OFFENSE: A-
What went right: Texas A&M attacked the vaunted Texas defense play after play with old-fashioned football by winning battle after battle at the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson played his best game, accounting for 439 yards. He made some remarkable passes, and his receivers sure helped, especially Jeff Fuller.
What went wrong: The fumble by Christine Michael cost the Aggies more than the touchdown the Longhorns scored afterward. The Aggie defense had just stopped UT on fourth-and-1 two plays before the fumble.
Bottom line: That's the offense Aggies envisioned when head coach Mike Sherman was hired two years ago. Yeah, it was there against New Mexico and UAB, but this was against the rival Longhorns. The real beauty is that all 190 yards rushing and 298 of the receiving yards were by underclassmen.
DEFENSE: C+
What went right: A&M was better at getting off the field on third downs than UT. The Longhorns coverted 5 of 12 third downs, while the Aggies converted 9 of 16.
What went wrong: A&M couldn't stop wide receiver Jordan Shipley in the first half, and QB Colt McCoy ran wild for 175 yards.
Bottom line: A&M allowed 597 yards, but the Aggies had two fourth-down stops and forced three punts -- just enough defense to give the team a chance.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
What went right: A&M found a difference-maker in kick returner Ryan Swope, who had seven returns for 180 yards. The Aggies recovered a muffed punt that led to a touchdown.
What went wrong: The 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by UT's Marquise Goodwin coupled with the 23-yard missed field goal were killers.
Bottom line: The teams combined for 152 offensive plays, most of them thrilling, but fans leaving Kyle Field had to be talking about what if A&M had been a little better on special teams down the stretch.
COACHING: A
What went right: A&M didn't do anything fancy, just executed. Texas was the team trying trick plays. A&M ran right at the nation's top run defense, which allowed a season-high 190 yards.
What went wrong: A&M failed to score on two red-zone trips and couldn't stop UT, which was 4 of 4.
Bottom line: A&M walked off the field at Texas last year 40 points behind the Longhorns. Sherman and his staff changed about 60 percent of the roster and came within a few plays of winning.
OVERALL: A-
What went right: A&M put its best foot -- make that feet, several of them -- forward on national television.
What went wrong: A&M came oh so close but just couldn't get over the hump in the fourth quarter.
Bottom line: It's a loss, but a lot of Aggies are proud of this young football team.
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