Longhorns dispatch Aggies from Big 12 with loss
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Justin Tucker hit a 40-yard field goal 25 victory over Texas A&M in the final state rivals as members of the Big 12 Conference.
Texas A&M, which will move to the Southeastern Conference next season, took a 25-24 lead with 1:48 remaining on Jeff Fuller's 16-yard touchdown reception.
Texas responded, however, as Case McCoy's 25-yard scramble set up Tucker's game-winning field goal and the Longhorns (7-4) grabbed a road victory in the 118th meeting of the longtime rivals.
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McCoy threw for 110 yards, while Jaxon Shipley tossed a 41-yard touchdown pass to Blaine Irby for Texas, which was coming off a 17-13 loss to Kansas State.
Senior Ryan Tannehill completed 20-of-49 passes for 224 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Aggies (6-6).
Ben Malena ran for 83 yards on 25 carries and Fuller had seven receptions for 107 yards in the loss.
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McCoy, who replaced David Ash in the third quarter against Kansas State, struggled to guide the offense early.
The Longhorns did not pick up a first down until the final play of the first quarter and faced a 16-7 deficit at the half.
After the break, they turned to their defense and special teams, which promptly delivered.
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Carrington Byndom intercepted Tannehill on the opening drive of the second half and sprinted 58 yards for a score to make it a 16-14 game.
The Texas defense then forced a punt and Quandre Diggs' 81-yard return set up Tucker's 23-yard, go-ahead field goal.
Next, Kenny Vaccaro intercepted Tannehill and the Longhorns moved to the A&M one before Cody Johnson found the end zone for a 24-16 advantage midway through the third.
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The Aggies made it a 24-19 game on Ryan Bullock's 32-yard field goal with 5:56 remaining in the fourth.
Following a Texas punt, the Aggies reeled off a 68-yard touchdown drive. Tannehill extended the march with a 10-yard scramble on 3rd-and-10, then found Fuller on a crossing route on the next play for the go-ahead score. But his pass on the two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete.
The Longhorns received the ball with 1:48 remaining. A 15-yard personal foul on A&M's Trent Hunter preceded three straight completions by McCoy. The sophomore quarterback then barreled down the middle of the field for 25 yards, setting up Hunter's game-winning kick.
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The Aggies, spurred by the raucous Kyle Field faithful, began the game with a charge, forcing a three-and-out before Tannehill found Malena from seven yards out for an early 7-0 advantage.
Midway through the first, Bullock nailed a 49-yard field goal to make it 10-0.
The Longhorns didn't pick up a first down until McCoy found Shipley on 3rd- and-14 for 27 yards.
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Still, that drive ended with a punt, and a strong return by Dustin Harris, coupled with a 15-yard personal foul on Texas set up Bullock's 52-yarder, making it 13-0.
The Longhorns then went three-and-out, but Harris fumbled away the punt and Shipley hit Irby for a 41-yard touchdown on the next play from scrimmage.
Irby then fumbled following a Tannehill interception, leading to a 29-yarder from Bullock and a 16-7 Aggies advantage at the break.