One last shot for Gray, A&M seniors to beat Oklahoma State

Cyrus Gray doesn't want to leave Texas A&M without beating Oklahoma State. He'll do whatever it takes, even if that means showing what senior defensive end and former DeSoto High School teammate Tony Jerod-Eddie says is Gray's "dark side."

That doesn't seem possible since the mild-mannered, always smiling Gray is one of the team's most respected players. Gray's work ethic and team-first attitude are reasons head coach Mike Sherman went against his better judgment and allowed Gray one more carry in Saturday night's 37-7 victory over Idaho to give Gray a chance to get to 100 yards.

Gray made his coach look good, rushing for at least 100 yards for the ninth straight game, one short of the school record set by Darren Lewis in 1988.

Gray can tie the record Saturday against the seventh-ranked Cowboys in the first Top 10 matchup at Kyle Field since 1975.

The record, though, is not Gray's main concern.

"In my heart, I really want to win this game," Gray said.

Gray caught a 3-yard touchdown pass last year against OSU that helped A&M to a 14-0 lead, but the Cowboys came back and won 38-35 on a last-second field goal. Gray had 49 yards rushing on 16 carries and three catches for 37 yards two years ago at Kyle Field, but OSU grabbed a 36-31 victory.

And as a freshman, Gray lost a fumble in a 56-28 OSU romp in which many Aggies thought the Cowboys ran up the score.

"I think we did, and especially Coach Sherman," Gray said. "He's a classy guy and we try do things the classy way here and hopefully this year we can get our revenge."

OSU starting quarterback Zac Robinson and starting tailback Kendall Hunter accounted for every play but one on a 12-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that ended with Robinson scoring with less than two minutes remaining.

Losing to OSU has been tough enough for Gray, but the Cowboys also have done some trash talking.

"They've got great players, we've got great players," he said. "It's a great rivalry going back and forth."

But this is Gray's last chance, and who knows when the two teams will meet again since the Aggies are headed to the Southeastern Conference and all indications are Oklahoma State probably will end up in the Pac-12.

Gray might have to turn to his dark side to help the Aggies win, but what is the "dark side"?

"[It's] running harder, running smarter, having that swagger about me that I can't be touched," Gray said. "I'm competitive. When we're not winning, I'm not happy. I tend to go to the dark side."

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ESPN's College GameDay didn't come to town, opting for West Virginia, which hosts LSU.

GameDay or not, this is a huge game for the Aggies. A&M will have plenty of recruits on the sidelines, and while ABC is regionally televising the game, it also will be available on ESPN2 in other areas.

"I think this is one of those games that recruiting is a huge factor," A&M defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. "But it's a huge game for our program. This is a game we need to win -- our players know that, our coaches know that."

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DeRuyter and Sherman said their thoughts and prayers go out to the OSU coaching staff because the wife of Cowboys linebackers coach Glenn Spencer died during the first quarter of OSU's game Saturday night against Tulsa.

Spencer had left the team Saturday night during a three-hour rain delay to be with his wife, who had health problems and had received a heart transplant.

"There's all this competition and talk with the big game, and he loses his wife and his kids lose their mom," Sherman said. "It puts things in perspective."

The always upbeat, jovial DeRuyter had the media laughing on a few occasions Monday, but became emotional what talking about what the Spencer family is going through.

DeRuyter's older brother died of a heart attack on Halloween night in 2005. DeRuyter, who was an assistant at Nevada, got the call the next day.

"Life goes on, you get in the vacuum and you think all that matters is football and games, but it's tough," DeRuyter said. "We'll battle our hearts out on Saturday, but we absolutely wish the best for him and his family. He's got two high-school age sons and I can't imagine. ... it was a gut shot [when I heard about my brother]."

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DeRuyter has moved freshman Shaun Ward from outside linebacker to inside linebacker in his 3-4 alignment. Senior Garrick Williams will be one of the starting inside linebackers. Junior Jonathan Stewart and sophomore Charles Thomas are battling for the other spot. Ward will join junior Steven Jenkins as reserves.

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OSU's game with Tulsa didn't end until 3:35 a.m. The 9:10 p.m. kick for TV was pushed back to 12:15 a.m. because of weather.

Gundy said if it were up to him, the game would have been called at 11:30 p.m. The Cowboys almost saw daybreak before getting back to Stillwater.

It was a no-win situation for many. Tulsa's stadium is being renovated, so it seated only 30,000 for the in-state rivals. And it wasn't a sellout because tickets were $95 each.

OSU easily won the game, but the long day had to take some toll on the Cowboys. And if A&M beats OSU by a field goal, who knows what role that game would have played in it, if any.

OSU, though, might want to get used to a few games like that if indeed it ends up in the Pac-12.

"Honestly, that's true, especially if you're playing on the West Coast," Gundy said. "If you finish the game out there at 10ish or 11ish, that's 12ish or 1ish here, and then you've got a three-hour flight, so you're looking at 4 or 5 in the morning getting back to Stillwater."

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A&M senior record-setting receiver Jeff Fuller said he felt his left hamstring late against Idaho, but he kept playing. Fuller, who missed much of fall camp, said he's probably 95 percent healed and it probably was scar tissue breaking down. ... The A&M-Arkansas game on Oct. 1 in Dallas Cowboys Stadium will be at 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. The SEC TV partners took a six-day window. The other games are Alabama-Florida and Auburn-South Carolina. The Big 12 TV games Oct. 1 are Texas Tech at Kansas, 11 a.m. (FSN), Baylor at Kansas State, 2:30 p.m. (ABC) and Texas at Iowa State, 6 p.m. (FX).

* Robert Cessna's email address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com