2008 Texas A & M Aggies football team The 2008 Texas A & M Aggies football team ( often referred to as " A & M " or the " Aggies " ) represented Texas A & M University in the 2008 - 2009 college football season . The team was led by first - year head coach Mike Sherman , who replaced Dennis Franchione after the previous season . Preseason . Recruiting . While head coach Mike Sherman was finishing his offensive coordinator duty for the Houston Texans , he contacted A & M ' s orally committed recruits by telephone , and hired former Nebraska recruiting coordinator Tim Cassidy — who had been the recruiting coordinator at A & M from 1989 – 2004 — to serve as the recruiting coordinator for football . Once Sherman commenced his head coaching duties , he and his coaching staff scoured the state for speedy players , recruiting running back Cyrus Gray , wide receiver Jeffrey Fuller , linebacker Ricky Cavanaugh , defensive backs Terrence Frederick and Trent Hunter , and defensive tackle Eddie Brown . The coaches also signed five offensive lineman and three tight ends , after losing four starting offensive lineman and two starting tight ends from the 2007 season . The staff was able to retain 18 of the previous coaching staff ' s recruits , but lost another 3 to other schools . Jeff Fuller , Tommy Dorman , and A & M ' s only junior college transfer , Matt Moss , enrolled at A & M in the spring to take part in spring practices . In all , A & M received letters of intent from 24 players on National Signing Day , which was on February 6 , 2008 . Of those 24 , 3 ranked in ESPN ' s top 150 national players list , and 5 ranked in Rivals . com ' s top 250 . 22 are from Texas . Rivals . com also included 14 of the commits on its Texas Top 100 ranking . The recruiting class was ranked No . 16 by Rivals , No . 15 by Scout . com , and No . 25 by ESPN . Derrick Hall and Blake Chavis were not able to make the team due to academic ineligibility . Players . Position changes . During the preseason , Coach Sherman made some player adjustments to fit his pro - style offensive scheme . Von Miller , who was a backup defensive end last season , and Garrick Williams , his high school teammate , were moved to outside linebacker . Safety Jordan Pugh was shifted to cornerback , which he played in high school . Devin Gregg moved to free safety from strong safety . Jordan Peterson , after playing two seasons at cornerback , became a safety . Jamie McCoy , who moved from quarterback to wide receiver the previous season , shifted to tight end . Defensive back Chevar Bryson and Kenny Brown became wideout s . Running back Jorvorskie Lane is losing weight to make the move from tailback to fullback . Billy Chavis made the move from linebacker to tight end . Starting quarterback Stephen McGee recovered from surgery he had on his non - throwing shoulder in January 2008 , causing him to miss most of the spring drills . He competed with sophomore Jerrod Johnson and freshman Ryan Tannehill for the starting position . He was named the starter for the season - opener against Arkansas State , but will continue to compete for the job for the remainder of the season . The Aggies are looking to improve their offensive line , after losing three starters , including two who earned all - Big 12 honors . They also are looking to field adequate linebackers and tight ends . Honors . Justin Brantly made the preseason All - Big 12 team and was also a Ray Guy Award candidate . Running back Mike Goodson and fullback Jorvorskie Lane were two of 75 college players named to the 2008 Maxwell Award watch list . Additionally , quarterback Stephen McGee , along with 25 other quarterbacks , appeared on the 2008 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list . Spring game . The Aggies played their spring intrasquad Maroon and White exhibition game on April 19 , 2008 at 6 : 00 p . m . The game attracted 32 , 000 fans , including more than 100 college football prospects from the class of 2009 . The game featured a new format of two halves . The first half featured a two - quarter game that pitted the Texas A & M team , led by quarterbacks Stephen McGee and Tommy Dorman , and the Texas Aggies team , led by quarterbacks Jerrod Johnson and Ryan Tannehill . The second half consisted of situational work , including the red zone , overtime , goal line , and two - minute drills . Two honorary student coaches , who were selected by the coaching staff and players , also served during the game . Each student coach gave their respective team a pre - game speech and interacted with players , coaches , and staff on the sidelines during the game . On the opening drive of the game , running back Mike Goodson picked up 58 yards on 8 carries , and McGee ended the drive with a 1 - yard bootleg play to the endzone . On the next drive , led by Johnson , Bradley Stephens ran 41 yards on 5 carries , though the drive ended on a 44 - yard field goal by Matt Szymanski . Dorman led the ensuing drive , and Cornell Tarrant eventually scored a touchdown on a 40 - yard run . The Texas A & M team defeated the Texas Aggies 14 – 3 . Tarrant became the leading rusher of the game with his 59 yards on 4 carries . McGee was the game ' s leading passer , completing 5 - of - 8 passes for 58 yards , though none of the passes were to a wide receiver . Converted tight end Jamie McCoy was the leading receiver with two catches for 31 yards , including a 25 - yard catch thrown by McGee . Tannehill completed 6 - of - 10 passes for 50 yards , while Johnson was 3 - of - 5 for 25 yards . In the goal - line drill of the second half , defensive back Chevar Bryson made a length - of - the - field interception return for a touchdown . Jorvorskie Lane did not play due to a stomach virus . Head coach Mike Sherman commended the running backs , especially Mike Goodson , calling him a " very dangerous weapon " . Though the Aggies didn ' t run any option plays in the game , the play - calling was run - heavy , as was planned . Sherman stated that they had a running game because they " wanted to show some toughness , not just throw it around " . Rankings and predictions . In June 2008 , Rivals . com ranked the team 65th out of 119 Division I FBS teams . A " Sporting News " writer ranked the team No . 48 in his 2008 top 50 list . " Sports Illustrated " ranked the Aggies 51st out of the 119 national teams . A " Washington Times " columnist placed the team 65th , while an " Orlando Sentinel " reporter ranked it 38th . Another " Sporting News " writer ranked the team ' s nonconference schedule the 4th toughest in the Big 12 . A " Tulsa World " sports columnist rated the Aggies 9th in the Big 12 in July 2008 . In June 2008 , ESPN ' s Mark Schlabach predicted the team would face the Oregon State Beavers in the Brut Sun Bowl . In July 2008 , ESPN ' s Tim Griffin picked the team to go to the Texas Bowl to face longtime Southwest Conference rival SMU . The Rivals . com staff predicted that A & M will not play in a bowl this season . The 2008 edition of " Dave Campbell ' s Texas Football " predicted the team would finish the season with an 8 – 4 record . Point - Spreads . com , a spread betting website , projected the Aggies to go 5 – 7 . The official Big 12 Media Preseason Poll picked the Aggies to finish fifth in the Big 12 South . " The Oklahoman " ranked the wide receiver corps last in the Big 12 . The same writer ranked the defensive line 10th , and the linebackers 10th as well . " The Kansas City Star " rated the quarterbacks 10th , the running backs 1st , the offensive line 8th , the wide receivers and tight ends 12th , the defensive line 12th , the linebackers 11th , the defensive backs 5th , and the special teams 6th . The team did not rank in the preseason AP or Coaches polls . It did receive 3 votes in the Coaches Poll , however . Coaching staff . After former coach Dennis Franchione resigned on November 23 , 2007 , former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman , who was the Houston Texans ' offensive coordinator at the time , was hired three days later , becoming the 28th head coach of the Texas A & M football program . Sherman chose to finish his term with the Houston Texans before working full - time as the Aggies ' head coach . The Texans ended their regular season December 30 , 2007 . During that period , Sherman contacted A & M ' s orally committed recruits by telephone , and hired former Nebraska recruiting coordinator Tim Cassidy — who had been the recruiting coordinator at A & M from 1989 – 2004 — to serve as the recruiting coordinator as well as the associate athletic director for football . Once Sherman started his job full - time , he named Seattle Seahawks wide receivers coach Nolan Cromwell to be his offensive coordinator and Reggie Herring to be his defensive coordinator . Herring , however , resigned a month later and became the linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys . Sherman worked with Cromwell under head coach Mike Holmgren at Green Bay . On January 9 , 2008 , Sherman announced Buddy Wyatt would coach the defensive line . Wyatt had 18 years of collegiate coaching experience , including 3 seasons at A & M from 2000 – 02 . In 2001 , the Aggie defense ranked 10th in the nation . Sherman also retained defensive backs coach Van Malone , who coached under Franchione for the 2006 – 07 seasons . Malone is the only member from Franchione ' s staff to be retained . Shortly afterwards , Charles McMillan , who worked at TCU from 2004 – 07 as the cornerbacks coach , was announced to also coach the defensive backs . Former Boston College offensive line coach Jim Turner , as well as former NFL running back Randy Jordan , will coach the offensive line and running backs , respectively . Former Green Bay Packers coach Tom Rossley was hired to coach the quarterbacks . Former Alabama defensive coordinator Joe Kines was hired to replace Herring , and was also named the assistant head coach . Former Denver Broncos coach Kirk Doll , who also coached at A & M from 1988 – 93 , was hired to be the tight ends and special teams coach . Game notes . Arkansas State . This marked the fourth meeting between the Aggies and the Arkansas State Red Wolves , a member of the Sun Belt Conference . A & M went into the game with a 3 – 0 all - time record against the Red Wolves ; the third game occurred in 2003 , the Aggies ' 4 – 8 season . This was Arkansas State ' s first football game with its new nickname of " Red Wolves " . Previously , Arkansas State ' s sports teams had been nicknamed " Indians " in honor of the Osage Nation that inhabited the area until the 1800s . The use of an Indian mascot was the subject of ongoing controversy , including NCAA restrictions on the use of the mascot . Arkansas State , which finished 5 – 7 last season , returned six ; starters on offense and five on defense . Experience was lacking on the team ' s secondary , where the Red Wolves must replace all four starters , and the offensive line , which has only one returning starter . Key players include junior quarterback Corey Leonard , who set school records for total yards and passing touchdowns in 2007 , as well as junior tailback Reggie Arnold , who rushed for more than 1 , 000 yards the previous two seasons . Arkansas State was predicted to finish fourth in its conference by the preseason Sun Belt Conference coaches ' poll . ASU compiled 60 yards on the game opening possession , ending it with a 37 - yard field goal . A & M answered with a 69 - yard drive that resulted in a 9 - yard touchdown run by tailback Mike Goodson . On their next possession , Arkansas State lost a fumble , allowing the Aggies to take over on downs on the A & M 28 - yard line . The Aggies eventually moved to the Red Wolves 15 - yard line , but faced a fourth - down situation . Kicker Richie Bean missed a 32 - yard field goal to keep the score at 7 – 3 . The Red Wolves ' ensuing drive led to a punt , which A & M recovered at its 23 - yard line . McGee cranked up A & M ' s passing game after making completions of 5 , 13 , 12 , and 16 yards . Goodson soon scored a touchdown on a 7 - yard run . Bean added the extra point to give A & M a 14 – 3 lead with 4 : 23 left in the half . Neither team could advance the ball for a touchdown over the remainder of the half . In the second half , the Aggies ' had four turnovers , three of which led to ASU scoring drives . Posting just 103 offensive yards – including 9 rushing – A & M failed to score on all eight of its possessions . In the third quarter , an interception and a fumble recovery let the Red Wolves to score two field goals , cutting the score to 14 – 9 . In the fourth quarter , A & M kicker Richie Bean kicked a 25 - yard field goal wide right . After the missed field goal , the ball was spotted on the ASU 20 - yard line . ASU drove 80 yards into A & M territory for a touchdown to take the lead . Although their two - point conversion pass was incomplete , the Red Wolves could maintain their 15 – 14 advantage with 4 : 39 remaining in the game . On their next possession , the Aggies lost the ball on a fumble by Goodson after four plays . This set up ASU to kick its fourth successful field goal of the game to extend its lead to 18 – 14 . Once the clock went down to 1 : 12 , the Aggies looked to score on their final drive in order to win the game . On the third play of the drive , McGee threw a 26 - yard pass to third - string quarterback Ryan Tannehill to move the ball to the ASU 39 . Two subsequent passes to Goodson allowed only a net gain of 5 yards , and on fourth down – with 7 seconds remaining – McGee threw another interception . ASU ran out the clock to preserve their 18 – 14 victory . Goodson had his third career 100 - yard rushing game . He was three yards short of breaking his game record of 127 yards , compiled against Oklahoma his freshman season . Third - string quarterback Ryan Tannehill was the leader in receiving yards in the game , with 5 catches for 59 yards . McGee hit the 5 , 000 - passing yards mark , becoming the fifth all - time A & M quarterback to do so . His two interceptions in the game was also the second time of his career in which he threw two or more interceptions . The first time occurred against Texas in 2007 . Jorvorskie Lane received only a few snaps and no carries or catches in the game due to a neck injury he got during one of the August practices . The defense compiled only three tackles for a loss . Linebacker Matt Featherston posted a game - high of 16 stops , and safety Arkeith Brown made 11 tackles with two pass breakups . Featherston was the second player in the nation with the most tackles during the first week . The game attracted the second - largest home opener crowd of 78 , 691 . By losing the game , A & M broke a 20 - game winning streak in home openers . ASU captured its first victory against a Big 12 team after 14 tries . It was also their first season - opening road victory since joining Division I - A in 1992 . The game was called " one of the most embarrassing losses in [ A & M ] history " by several sport columnists . The team ' s performance also placed 5th in ESPN ' s Bottom 10 weekly rankings . New Mexico . Prior to this meeting , A & M had only played the Lobos once in 1926 , shutting them out 63 – 0 at College Station . Former A & M head coach Dennis Franchione coached the Lobos from 1992 – 97 , leading them to a Western Athletic Conference Mountain Division Championship in 1997 and their first bowl appearance since 1961 . The Lobos lost the game , and Franchione later resigned to take the head coaching position at TCU . Rocky Long has since taken over and led the Lobos to their first bowl victory since 1961 at the 2007 New Mexico Bowl . UNM signed a home - and - home deal with the Aggies after the 2006 season . Shortly after signing the deal , UNM was approached by an unidentified third party that offered $ 1 . 5 million to move the game to San Antonio . UNM rejected the offer , and the offer was increased to $ 1 . 8 million by June 2007 . The Lobos declined the offer again , stating that they needed to build fan loyalty at home . In their opener , UNM lost 26 – 3 to conference opponent TCU . Senior running back Rodney Ferguson , who posted 1 , 000 - yard back - to - back seasons , rushed for only 59 yards in the game . Quarterback Donovan Porterie sat out in the game after throwing 4 - of - 10 passes for 37 yards , one interception , and losing one fumble that caused his neck injury . UNM ' s backup quarterback threw 3 - of - 14 passes for 93 yards , including one catch for 81 . The Aggies started the game on offense and did not see any success on their first drive . Quarterback Stephen McGee had to sit out after the first drive due to a right shoulder strain , causing Jerrod Johnson to replace him . McGee did not see any action afterwards . The Lobos began their first drive on their 5 - yard line . On their second third - down possession , Porterie threw an interception to safety Jordan Peterson , who returned the ball 48 yards for a touchdown . This was the first time A & M scored a defensive touchdown since the Wyoming game in 2004 . The touchdown was also significant in that the Lobos had lost 10 of its previous meetings in which the opponent scored first . On their next possession , the Lobos gave up the ball once Porterie threw yet another pick , which set the ball for the Aggies at the UNM 20 . On third down , Jerrod Johnson threw a touchdown to receiver Jeff Fuller . The Lobos answered with a 45 - yard touchdown run by Ferguson on their next possession to cut A & M ' s lead to 14 – 7 . In the second quarter , both teams failed to move to score on two respective drives . On their final drive of the half , the Aggies drove the ball for 93 yards on 14 plays , ending it with another touchdown pass to Fuller . After an unsuccessful UNM drive , A & M left the field for halftime leading 21 – 7 . Early in the third quarter , the Lobos scored on a 27 - yard field goal , thanks in part to an A & M muffed punt which the Lobos recovered at A & M ' s 14 . Trouble hit the Lobos again when Porterie mishandled a snap , which led to a fumble recovery by defensive end Michael Bennett . Bennett returned the ball for 37 yards and stepped out of the field at the UNM 22 . Johnson ended the drive on a 9 - yard pass to tight end Jamie McCoy . With 6 minutes left in the game , the Lobos found the end zone on a 5 - yard run , though a subsequent two - point conversion failed . The Aggies used their next drive to run out the clock , but eventually had to give the ball back to the Lobos on a punt . The Lobos were able to move 92 yards on 17 plays , capping it with a rushing touchdown by Ferguson . The Lobos then looked to gain the lead with less than a minute in the game , but missed the onside kick recovery . A & M ran out the clock and preserved their 28 – 22 victory . This victory was a milestone in that it was the first non - conference road victory for A & M since the win over Pittsburgh in 2002 . Jerrod Johnson finished the game with 10 - of - 19 pass completions ( including three touchdowns ) for 124 yards . Tailback Mike Goodson was held only to 6 carries for 9 yards . Goodson left the game early due to a sprained right knee , although he did return to play for some time in the second half . Fullback Jorvorskie Lane got more playing time , and compiled 19 yards on seven carries . Head coach Mike Sherman stated that Jorvorskie could block and play better than he did in the game . Ryan Tannehill made three receptions for 57 yards , while Jeff Fuller caught 3 for 36 . Cyrus Gray finished with 29 rushing yards on 10 carries . As for UNM , Rodney Ferguson ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries . Donovan Proterie completed 22 - of - 35 for 154 yards , though threw two interceptions . Miami ( FL ) . This was the third meeting between the two teams . In their first meeting in 1944 , the Aggies won 70 – 14 at the Hurricanes ' home field . The 1944 game remains to be Miami ' s worst loss in their football history . In their second meeting in 2007 , Miami upset the 16th - ranked Aggies 34 – 17 in their home field , which was the Orange Bowl . The Canes finished 5 – 7 that season , which was their worst in 30 years . A & M ' s speed did not match that of Miami ' s , which is part of the reason why the Canes blanked A & M 31 – 0 in the first three quarters . This will also be the second time that a Florida team plays at Kyle Field . Florida State first played at the stadium in 1967 . Coming off a bye week , the Aggies looked to regroup at home . After their first two games , the Aggies ranked last in the Big 12 in every major offensive category : scoring offense ( 21 points per game ) , rushing yards ( 112 . 5 ) , passing yards ( 157 ) , total offense ( 269 . 5 yards ) , pass efficiency ( 126 ) , first downs ( 34 ) and sacks allowed ( seven ) . Part of the off week was used to practice specific schemes , including third - down and short yardage , which hadn ' t been worked on in weeks . Quarterback Stephen McGee underwent an MRI on the Monday of the bye week ( i . e . directly following the New Mexico game ) , and the MRI revealed that he suffered a sprained and slightly separated right shoulder . He was not able to practice that week . The following week , both McGee and Jerrod Johnson took snaps during practice . Tailback Mike Goodson , after suffering a mild ankle sprain in the New Mexico game , did not miss any practice time . Third - string quarterback Ryan Tannehill may miss the game due to a sprained ankle from the previous game . Miami , among other things , aimed to improve its passing offense , which had ranked 106th nationally ( out of 119 Division I FBS teams ) . The Canes lost an away game to Florida 26 – 3 , after holding the Gators to 7 points before the fourth quarter . ESPN ' s Kirk Herbstreit stated that the Canes ' play against A & M could determine whether they ( Miami ) will turn out to be a surprise team this season . The 113th - nationally - ranked A & M rushing defense , which gave up 255 and 216 rushing yards to Arkansas State and New Mexico , respectively , could catch a break in this game as Miami lost its starting running back in Javarris James , who sprained his right ankle early in the Florida game . Miami ' s speed on defense outmatches that of the Aggies . The Canes ' defense had ranked 8th nationally 17 tackles for a loss . However , they have yet to produce a turnover . Army . This was the fourth game in the series between the Army Black Knights and the Aggies , and the second of the AT & T Corps Classic . Army ' s lone trip to College Station was in 1972 , the only time they defeated A & M . The third game , which was played in the Alamodome in 2006 , was the debut of the AT & T Corps Classic . The Black Knights failed to score in the final drive of the game , and A & M escaped with a 28 – 24 victory . Army had lost all of its previous three home games to Temple , New Hampshire , and Akron . The Black Knights had been outscored 85 – 20 , and did not score more than 10 points in each of those games . Over the past two seasons , they posted a 1 – 9 record in away games . Using its triple option attack , Army had averaged 179 rushing yards per game , ranking 41st in the country . Its 118th - ranked passing offense , however , had recorded only 77 yards per game . The offense had also lost 10 fumbles , the most of any Division I team . On the other side of the ball , the Black Knights had limited their opposition to 309 . 7 ypg . The defense had also produced five turnovers , though the front line had only forced two sacks in the first three games . Oklahoma State . The Aggies had a four - game winning streak coming into their 24th meeting with the Oklahoma State Cowboys . They also had held a 7 – 3 record for games played at Stillwater . In the 2007 home game , after trailing 17 – 0 at the end of the first half , the Aggies matched their largest comeback in school history to defeat the Cowboys 24 – 23 . In the 2006 meeting at Stillwater , the Aggies defeated the Cowboys 34 – 33 in overtime , after defensive tackle Red Bryant blocked the overtime field goal attempt that would have tied the game at 34 – 34 and started a second overtime . OSU entered the game with a nationally - ranked No . 1 rushing offense , No . 3 scoring offense , and No . 4 total offense . The Aggies , on the other hand , came in with a 115th - ranked rushing defense , and a scoring and total offense that had placed last in the Big 12 . OSU , which was ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2004 , was a 24 - point favorite . In the first half , OSU outscored A & M 28 – 7 . The Cowboys gained a 7 – 0 lead when defensive end Ugo Chinasa returned an interception 6 yards for a touchdown . The Cowboys scored again with Zac Robinson ' s 29 - yard throw to Dez Bryant to make the score 14 – 0 . Bryant later ran a 78 - yard punt return for another touchdown to extend the lead to 21 – 0 . ESPN ' s SportsCenter called Bryant ' s touchdown return the No . 1 play of the night . A & M finally answered with Mike Goodson running an 80 - yard touchdown , the longest of his career . There were five A & M turnovers in the first half alone . OSU did not convert on three lost A & M fumbles . Kansas State . The Aggies came into the game with an 8 – 4 all - time record with the Kansas State Wildcats , and a 5 - game winning streak , which started in 1998 when the Aggies defeated the Wildcats 36 – 33 ( in two overtimes ) to win the Big 12 Championship . The Wildcats are led by third - year head coach Ron Prince , who led the Wildcats to a 7 – 6 record and an appearance in the Texas Bowl in 2006 , and a 5 – 7 record in 2007 . In both seasons , however , he led his team to upset the Texas Longhorns , who were ranked among the top 10 in the national polls coming into the matchups . Coach Prince used his 2008 junior college transfers to strengthen the team ' s play . A few players had to sit out during the game due to injuries , including offensive linemen Travis Schneider , Michael Shumard and Robbie Frost . Lineman Lee Grimes played three different positions in order to counter the injuries . Mike Goodson had to sit out the first quarter since he missed class during the week . Kansas State opened the game with an 81 - yard touchdown drive , which consisted of 31 rushing yards by quarterback Josh Freeman . Immediately afterwards , A & M settled for a field goal on their possession , after driving 73 yards deep into K - State territory . In the second quarter , the Wildcats ' special teams unit blocked their fourth punt of the season , and returned the blocked punt for a 10 - yard touchdown . Safety Courtney Herndon was able to pick up his third blocked punt of the season in the process . Punter Justin Brantly had his first punt block after 129 attempts ( his last blocked punt occurred in the 2005 Texas game ) . The Wildcats failed to score the extra point to keep the score at 13 – 3 . After another unsuccessful A & M drive , Kansas State opened up its passing game in a drive that consisted of 10 , 20 , 15 , 7 , and 5 receptions . The drive ended on a 4 - yard touchdown run by Logan Dold , and the subsequent extra point extended K - State ' s lead to 20 – 3 . On their next possession , the Aggies fumbled on KSU ' s 48 - yard - line , and one of the Wildcat defenders returned the fumble for 10 yards . This eventually allowed the Wildcats to compile another scoring drive , moving the score up to 27 – 3 . Prior to halftime , A & M finally got a touchdown on a 7 - play , 80 - yard drive , which was capped by a 38 - yard catch by Howard Morrow , who had yet to make an impact this season . Jorvorskie Lane scored the touchdown on a 4th - and - 1 situation at the KSU 1 . With his 46th touchdown of his career , Lane became the all - time school record holder in rushing touchdowns . The previous record of 45 was held by Darren Lewis ( 1987 – 90 ) . The Aggies started the second half and were able to advance the ball 54 yards using a balanced rushing and passing attack . They missed the opportunity to move past the KSU 33 on 4th - and - 8 , and had to turn the ball over on downs . K - State used the drive to make a 49 - yard field goal . With 7 : 53 remaining in the third quarter , A & M utilized its passing game to move the ball , thanks in part to two 22 - yard receptions , one made by Jeff Fuller , and the other completed by Ryan Tannehill . Jerrod Johnson rushed to the endzone from the KSU 5 . Randy Bullock , however , missed the extra point . Still trailing 30 – 16 , the Aggies looked to pull a comeback . Hopes of a comeback diminished when Jorvorskie Lane ' s second attempt at scoring on a short goal - line rush failed . A & M had to turnover on downs once again , despite moving the ball for 62 yards and just a yard shy of scoring . K - State used its rushing game to drain out the clock a little , and successfully ended the drive on a 1 - yard run by Josh Freeman . Less than 5 minutes remained in the game once A & M got the ball . Johnson made 3 consecutive completions to Tannehill worth 50 yards , and Goodson scored on the next play via a 23 - yard reception . After their quick touchdown , the Aggies attempted an onside kick , which was recovered by K - State at the A & M 41 . The Wildcats ran the ball once again , and were rewarded yet another touchdown to extend their lead to 44 – 23 . About a minute was left , and on the second play of A & M ' s last possession , Johnson connected to Tannehill for a 55 - yard touchdown . The Aggies tried another onside kick , but K - State found the ball and preserved their 44 – 30 win . With this loss , A & M dropped to 0 – 2 in conference play , the program ' s worst start since 1982 . KSU left with their first win at Kyle Field since 1996 . On a brighter note , Tannehill ' s 210 yards from 12 catches are the 3rd - best of all A & M receivers in a single game . Johnson ' s 487 offensive yards and 419 passing yards went down on A & M ' s record books as the best ever . Texas Tech . The Aggies had led the all - time series with the Texas Tech Red Raiders 34 – 31 – 1 , though the Red Raiders had won 10 of the past 13 games . The last victory at Kyle Field was in 2004 , when the game went into overtime . Ninth - year Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach had held a 6 – 2 record against the Aggies . The Red Raiders had led the nation in passing offense and are second in total offense , due in part to Sammy Baugh Trophy winning quarterback Graham Harrell and unanimous first - team All - American receiver Michael Crabtree . In fact , Leach ' s spread offense philosophy has allowed the Red Raiders to rank among the top 10 passing offense teams in the country ever since the 2001 season . Sports bettors favored Tech to win by 21 points . In the first half , A & M outgained Tech 274 yards to 254 , and led 23 – 20 . A & M did not produce any turnovers , while Tech gave away 2 possessions to A & M . A & M scored 10 points off Tech ' s turnovers , but Tech was able to score on its other possessions . In the second half , however , the Aggies could only post 32 offensive yards and 5 first downs . Harrell completed 44 - of - 56 throws for 450 yards , three touchdowns , and two interceptions . He also scored touchdowns on two rushes . Crabtree scored two touchdowns off of his eight catches for 71 yards . Iowa State . The Aggies had held an undefeated 7 – 0 record against the Cyclones until the 2005 meeting , when they lost 42 – 14 at Kyle Field . The Cyclones were led by Dan McCarney , who was 0 – 6 against the Aggies until that matchup . McCarney resigned from Iowa State in 2006 to accept an assistant coaching position at South Florida . Former Texas Longhorns co - defensive coordinator Gene Chizik , who coached the Longhorns to their national championship in 2005 , was hired to replace him . Chizik led the Cyclones to a 3 – 9 record in the 2007 season . Both teams went into the game with the same overall record and were still looking to get their first conference win . Both Iowa State ' s and A & M ' s defenses had ranked 98th and 101st in the nation , respectively . Iowa State ' s secondary had allowed Baylor and Nebraska to complete 78 percent of their passes . Sports bettors predicted Iowa State to beat A & M by three points . Colorado . Coming into the game , the Aggies had held a 2 – 5 overall record against the Colorado Buffaloes . Of the three games that were played at Kyle Field , the Aggies had only won the 2004 contest . In the preseason , the Buffaloes acquired Darrell Scott , who was ranked the best running back in the 2008 recruiting class by Rivals . com . In their previous game , the Buffaloes suffered a 58 – 0 shutout at the hands of No . 16 Missouri . Both teams bought an even matchup to the field , with Colorado fielding an offense that had scored 19 points per game , whereas A & M ' s scoring defense had allowed 35 points per game . The Aggie defense had given up a total of 1 , 584 in their past three games against Iowa State , Texas Tech , and Kansas State . A & M was favored to win by 3 . 5 points . Oklahoma . Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops came in 3 – 1 against the Aggies in games played at Kyle Field . All three of their victories had been decided within one touchdown . In the offseason , a columnist for " The Oklahoman " stated " Sooner - Aggie games at Kyle Field have been classics this decade . " In the 2000 game , the Sooners intercepted a pass by Mark Farris and returned it for a touchdown to win 35 – 31 . They eventually ended up winning the 2000 national title . In 2002 , the Aggies upset then - ranked No . 1 Oklahoma 30 – 26 . The Sooners came into the 2004 game ranked No . 2 , and scored a touchdown with 6 : 43 remaining in the game to win 42 – 35 . In 2006 , the Aggies allowed the Sooners to escape with a one - point victory . Then - head coach Dennis Franchione elected to go for a field goal rather than score a touchdown from the 2 - yard line with 3 : 28 left in the game . Oklahoma was predicted to win by 27 . 5 points . OU defensive end Auston English will not play in the game due to injury . The Aggies suffered their worst home loss in school history . Baylor . The Aggies come into the 2008 Battle of the Brazos leading 65 – 30 – 9 . A & M had held a 13 - game winning streak against Baylor until 2004 , when the Bears upset a ranked Aggie team in Waco . Art Briles took over as the Bears ' new head coach in the offseason , replacing Guy Morriss . The Bears are 8 - point favorites . Texas . This game marked the 115th meeting between Texas and the Texas A & M Aggies and it was the fifth year as part of a multi - sport rivalry called the Lone Star Showdown . The football rivalry began in 1894 and it is the longest - running rivaly for both the Longhorns and the Aggies and it is also the third most - played rivalry in Division I - A college football . Texas entered into the 2007 contest with a 73 – 35 – 5 record . Since the series began in 1900 , the game has traditionally been played on Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving weekend . The 2007 game marked the twelfth straight game to be scheduled the day after Thanksgiving . The two schools had agreed to move the game back to Thanksgiving Day for the 2008 and 2009 contests .