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Game Day: Robert Cessna Grades the Aggies
Published Sunday, November 15, 2009 12:51 AM

OFFENSE: D

What went right: Texas A&M, which attempted 40 passes, allowed only one sack until the last drive. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson often avoided pressure with his legs, and Cyrus Gray ran hard.

What went wrong: The fumble by Christine Michael gave OU a 7-0 lead. A&M's offense had eight possessions of three plays or less in part because it was 6-of-22 converting third downs.

Bottom line: A&M shook off the bad start and pulled within 14-10 but over the next three possessions could muster only 21 yards on 10 plays. An all-too-familiar play was Johnson running for his life, then throwing the ball away.

DEFENSE: D-

What went right: The interception by linebacker Michael Hodges led to A&M's only touchdown. OU managed only 14 points on its first seven possessions with A&M forcing four punts.

What went wrong: OU was 11 of 18 on third downs. The Aggies made redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones (392 passing yards and five TDs) look like reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford.

Bottom line: The Aggies eventually wore down with OU rolling up 467 yards in the middle quarters alone.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F

What went right: A&M kept OU's big-play returners under wraps. Freshman punter Ryan Epperson had four punts inside OU's 20.

What went wrong: A&M couldn't field punts or kickoffs. The crowd laughed when Cyrus Gray had to go back and pick up a kickoff that eluded him.

Bottom line: A muffed punt and fumbled kickoff return gave the Sooners a pair of touchdowns.

COACHING: D-

What went right: A&M had a good game plan. The Aggies moved the ball at least 30 yards on their first two possessions using a shovel pass, hard running and short throws.

What went wrong: The decision to start freshman Michael for the second time backfired when he fumbled. For the second straight week, the Aggies had trouble fielding punts. A&M had no answer for the Sooners' offense once the Sooners got rolling.

Bottom line: A&M couldn't handle adversity on the road again. The Aggies had 12 penalties for 90 yards and plenty more mistakes, and they couldn't make the plays to overcome them.

OVERALL: F

What went right: A&M became the first team to score on OU in the first quarter this season.

What went wrong: Unfortunately, the Aggies didn't score in the last three quarters with the game getting away from them in the second and third when OU scored 44 points.

Bottom line: A&M actually made good plays in all three phases, but the Aggies were engulfed by a sea of their own errors. Last week's 35-34 loss at Colorado was a heartbreaker. This one was more like heartburn.



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