October 7, 2000
COLLEGE STATION, Texas-- Mark Farris' 4th-down pass with under two minutes to play fell just past the outstretched hands of fullback Ja'Mar Toombs, ending a long Aggie drive and giving the Colorado football team a 26-19 victory over the Texas A&M football team Saturday before 75,523 fans at Kyle Field.
With the loss to CU, the Aggies' 22-game home winning streak came to an end. Colorado defeated A&M in their only other visit to College Station, a 24-10 win in 1996.
Trailing by seven points with five minutes to go, the Aggies began a methodical drive that saw them convert a fourth down and move the ball deep into Buffalo territory. After Joe Weber was stopped short of a first down on a pitch to the left side, Farris missed Toombs on the 4th-and-2 attempt.
Texas A&M (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) got a great effort from the sophomore quarterback, who was 27-of-44 on the day for 281 yards and a touchdown pass. Bethel Johnson led all receivers with eight catches for 101 yards. CU's Cortlen Johnson led all rushers with 99 yards on 31 carries, and scored twice - once on the ground and once via a reception. For the game, the Aggies out-gained Colorado, 362-354.
CU got a huge touchdown with 11:45 to play in the game, when quarterback Craig Ochs found Johnson on 3rd-and-9 near midfield. Johnson took the screen pass on the right side and was escorted 52 yards down the sideline by his teammates for the score.
Colorado (1-4, 1-1) took a 12-0 lead into the final minutes of the first half behind a tremendous performance by Ochs. The freshman completed 12-of-16 passes for 162 yards in the half and rushed for an 18-yard touchdown for the first score of the game.
For the game, Ochs was 15-of-25 for 239 yards and a touchdown pass.
CU increased its lead to 9-0 when A&M deep snapper Chance Pearce sailed the ball over punter Cody Scates' head and out of the back of the north end zone. The Buffs tacked on a 45-yard field goal by Mark Mariscal to go up by 12 early in the second quarter.
The Aggies took the lead before the break, scoring 13 points in a 90-second span. Junior wide receiver Robert Ferguson hauled in a long Mark Farris pass at the CU 15-yard line, then carried Buffalo defensive back Phil Jackson the remaining distance into the end zone. The 46-yard strike made the score 12-7. Colorado fumbled in its own territory on the ensuing possession, and A&M took advantage of the opportunity. Redshirt freshman Richard Whitaker capped a quick drive with a 2-yard plunge on 1st-and-goal. A missed extra point kept the score 13-12 at the break.
Most of the 3rd quarter was played in a driving rain, and the weather conditions played a factor in the only score of the period. Don Muhlbach, who replaced Pearce earlier in the game, skidded a snap along the ground back to Scates, who tried to get a punt off. Marques Harris blocked the punt and the Buffs took over at the A&M 4. Cortlen Johnson scored on 3rd-and-goal from the 1 to give Colorado a six-point lead.
A&M cut into the lead with a 26-yard Terence Kitchens field goal, but Colorado extended their advantage to 10 on the touchdown pass from Ochs to Johnson. Kitchens responded with a 22-yard boot, moving the Aggies to within a touchdown with eight minutes to go, but that was as close as A&M would get.
A&M begins a two-game road trip on Saturday, Oct. 14 when they travel up the road to Waco to face the Baylor Bears in a regionally televised contest. Kickoff at Floyd Casey Stadium is set for 11:30 a.m.
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME NOTES
OFFENSIVE FRUSTRATION --- On four out of five second-half possessions, the Aggies drove inside the Colorado 27-yard line, including twice inside the 5-yard line, and came away with just six points (two field goals). Of those four deep possessions, the Aggies had drove at least 10 plays and three had been more than 50 yards in length. A&M dominated the ball in the second half time-wise (18:10 to 11:50). A&M outgained Colorado in the second half in total yards 206-124 and posted 14 first downs to the Buffs' six. In addition, twice in the first half the Aggies drove inside the CU 35 and didn't score.
COME-FROM-BEHIND SCORING BINGES --- The Aggies' second-quarter scoring binge that erased a 12-0 deficit was reminiscent of several come-from-behind points binges for A&M since joining the Big 12 Conference. Today against Colorado, the Aggies scored 13 points in the last 2:14 of the second quarter on a Robert Ferguson TD catch and a Richard Whitaker TD run after a blocked field goal attempt and a fumble recovery, respectively.
Others:
1998 15 points in the last 9:20 vs. Kansas State (Big 12 Championship game)
1998 17 points in the last 8:29 vs. Texas
1997 15 points in the last 5:06 vs. Oklahoma State
100-YARD DAY FOR B.JOHNSON --- Junior wide receiver Bethel Johnson tallied the second 100-yard receiving game of his career with 101 yards on 8 catches today. His other 100-yard game came in his playing debut game against Louisiana Tech in 1999 (4 for 106). The 8 catches match his career high, first set against UTEP earlier this year.
LONG HOME WINNING STREAK ENDS --- The Aggies' 22-game home winning streak ended with Colorado's 26-19 victory today. It was the nation's third-longest active home winning streak. The 22-game streak ranks as the second-longest in school history (behind a 29-game streak from 1990-95) and the second-longest of R.C. Slocum's tenure at A&M.
Colorado becomes the first Big 12 Conference school with more than one victory at Kyle Field.
CU is the first school to beat the Aggies two straight at Kyle Field since Texas beat the Aggies in 1981 and 1983.
LEFTOVERS --- The 52-yard pass and catch from Colorado quarterback Craig Ochs to Cortlen Johnson was the longest given up by the Aggie defense in 2000. It was the longest by an opponent agains the Aggies since Texas' Chris Simms hooked up with Jamel Thompson on a 57-yard pass and catch in 1999.
12th Man Kickoff teamer Jason Ware posted a tackle against Colorado, the second tackle of the year by a member of the 12th Man unit.
Senior wide receiver Chris Taylor's 4 catches today broke a two-game streak without a reception.
The Aggies penetrated CU's 20-yard line on its final three drives, including two inside the CU 5, but came away with just two field goals.
A&M quarterback Mark Farris completed 27-of-44 passes for 281 yards, all career-high totals. His 27 completions rank No. 4 in school history, his 444 attempts tie for No. 6 (with Edd Hargett, vs. Arkansas, 1966). He did not have an interception.
Colorado's Cortlen Johnson had 31 carries for 99 yards today, which was the most attempts by any opposing running back since Texas Tech's Sammy Morris had 33 totes for 170 yards in 1999.
The Aggies had a whopping 81 offensive plays against Colorado, the most since they ran 85 vs. Southern Miss in 1999.
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach R.C. Slocum --- "I said all week that we had a lot of respect for Colorado. They have a big offensive line and the quarterback is a good player, they have a lot of good players. We had a lot of mistakes the blocked punt that created a touchdown, the safety. We haven't had those types of problems. I'm surprised and disappointed. I still feel good about our two deep snappers. I don't know if the wetness had anything to do with it.You can go back and dissect any loss and usually it isn't one play. I'm disappointed we didn't get any points right before (after second CU fumble) halftime. This is the sixth time in 12 year that I've had to come into this interview room after a loss."
(missed tackles) "It's always disappointing when you miss tackles. A lot of times they're trying to get the big hit and they're not wrapping up."
(on CU's last TD) "We blitzed and were in man coverage. Harold Robertson had the running back but a wide receiver or tight end blocked down and cleared the way. We'll go back and try to win a game next week. We need to try to improve as a team and focus on bouncing back."
QB Mark Farris --- "We just didn't make the plays we needed to make today. It's kind of the same story as Notre Dame. There were probably eight or 10 plays during the game that needed to be made. We didn't make them and they did."
ILB Brian Gamble --- (on long TD screen) "We had a man-to-man blitz called. They ran a little pick play and picked the guy that was supposed to be on him. There was nothing but green in front of him after that."
DB Michael Jameson --- (home winning streak) "It's extremely disappointing. Being a senior, I haven't lost here my entire career and I sure didn't want to in my senior year. We knew all week that they were a good team, and we had to play hard. We just didn't make the plays that we needed to make today. We missed a lot of tackles. We were going for kill shots too often instead of grabbing cloth and making the tackles like we're taught to do."
FB Ja'Mar Toombs --- (on failed 4th down play) "I thought I should have hauled it in. There is no excuse. I should have made the play and I didn't. I take full responsibility. It was a good play call and I just didn't catch the ball."
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Colorado Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Gary Barnett:
"Our guys fought hard for this win. We had to scrape for this thing. I had a good feeling when I left the locker room before the game. It wasn't pretty, but we found a way to do it. We had just enough defense to hold them. I realize it's hard to come in here and get a win. Our defense made it exciting. We kept throwing defensive backs out there. We also had a little bit of luck o special teams. They had three bad snaps today. (On Ochs) For a freshman to come in here and play like he did today showed incredible poise. But he's not your average freshman. Last week, he did the same sort of thing when we brought him in. He's the spark we needed. To come in here and win in these conditions in front of a hostile crowd speaks volumes for the kind of player he can be."
Quarterback Craig Ochs:
"This was a great team effort. Everybody left their heart out on the field today. When you win, the hits don't hurt as bad. They had a great defense. They were extremely physical. Their ends come up field fast. Matt Russell (former CU player) spoke to us this week about coming here and playing in front of this type of environment. This place is loud. What a great place to play. We were just dying for a win today. We never gave up on the season."
Linebacker Jashon Sykes:
"This is a wonderful feeling. It's motivation for us to carry on into next week. (on not starting) It motivated me a lot. I had to take a step back and look at where I was needed. (on practice this week) What coach Barnett did was perfect. He had us in full pads. We were physical all week. Mentally, we were ready to play. A&M made some big plays on us. I was just trying to cheer everyone up in the huddle and tell them we were going to hold them. We sucked it up in the end and held them."