By ROBERT CESSNAJordan Shipley touches the football only 11 times per game, but what he does with those opportunities is a big reason the third-ranked Texas Longhorns are 11-0 and chasing a national championship.
The 190-pounder from Burnet, who was the favorite receiver of former Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee, has 91 catches for 1,204 yards and nine touchdowns.
A lot of eyes will be on No. 8 in Thursday's Big 12 game at Kyle Field between Texas (11-0, 7-0) and A&M (6-5, 3-4).
"He's probably the best wide receiver in college football," A&M defensive coordinator Joe Kines said. "He does a good job reading man or zone. He knows how to run away from pressure, and he knows when to sit it down if it's a zone thing."
Shipley's made at least six catches in 10 games this season including a season-best 11 twice in Big 12 play. He had 11 catches for 147 yards against Colorado, including a 39-yard touchdown catch, but his biggest play in UT's 38-14 victory was a 74-yard punt return for a score. Both of his scores were part of five unanswered touchdowns as UT erased a 14-10 halftime deficit.
"Field position is huge, but when you can score in the kicking game, it just changes games for you," UT head coach Mack Brown said afterward. "Jordan Shipley is amazing."
That's true in so many ways. UT's sixth-year senior is making the most of the extra season the NCAA granted him after missing all of 2004 and '05 because of an injury. He is averaging 142.8 all-purpose yards per game -- way up from 59.6 in his first 39 games.
He also is the security blanket for UT quarterback Colt McCoy.
"Week in, week out, you can count on him to find a spot to be open and catch a lot of balls," said McCoy, whose next two favorite targets have only a combined 83 catches for 810 yards and eight scores.
Shipley will be working against an A&M defense that is allowing 259 yards passing per game, which ranks 110th nationally. The only team ranked below the Aggies that Texas has faced is Central Florida (112th, 260.5). Shipley had 11 catches for a season-high 273 yards against the Golden Knights.
Kines said trying to devise a special defense isn't going to work against a player with as much football savvy as Shipley, son of successful high school football coach Bob Shipley.
"The most important thing is we need to be on top of our game," Kines said.
The Aggies were that last week in a 38-3 victory over Baylor. The Bears were only 24-of-38 passing for 215 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
"I think we ran to the ball defensively as well as we have all year long," A&M head coach Mike Sherman said.
A&M also covered kicks well, which will be crucial against the Longhorns. D.J. Monroe is averaging 35.8 yards per kickoff return with a pair of scores, and Shipley is averaging 13.3 yards per punt return with two scores.
"I'm having so much fun on that team right now because we have 10 guys out there that are just working their tails off to make those things go," said Shipley after his punt return for a TD against CU. "When you have those guys sold out like that, it's a lot of fun to be a part of it. You have to give those guys credit for making all the holes. It's just a fun team to be on."
Shipley had a 46-yard punt return for UT's first score in a 24-14 victory over Texas Tech.
Shipley, though, hasn't found the end zone too many times against the Aggies. In three games, two of them losses, Shipley has eight catches for 146 yards and a touchdown. He also has two punt returns for minus 4 yards total and a 14-yard kickoff return.
Shipley was least effective this season in UT' closest game -- a 16-13 victory over Oklahoma. The Sooners limited him to four catches for 22 yards and two punt returns for minus 3 yards combined.
"We had a great plan coming in," OU cornerback Dominique Franks said. "We have to credit our defensive line and linebackers for giving great pressure and not letting Colt McCoy sit back and choose who he wanted to throw it to. We had great pressure."
A&M has the nation's leader in sacks in Von Miller who has 15.5, but he'll need help. The Aggies also plan to lean on the 12th Man, who helped spur the team to a 38-30 victory the last time Shipley and Texas came to Kyle Field.
"It's a fun place to play," Shipley said. "Their fans get really into the game. I played there a couple times in high school during the playoffs. It's going to be a fun trip."
Texas A&M FoOTBALL
* Thursday's game: No. 3 Texas (11-0, 7-0 in Big 12) at Texas A&M (6-5, 3-4), 7 p.m.
* TV/radio: ESPN/WTAW, 1620 AM and Sirius Ch. 122
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