Spring Break
Cowboys defeat Aggies
A&M loses first Big 12 conference game
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Sports
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"We just made a ton of mistakes," junior running back Mike Goodson said. "We really didn't deserve to win the game."
In the first drive of the game, freshman Aggie receiver Jeff Fuller fumbled the ball on the Oklahoma State 42-yard line, setting the tone for the remainder of the contest. The fumble was returned to the 21-yard line and resulted in a 20-yard drive by the Cowboys.
However, the Oklahoma State offense stalled at the goal line after a fourth-and-1 play was stopped short by Alton Dixon. The spot of the ball was reviewed and the call on the field was upheld.
The Aggies committed five turnovers, the most in a single game this season, with all five coming in the first half. Sophomore quarterback Jerrod Johnson threw two interceptions, each returned for a touchdown.
"You certainly can't give a team that scores 51 points a game on average, you certainly can't hand them 17 points," Head Coach Mike Sherman said about the turnovers. "That's basically what we did, and they took full advantage of it."
Following the goal line stand, Johnson returned to the field and threw his first interception of the game to sophomore Oklahoma State defensive end Ugo Chinasa. Chinasa returned the ball from the 6-yard line into the end zone, handing the Cowboys an early 7-0 lead.
Oklahoma State posted six more points to the board on junior quarterback Zac Robinson's 29-yard pass to sophomore receiver Dez Bryant, capping a 56-yard drive.
"Dez Bryant is a tremendous athlete," said senior defensive back Dany Gorrer, who covered Bryant during the game. "I tip my hat to him. He's good. I don't know how to explain how good he is. He's a wonderful athlete."
The Aggie offense stalled again and Justin Brantly's 54-yard punt was returned 78 yards for a touchdown by Bryant.
Junior running back Mike Goodson broke an 80-yard run on the first play of the next drive. Eleven seconds later and Goodson was celebrating A&M's first touchdown of the game. The run was the longest of Goodson's career and since Courtney Lewis ran an 86-yard touchdown against Baylor in 2003.
"It was just a good call," said Goodson, who suffered a minor injury in the first half but returned to play in the second half. "The linemen up front, everybody blocked it well. It was easy to run. That was the easy part."
Johnson threw his second interception of the game to Oklahoma State junior linebacker Patrick Lavine. Lavine returned the interception 22 yards for a touchdown, giving Oklahoma State a 28-7 lead.
"It felt really good," Lavine said. "I've been a little slow this season, and it just feels good to make a big play."
On the next drive, Johnson fumbled the ball after being sacked by junior linebacker Andre Sexton. Junior defensive end Derek Burton recovered the ball on the A&M 42-yard line. The resulting drive stalled and the Cowboys missed a 50- yard field goal attempt to close out the half. Going into the locker room, Oklahoma State had 28-7 lead.
The Cowboys returned from halftime in top gear. A 62-yard drive was capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass to Bryant, giving Oklahoma State a 35-7 lead. By that point, the game was already in the Cowboys' hands.
Though the Aggies were outscored 28-21 in the second half, compared to 28-7 in the first half, the game was decided in the first. Bryant posted two touchdown receptions and Robinson posted two rushing touchdowns for Oklahoma State's four touchdowns.
With the loss, A&M falls to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in conference. Oklahoma State improved to 5-0 and 1-0 in conference. The last time the Cowboys started the season 5-0 was in 2004, losing its sixth game to A&M. The Aggie loss marked the first time A&M has dropped its Big 12 opener since losing to Texas Tech in 2006.
"[Losing] is really tough," Gorrer said. "As a senior, being around for a long time, it's just really disappointing. We have to round up the troops and start practicing again really hard on Monday."
The Cowboys won when...
Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson threw his second interception of the game.
Player of the game…
Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant posted 106 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
Stat of the game…
5 turnovers for the Aggies, all in the first half, decided the game.
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