Oct. 6, 2007
COLLEGE STATION, Texas --Jorvorskie Lane rushed for two touchdowns and had his first TD catch as Texas A&M matched its largest comeback ever, rallying from 17 points down to beat Oklahoma State 24-23 on Saturday night to take over first place in the Big 12 South.
The Aggies (5-1, 2-0) trailed 17-0 at halftime after mustering only 132 yards in the first half against the Cowboys' defense, which was allowing a league-worst 443 yards per game.
Matt Szymanski started the comeback by kicking a 22-yard field goal on A&M's first series of the third quarter.
Dantrell Savage fumbled on the Cowboys' first play after halftime and A&M safety Alton Dixon recovered at the Oklahoma State 17 and Lane scored on a 1-yard run six plays later.
Oklahoma State (3-3, 1-1) answered with a 15-play drive that chewed up more than seven minutes. Savage scampered for 25 yards on a third-and-22 to keep the Cowboys moving. But Dixon and Chris Harrington sacked Zac Robinson on a third-and-goal from the 1 and Jason Ricks kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 20-10 late in the third quarter.
A&M called a running-back pass play to start the final rally. From midfield, Lane took a handoff from quarterback Stephen McGee and heaved a pass to Kerry Franks, who was tackled at the goal line by safety Andre Sexton. Officials reviewed the play to see if Franks scored, but placed the ball at the 1. Lane finished the drive with another 1-yard TD run.
Robinson was knocked out of the game with 13:13 left, after Harrington and Henry Smith hit him. Robinson was helped off the field by two trainers and Bobby Reid, demoted from the starting role in the second game of the season, replaced him.
The Aggies drove 61 yards for the go-ahead score. On third down from the 10, McGee dumped a short pass to Lane, who trotted into the end zone with 8:04 left in the game.
Reid guided the Cowboys to the Aggies' 8 inside the 5-minute mark. But a holding penalty stalled the drive and Ricks kicked a 25-yard field goal with 3:11 left to cut A&M's lead to 24-23.
The Cowboys forced an A&M punt, but Oklahoma State safety Quinton Moore was called for roughing punter Justin Brantly on a block attempt with 1:46 to go.
The Aggies killed the clock from there, matching their largest all-time comeback. In 1986, A&M trailed Baylor 17-0 and won 31-30.
Adarius Bowman caught two touchdown passes in the first half, one from Savage on a trick play. Robinson went 10-for-17 for 158 yards before he was injured.
NOTES...
MISCELLANEOUS --- Game captains were Cody Wallace, Kirk Elder, Red Bryant and Kerry Franks...Nick LaMantia, a junior fullback from Mission, Texas, was the 12th Man. It was the 17th time he's been the 12th Man. The school record for 12th Man starts is 23 by John Ray from 2003-05.
Post-Game Quotes
SENIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN RED BRYANT: "I told the team before the game, I could feel it in my bones that something special would happen today. The leaders on the team decided the key to the game was to 'refuse to lose'. I looked every guy in the eye before the game and told them that we would win this game. It feels great to be on top of the Big 12 South for the first time in five years."
JUNIOR DEFENSIVE BACK DEVIN GREGG: "They (Oklahoma State) played a very great first half and we played an extraordinary second half. They made plays early and they found some holes in the defense. We just had to make some second-half adjustments. We held them to six points in the second half and kept their offense off balance."
SOPHOMORE RUNNING BACK MIKE GOODSON: "It was just Aggie Spirit. We always talk about being a 'Band of Brothers' and we stuck together. It (the comeback win) just showed anything can happen. We never hung our heads. Coach Fran gave us a pep talk at halftime and we came out in the second half ready to play."
SENIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN COREY CLARK: "It was exciting to make a comeback with my teammates and see how much we wanted it in the second half. We really played as a team and we decided in the second half that we 'have to win and refuse to lose.'"
HEAD COACH DENNIS FRANCHIONE: "One thing that is for certain about this group of young men is that they will never ever quit. You have to give credit to Oklahoma State. They are an excellent ballclub and they battled the entire night. I was very proud of the way our guys responded in the second half. I felt like whichever offense could control the second half, would win the ballgame."
HEAD COACH MIKE GUNDY: "That's a disappointment for us. A&M made more plays than we did in the second half. We had a few key mistakes that really hurt us. We had a miscommunication on the goal line and then the turnover in the second half. Those three mistakes really hurt us. That let them and the crowd really get in the game. As a football team, we've got to correct those mistakes and continue to stay tight as a group and play hard. (Did you consider going for TD on fourth down rather than opting for late field goal?) Not with three minutes and three timeouts left. We had the opportunities, but the roughing the kicker hurt us. (on Bobby Reid) Bobby handled himself well. He only had one mistake and that's when he took the sack. Bobby is still a good football player and we needed him in there. He did a good job. The defense took the challenge; they played well on the road. As a coach, these losses hurt. It's called college football and we're going to get ready for the next game. I thought we put ourselves in a position where we could win, but we just made key mistakes that kept us from winning."
(On considering going for a TD on fourth down rather than opting for a late field goal...) "Not with three minutes and three timeouts left. We had the opportunities, but the roughing the kicker hurt us."
(On Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid...) "Bobby handled himself well. He only had one mistake and that's when he took the sack. Bobby is still a good football player and we needed him in there. He did a good job. The defense took the challenge. They played well on the road. As a coach, these losses hurt. It's called college football and we're going to get ready for the next game. I thought we put ourselves in a position where we could win, but we just made key mistakes that kept us from winning."
JUNIOR PLACEKICKER JASON RICKS: "It was a tough situation, just like last year. We couldn't overcome it. We have to regroup and come back next week. Lincoln (Nebraska) is another tough environment."