UT game was the poorest performance of that season by the Longhorns , both offensively and defensively . On offense , Vince Young had only 162 yards of offense , his lowest output of the season . UT running backs Henry Melton and Ramonce Taylor also received criticism for their tendency to run side - to - side instead of down - field . On defense , the Longhorns held A & M to only 118 yards passing but gave up 277 yards rushing ; the highest allowed by the Longhorns all season . The 2006 meeting was the first time in eight years that both teams entered the game with at least eight wins coming into the match - up . A & M prevailed 12 – 7 over the Longhorns in Austin , Texas , rushing for 244 yards against the nation ' s then - top - ranked rush defense . As a result of a tragic accident in 1999 , the Aggies could no longer hold a school sponsored version of their traditional Bonfire but the unofficial " Student Bonfire " was lit on the evening of 20 November 2007 . Texas A & M also hosted its annual Maroon Out on game day . During the week before the game , the Longhorns held their traditional Hex Rally . The game kicked off and the Aggies Quickly scored a 35 yard touchdown with a screen pass from Stephen McGee to Mike Goodson on their opening drive to go up by seven points . The Longhorns mustered two first downs , but could not get any points and punted . Texas A & M likewise ended their subsequent drive three plays later with a punt of their own . The Longhorn team again successfully penetrated into Texas A & M territory , but Mack Brown opted to call a pooch punt by Colt McCoy on fourth down and four from the Aggie 37 . The Aggies answered with an eighteen - play drive that stalled on the 14 yardline and the Aggies had to settle for a 31 yard field goal by Matt Szymanski . The second quarter started with the Longhorns driving only six yards and being forced to punt again . The Aggies continued to press their advantage and drove down the field until Stephen McGee threw an ill - timed pass that was intercepted by Deon Beasley at the Longhorn 25 . Two first - downs later , Texas was forced to punt and pinned Texas A & M on their own five yard line . Stephen McGee led the offense with several long passes and the Aggies drove to the Texas 5 but again were held short on 3rd down . On 4th and three , the Aggies faked the field goal and the placeholder , T . J . Sanders , ran the ball in for his first touchdown giving the Aggies a 17 - 0 lead . The Longhorns started their next drive on their own 20 where Colt McCoy threw a pass to Jamaal Charles that went 62 yards . The drive stalled and the Longhorns had to settle for a field goal and went to halftime trailing their arch rival 17 - 3 . The third quarter started with promising drives by both teams that ended when the ball was intercepted . Brandon Foster ran the Longhorn interception back to the A & M 8 yard line and Texas scored a touchdown on the next play to pull the Longhorns within seven points . The Aggies drove to the Texas 34 yard line , but the drive stalled out and Texas took over on downs as the fourth down attempt failed . Colt McCoy fumbled a few plays later to give the ball back to Texas A & M . Five plays later , Stephen McGee scampered into the endzone for a five yard touchdown to put the Aggies up 24 - 10 . The Longhorns took little time to answer with a touchdown of their own . Quan Cosby returned the following kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown to pull Texas within seven once again . The next drive started on the Aggie 49 , courtesy of a 42 yard kickoff return by E . J . Shankle that nearly went for a touchdown . The quarter ended on a seven yard pass to Mike Goodson . The final quarter of play began with Stephen McGee and Mike Goodson picking up where they left off : Stephen McGee threw a 44 - yard pass to Mike Goodson for another touchdown to put the Aggies ahead by a score of 31 - 17 . The Longhorns again went three and out and were forced to punt . The Aggies went down the field quickly and scored yet another touchdown with a 66 - yard pass completion to Earvin Taylor to put Texas A & M up by 21 points . Colt McCoy fumbled the ball two plays later but A & M was forced to punt the ball away 3 plays later . McCoy and the Longhorn offense drove the length of the field and answered with 2 passes for over 25 yards and a touchdown taking only 99 seconds off the clock . The Aggies lost seven yards over the next 3 plays and were forced again to punt . The Longhorns drove 73 yards from their own 27 , converted two fourth downs , and scored another touchdown . Ryan Bailey missed the extra point but left the Longhorns only down by 8 points . The Aggies took possession on their own 33 and ran the clock out to win the game 38 - 30 . During the postgame celebration , ABC commentator Jack Arute asked Coach Franchione for his thoughts on the A & M coaching situation . Coach Franchione responded by asking the announcer to let the players enjoy their victory . At the beginning of the subsequent press conference , Coach Franchione announced his resignation effective immediately . Shortly thereafter , Texas A & M announced that Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell would lead the Aggies in the bowl game . Alamo Bowl vs . Penn State . The Aggies were picked to play the Penn State Nittany Lions , who finished 8 – 4 in their regular season . Three Aggie players missed the game due to injuries , including offensive lineman Chris Yoder , cornerback Jordan Peterson , and defensive lineman Chris Smith . Defensive end Michael Bennett also cannot make the game due to his academic ineligibility . " College Football News " predicts a 34 - 20 victory for Penn State . WhatIfSports . com simulated the game 1 , 001 times and predicts the same result with a lower score , Penn State 29 , Texas A & M 17 . After the season . In the 2008 NFL Draft , five Aggies were drafted , including Martellus Bennett in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys , Cody Wallace and Red Bryant in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks , respectively , Chris Harrington in the sixth round by the Arizona Cardinals , and Corey Clark in the seventh round by the San Diego Chargers .